Top 10 Trends in Medicine, August 2014

August 26, 2014

#5 Clinical Trend: Cervical Ripening

Manual separation of the amniotic membranes from the cervix is thought to induce cervical ripening and the onset of labor. The mechanism is unknown, but mechanical disruption of this tissue has been postulated to cause an increase in local prostaglandins by the induction of phospholipase A2 in the cervical and membrane tissues. Such a postulation is certainly consistent with the known stimulation of cervical ripening by prostaglandins.

For more in-depth clinical information, see Cervical Ripening.

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