Overview
Introduction
At 20 weeks, one patient may have painless cervical dilation with no regular contractions, while another has a short cervix found only on transvaginal ultrasound.
At 20 weeks, one patient may have painless cervical dilation with no regular contractions, while another has a short cervix found only on transvaginal ultrasound. These are related findings, but they are not interchangeable diagnoses. The NP’s task is to identify the clinical phenotype, exclude conditions in which cerclage could cause harm, and match surveillance, vaginal progesterone, or cerclage to the patient’s history, cervical measurement, current examination, gestational age, and fetal number. In Canada, SOGC guidance and maternal-fetal medicine consultation frame these decisions; thresholds are decision points, not substitutes for assessment.