A–Z Glossary

Visceral pain

Visceral pain is pain arising from internal organs, including pain caused by uterine contractions and cervical change during labor.

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Pain perception across labor timeline

Pain perception across labor timeline

Labor pain is biologic and personal Labor pain has a recognizable physiologic basis, but it is never experienced in a purely mechanical way. Nociceptors in the uterus, cervix, pelvic ligaments, vagina, perineum, and pelvic floor transmit signals through spinal pathways, while the brain interprets those signals through the lens of fatigue, fear, expectation, hormones, memory, […]

Role of cervix dilation in pain

Role of cervix dilation in pain

What cervical dilation means in labor Cervical dilation describes the opening of the cervical canal, conventionally recorded from 0 to 10 centimeters. Complete or full dilation, generally 10 cm, allows the presenting part of the fetus to pass from the uterus into the vagina. Dilation is closely linked with effacement, the progressive thinning and shortening […]

Why labor can feel surreal

Why labor can feel surreal

Labor changes the brain’s usual frame of reference Labor is a neuro-psycho-social event: a physiological process that unfolds within a person’s nervous system, emotional world, relationships, and environment. Contractions, cervical change, fetal descent, pressure, nausea, shaking, temperature shifts, and changes in breathing create a continuous stream of intense information. At the same time, endocrine signals […]