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Listen guys......I can't believe everything I'm reading. It sounds like none of you have any kind of obstetrical training, so you all need to relax and stop trying to answer each other's questions. I've been a labor & delivery nurse for 5 years now and it is definitely possible to check your own cervix!!! The problem is knowing what your cervix feels like!! It took almost every L&D nurse I know MONTHS of practice and extensive training to even find the cervix!!! You can study books all you want, but when it comes to actually knowing what one feels like-- that's a different story! You only find out from experience. Also, it is not only possible for the p___s to touch the cervix during s_x, but EXTREMELY common! In fact, it would be quite difficult for the p___s NOT to touch it!!! Sorry guys......these are just the facts! Ask your OBGYN!!!!!!

PLEASE, PLEASE STOP THIS DISCUSSION!!!!!! EVEN IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHECK YOUR CERVIX IT IS SAFER TO LET DOCTORS/NURSES DO THEIRS JOB.

Let's be real! If you can check yourself then why are you going to the doctor? Stick to your day job and let the doctor do his/her job!!

(singing) "Oh, why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends...." (because I couldn't resist adding my two cents..hee hee hee!

when I was prego with my first child I asked the doctor if it was ok if I could check my own cervix she told me it was ok as long and I cleaned my hands and wore sterile gloves... so I did and I checked my cervix myself it was easy, she even gave my husband a lesson on how to check it if I couldnt reach.

First of all, thank you Tee for asking that question, and thank you Erica for making me laugh. I just got through reading all the postings and I am obsolutely amazed at some of the responses. Everybody is different, that is why we are called individuals. I'm writing because there may be someone else that looks at the original question late, like I did. I to think it is important to know your body because my doctor once told me a fellow collegue told him that people know their bodies and usually know what is going on, they (the dr.'s) just had to listen and them confirm and/or inform. Now for actually checking your cervix, I am 39wks today, have gained 60lbs, and I do check my cervix. Someone asked what was the purpose, for me it helps ease my mind because I can feel my babies head. And I would rather be relaxed than feel anxious and add stress to my pregnancy. I still can't tell if I am dilated but I irritate my cervix the way it feels like my dr. does because that is suppose to help get your cervix ready, now whether I'm doing it right is another question that I do not have the answer to. However I do wash my hands and use latex gloves for safety. I know there are people out there that may think I'm crazy and thats ok. I also know that the internet can be misleading but I have found it, especially this forum with other topics, to be helpful. My doctor envites and enjoys my questions and never makes me feel stupid. So don't be afraid to ask, and if you are, maybe you should find someone you are more comfortable talking to. One last thing, I know my posting is kinda all over the place but thats just me. Good luck to everyone!

Oh, and in case you are curious as to how I get to my cervix having gained so much weight, I sit on the toilet, insert two fingers, reach towards my a__s, and lean forward. I was absolutely delighted the first time I felt my unborn childs head. And just in case your wandering, I have not talk to my dr. about this, I intend to get his opinion tomorrow at my next app., which I should have done first, but I have not seen him since I got the idea from my sister, irrasponsible, I know but I figured if my sister did it, and she has four healthy girls ages 5-10, then it would be ok for me. Hope this helps someone.

oh my goodness.. you ladies crack me up. take it easy on the girl it was a good question. if there was a way to check yourself you better believe I would be in it everyday. pregnancy brings lots of concerns its just nice to know. Tee you can't check yourself for dilation because your cervix is too far back.. but maybe you can have your doctor explain to your partner just what he should be feeling for and if he knows anything about diameter (you don't haffta be a dr. for that) then maybe the two of you can "play" dr. while getting a general idea of where you are. hope this helps..

Well, 6 days till my due date and I think I can say that on this one simple question I have read it all! Women who think they can never feel their cervix, women who think they CAN feel the top of the baby's head! Women who feel it is an act of women's liberation to check themselves for dilation. I told my doc about this yesterday, she has three kids of her own and we both had a good laugh about those women who's arms MUST be abnormally long to be able to reach their cervix with a nine month preggo belly in the way when we have trouble wiping our own b___ts! Good luck everyone, hope I'm not here tomorrow!

