Dilation versus Effacement...Which Matters More

[Anonymous]

At my last visit, my doctor told me I was 1 cm dilated but 50% effaced. I've heard that you can walk around 1 cm dilated for weeks, so I'm not to concerned about that. But what about effacement? I couldn't get a sense of whether this was a bigger deal.

[Anonymous]

Effacement is, I think, a bigger deal because it means the cervix has thinned out. For that reason, you can dialate really quickly. My husband is a dr. and I vaguely recall him saying something like that. But really, it's anybody's guess what your numbers mean! It could still be tomorrow or 3 weeks from now. I walked around 4 cm and 80% for 3 weeks.... Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Ditto re effacement mattering more.

For instance, much more likely to have a successful induction if you are partially effaced than if you are not effaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Effacement is, I think, a bigger deal because it means the cervix has thinned out. For that reason, you can dialate really quickly. My husband is a dr. and I vaguely recall him saying something like that. But really, it's anybody's guess what your numbers mean! It could still be tomorrow or 3 weeks from now. I walked around 4 cm and 80% for 3 weeks.... Best of luck!

PP, did that make your labor faster / easier by chance?