The procedure aims to separate the amniotic sac and fine fetal membranes from the uterine wall. This separation triggers the release of natural chemicals called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins help soften the cervix and stimulate contractions and labor. Women do not generally need to prepare for membrane stripping, which the doctor will carry out as part of a regular examination.
The doctor may need to stimulate the cervix to dilate it, as membrane stripping will not be possible otherwise. The procedure can be uncomfortable, and most women feel a bit of pain and tenderness afterward. Some women also experience minor bleeding. It is essential to let the doctor know immediately if severe pain or bleeding occurs during or after the appointment.
A doctor is likely to decide against membrane stripping in women who are showing signs of needing a cesarean delivery. The following factors might also make the procedure unsuitable:. In most cases, membrane stripping increases the likelihood of spontaneous labor, especially within the first 7 days following the procedure. Doctors usually only need to carry out the procedure once to induce labor successfully. These findings appear to apply equally to first-time parents and to those who had given birth before.
They found that people in the membrane sweeping group were less likely to have an induction. Post-term pregnancy is the most common reason for induction, so membrane sweeping could potentially reduce inductions for post-term pregnancy. However, the author said that these findings should be interpreted with caution because the evidence is low certainty. And again, these findings appear to apply equally to first-time parents and to those who have given birth before. When the Cochrane reviewers looked at other outcomes, they found no differences between the groups in the rate of cesareans, the use of forceps or vacuum to assist with the delivery, or serious illness or death for mothers or babies.
There is less data on whether or not membrane sweeping or cervical massage can help ripen the cervix or soften the cervix. Only one participant assigned to membrane sweeping was not able to complete the procedure because of a closed cervix.
Both the cervical massage and the membrane sweeping groups were linked to a significant increase in the average Bishop score 48 hours after the treatment compared to the control group. This is evidence that cervical massage may be an effective alternative to membrane sweeping and could be offered to pregnant people with a closed cervix. What about satisfaction? Sadly, only three of the 44 studies in the Cochrane review looked at maternal satisfaction with membrane sweeping.
In those three randomized trials that looked at satisfaction, there were pregnant people in those studies. The majority of participants reported a positive experience with membrane sweeping. However, very few studies have included maternal satisfaction or pain as an outcome. I have corresponded with many people around the world who had membrane sweeping done without their permission or consent and they usually describe it as a particularly painful vaginal exam.
It may be that choice plays a role in the matter and that people who choose with informed consent to have membrane sweeping may have less pain than those who have it done forcibly upon them. However, we have zero research on the subject of forced or non-consented membrane sweeping. Another strategy that some people who do not want to have membrane sweeping use to avoid membrane sweeping is to simply decline all vaginal exams towards the end of pregnancy.
But in fact, membrane sweeping is a medical procedure that requires informed consent. So what are the advantages of having membrane sweeping? First, research shows that membrane sweeping may improve your chances of having spontaneous labor and reduce your risk of having a formal medical induction in the hospital later on.
It can be done outpatient in a clinic setting or even at a home visit if you have a home birth midwife. It can be used independently or combined with other methods such as natural induction methods or medical induction methods.
What are the disadvantages of membrane sweeping? People have reported experiencing pain or discomfort with the procedure. You may also experience bleeding after the procedure. Membrane sweeping, but not cervical massage, may increase the risk of your water breaking before labor. People also report that sometimes membrane sweeping triggers irregular contractions that could interfere with your ability to rest or sleep leading up to actual labor.
Maybe you would go into labour at 40 weeks and three days instead of 41 weeks. Unfortunately, yes. Membrane sweeps can be painful. One medical study found that 70 percent of women found that membrane sweeps were associated with significant discomfort, and one third of women complained of significant pain.
Membrane sweeping can also cause slight bleeding and make your uterus irritable and with irregular contractions. Women have described the discomfort as something similar to a painful smear or period pains, to stronger cramping sensations.
This is more likely if the neck of the womb is still quite far back, or also if a woman has experienced sexual trauma or previous birth trauma. After a membrane sweep you may begin to feel the first positive signs of labour. This can include contractions, losing your mucus plug, or your waters breaking. Midwife and Wellbeing of Women researcher Sam Nightingale warns against significant blood loss, however.
Women may also experience period-type tightening pains. These are all physiological processes that happen prior to labour and this is what the sweep aims to encourage. You would expect positive signs of labour within 12 to 48 hours of having a membrane sweep, however. The mucus plug is a sticky, cervical mucus that blocks the cervix during pregnancy to prevent infection. Once the cervix softens and opens, the plug becomes loose and you may see a white or pale pinkish discharge.
If you see a lot of blood or a brown or green discharge, you should contact your midwife as this could be a sign of complications in the pregnancy. There is considerable professional debate about the pros and cons of membrane sweeps, and whether they help induce labour. My husband and I headed to the hospital around that night, and our third child was born about five hours later.
Since the membrane sweep worked so well with baby number three, I requested another during my fourth pregnancy. I never even felt any cramping at all that day. This time, the sweep didn't work. I was bummed, for sure, because I was so ready to be done with that pregnancy and meet my baby.
I was also hoping to avoid induction. But alas, I showed up at the hospital for my scheduled induction a few days later. It was frustrating. Because from experience, heading into the hospital at 6 centimeters dilated with contractions two minutes apart and then giving birth three hours later without needing an induction is infinitely preferable to walking into a scheduled induction at less than 3 centimeters dilated with zero contractions and giving birth 19 hours later.
BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals.
We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Labor induction. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice bulletin Management of late-term and postterm pregnancies. Liu, J. Membrane sweeping added to formal induction method to increase the spontaneous vaginal delivery: a meta-analysis.
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