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American women seem to get them quite often. Im from australia and 6 days over due with my third and the only time ive ever had an internal was while i was in labour

I'm going to just cut and paste a reply I made just a fewminutes ago to pretty much the same question. In reality, what's the point of a pelvic exam anyway if pregnancy has progressed well, and there are no complications? No matter if you're 4cm dilated and 100% effaced, this is no indication of an imminent labor. Internals introduce bacterias which lead to infection. If you're uncomfortable about the procedure, tell your doc no. Unfortunately you can be dilated and effaced for weeks and weeks without labor starting. Moreso, these days carers minimise the amount of internals, even throughout labor due to the increased risk of introducing infections. Remember it's your body and you have the right to say No. The numbers system gives so much false hope to women in late pregnancy and there are no clear cut ways to predict when labor will start.

dont worry about it, they are pain free, not too intrucive, in uk they only do them if your overdue and want it or when your in labour, i had a few in labour and you wont care atall about them then, all mine were done by women though and i would recomend that, a male doc st_tched me up and wasnt half as gentle

My midwife does not do them, unless you request until the date you are due. They cant tell when your going into labor just by looking at your cervix.

Well I just had my first at 34 weeks and my midwife did it because I went in with contractions and had lost my mucous plug. I was already thinned and 1 cm dialated so I was sent to hospital for observation but honestly to me the internal just felt like a lot of pressure. I already felt bad with the contractions so I was not very comfortable but I am very lucky to have a very gentle midwife but more than anything it feels like a lot of pressure. To me it was nothing like a pap.

I am in Australia too, my dr does one at your first appointment at 12 wks to check your pelvis and other stuff I guess. Then not again til I was 39 wks when he was checking to see if my cervix would respond to being induced (gestational diabetes) then a hundred times during labour and each of them painful! ha ha.. I guess each dr to their own.

As an RN in the US, I can tell you that docs in this country normally start doing internals at 36 weeks for a number of reasons. First being that they are checking the position of the baby, second they are checking dilation and effacement, and third they take a sample to make sure you have no infections like group B strep (which if you had, you would more than likely have no symptoms). All the equipment used to do an internal is sterile, and if it isn't and you feel you have gotten an infection from the internal exam (which is HIGHLY unlikely), then I suggest you report your doc to DOH. While the internal exam may be uncomfortable, in this country it is quite necessary because if the doctor didn't do the internal and you have group B strep that your baby contracts you will sue the doctor. The internal has nothing to do with telling you when you will go into labor, and its not meant to.

You guys are lucky. Im 33 weeks and had my first internal at my first appt and every one since. I had to get a RECTAL on my first appt too - very unexpected and my bf was in the room, so embarra__sing. I changed drs after that.

As some of the other women said, I too only had an internal at the first appointment, and only once with my first child when I first got to the hopsital to see how far dialated I was. I must say though, I still remember that examination and it was over 9 years ago. She said she had to do it during a contraction and did so, but I felt her hand over the contraction and it hurt so much, I suddenly vomited. The pain was so bad. I don't know what she did, but to this day I still believe she did something wrong. As for Lindsay saying she had a rectal too - what the heck is THAT about?! I've never heard of that, not once. I'd be asking alot of questions before he even TRIED to get back there. Poor thing...

Lindsay, you should report that dr. I have never heard of that kind of examination, unless you were complaining of roids or something.