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Buckle up for a thorough discussion about cervical exams, kweens! Here’s what you’ll hear about in this episode: What is a cervical exam and how are they performed What’s being assessed in a cervical exam (i.e. dilation, effacement, station, cervical ripeness and position, etc.) How to do a respectful cervical exam Tips for how to make exams more comfortable for the person receiving them Cervical exams during pregnancy – why they’re done and whether they’re actually necessary The role that cervical exams play in inductions of labor and why it’s important to know your Bishop’s Score before starting an induction Definition of a membrane sweep (aka – stretch and sweep) The lowdown on cervical exams during labor, including the risks and benefits The normal frequencies of cervical exams in labor in a hospital vs. birth center/home birth Discussion about the recent change in definition of the start of active labor from 4cm to 6cm https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Obstetric-Care-Consensus-Series/Safe-Prevention-of-the-Primary-Cesarean-Delivery https://evidencebasedbirth.com/friedmans-curve-and-failure-to-progress-a-leading-cause-of-unplanned-c-sections/ https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(13)01690-6/abstract Some myths about cervical exams and dilation in labor The resources mentioned about the uterine infection chorioamnionitis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008318/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22432485 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22617572 The pros and cons of the birthing person knowing the numbers associated with their cervical exams in labor Discussion about how labor progress and cervical dilation are not always linear   Support our sponsor and get your own subscription to Ritual vitamins by going to Ritual.com/KWEENS.   Get yourself some Birth Kweens gear in our new online shop! --- If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at birthkweens@gmail.com with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!