- 1). Wash your hands with hot water and soap or use hand sanitizer, then put on latex gloves. If you desire, apply a small amount of lubrication to your gloves. Gloves will help prevent the spread of bacteria from your hands to your vaginal canal and cervix.
- 2). Position yourself on a chair or on the corner of a bed. Lift up one leg to your side and keep your other leg down with your foot flat on the ground. This position allows you to reach deeper into the vaginal canal. When professionals check your cervix, they usually have you lay on your back, but for a self-check, this position works best.
- 3). Use one or two fingers, preferably your index and middle fingers, to reach into your vagina, toward your back to touch the cervix. You can tell it's your cervix because it feels like your pressing your fingers into closed, puckered lips, especially during the early stages of labor.
- 4). Press as many fingers as you can, gently, into the cervix. If you can only fit one, that means your cervix is only 1 cm dilated. If you can fit two fingers, that means your cervix is 2 cm dilated. The more fingers you can comfortably fit or the wider you can stretch the cervix, the more dilated you are.
- 5). Slowly remove your fingers. Remove the gloves and wash your hands or apply hand sanitizer.
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