em- to answer your question i was in labor for 4 days and went to the hospital dilated to 4cm....i knew that cause they told me(not because i checked)but after knowing that i was at 4 cm i could then tell if it had changed any (which was important) i had a similar story to julie contractions from 24 weeks etc etc and although i have never gone early and have had all of my previous births at home with a midwife (therefore not high risk) i did not want to waste my time or my families time (watching my 3 other children) going into the hospital everytime i my contractions were 5 minutes apart. i came home after spending the night in the hospital (which reminds me have they never heard of a SERTA mattress? god that was awful!) and went in for my apt later the next day i was dialted to 5....no big whoop but i knew that my labors can be very unpredictable...so i went home instead of going into the hospital like i was offered by my physician (who i love) 48 hours later i realized that i was FINALLY in transition and i checked myself to be sure (i would not want to be induced or even have my bag broken if i was not fully and naturally in labor) pulled intot hte hospital parking lot at 10:20 and had a baby boy (Ethan Andrew) in my arms at 10:53....6lb8oz...18in long and healthy as all get out...so yet again...a reason to check yourself.

It was just a question, i am 35 weeks and 3 cm dilated and I know I have questions, it being my first pregnancy and all!

first of all, let me just say "WOW" I came to this website because I am 38 wks, and yesterday my Doctor told me that I was about 2cm. I was a little concerned because I am scheduled for a C-Section on the 31st and wanted to see if there was anyway to determined if I would make it until then. I stumbled across this website and have spent the last half hour reading all the comments posted. TEE is just like me with my first child, you can call it being "stupid", but in reality she was just curious. I know that if I would of came across this her question during my first pregnancy that I would of ran to the bathroom to check myself just to see if I could do it. Hell, I may do that now! :-) Point is that we all have questions and if you ladies keep badgering the ones that have the gull to ask them then soon enough you wont have the chance because they are asking for help, not to get *****ed at. have you ever heard the expression "there is no such thing as a dumb question" I am sure that some of you could of given her your opinion without the harra__sment. As for the ones of you that stood up for her even if you did not support her "GOD BLESS" At the time in her pregnancy that she asked the question, she was probably scared and I am sure that after reading all the answers that she felt like c___p having asked it. THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW THAT IF I EVER NEED ADVICE THAT IF I POST AT THIS SITE THAT I AM SURE TO GET CALLED STUPID! we are all mothers or soon to be mothers, why not support each other and keep the nasty comments for the delivery room. :-)

Well put Jen. I just wanted to let everyone know that yesterday at my appointment I told my doctor that I had been checking my cervix with clean hands and sterile gloves and though he giggled, he said he did not recommend it. The reason, even though I washed my hands and used sterile gloves, I could still introduce bacteria by putting the gloves on wrong or touching something un-sterile before insertion. He also confimed that I was feeling my baby's head but then he showed me a way to feel his head by placing my fingers on top of my pelvis. It's hard to explain. I don't think he believed me when I said I wouldn't do it anymore so he showed me the proper technique of putting on sterile gloves, followed by "keep your fingers out of your v____a!" So I will and I'll wait till he gets here to touch his head again.

I am a CCE, CLE -- Certified Childbirth Educator, also a Certified Lactation Educator. I received my training and certs through the University of California -- no, I am not a physician, but I can tell you what I tell my students -- there are no stupid questions. If someone is thinking something, wondering something, or wanting information, the only way to find out answers is to ASK. Calling people rude or saying that a particular question must be a joke offends me both as a teacher and as a mother. How does this poor girl feel, reading all of this after she's come to the board looking for information??? Now she's going to hesitate before voicing what's on her mind again. And WHAT is so wrong with our bodies that would cause such a strong reaction? Is there something wrong or bad about our bodies, why would feeling one's own cervix be something offensive enough to set this off? It is common practice in determining monthly fertility to feel the cervix for certain changes. Surely most women allow (or have allowed) their partners fingers into their bodies -- and their doctor's -- so what is so wrong with your own? What is so offensive about that? After all of that let me say that no, you can not determine if you have dilated more unless you have been trained to know what the cervix feels like at the different stages of dilation -- and there are other factors at work such as thinning (effacement), softening, and the baby engaging in the pelvis. It would be wonderful if we could all check ourselves and not have to wait for a scheduled apointment, or go to Labor and Delivery with false alarms! I'd love it if we all had the knowledge and ability to determine our own progress. I certainly wish I could determine mine, but I have to wait for the doctor's opinion too. Hang in there, Tee, and don't worry about the fight that broke out over your question. It can't have been about you . . .

you might not be able to tell exactly how much youve dilated,,,but you can do a self examination to see if your vervix is soft. It's perfectly safe my doctor is the one who told me how, and what to feel for.

For the people saying you cant reach your own cervix,, i dont know where yours is placed because i can feel mine just fine. I'm only 34 weeks, but i check myself,,and as a matter of fact, my cervix just softened up a few days ago.