Is a membrane sweep similar to a vaginal examination in labour?

[Cherryblossom200]

Hi everyone, I'm 38 weeks with my first baby and just wondering if I end up having a sweep if it's similar to an examination during labour? Which is worse?

Thanks! Cherry x

I remember a midwife asking if she could do a vaginal exam during early labour - I asked if that was like a sweep and she said, basically yes... I got the impression it's a bit if a grey area and you might get some midwives who'd tell you they were going to do a VE and then do a quick sweep too.

This is all just my hazy recollection, and TBH I'm probably a bit of an unreliable narrator!

I have to say though that I don't remember the sweep, or any subsequent VEs, being that bad at all.

Thanks!

I had two sweeps and they were no worse than any other examination. The only thimg that upset me was that they didn't work

I had a sweep at 41 weeks and it was pretty uncomfortable. I just remember wanting it to be over a lot sooner than it was. And it felt really really weird. It's basically the midwife sticking her fingers into your cervix (easy if your body has dilated it a bit already, in my case I was about 3 cm dilated) and running her fingers around your baby's head and hoping this will dislodge the membranes. I could feel very clearly her going around in a circular motion, for what felt like ages !! She was putting quite a lot of effort into it ! It wasn't painful but I didn't like it and it felt invasive. I wish I hadn't had it as about 2 hours after my sweep I started having mild dull aches and discomfort which then in another couple hours had turned into full on contractions....I feel the sweep may have caused my labour to start before my baby/body was ready and caused inefficient contractions which led to me having a 40 hour back to back labour (baby was not back to back at my sweep) in the birth centre and birthing pool, then due to midwives being concerned about me (baby wasn't in distress thank god), having to have the baby delivered by ventouse with drip, epidural, episiotomy, PPH. I wish I had just waited or had reflexology instead to bring on labour. I was pressured into a sweep when I didn't feel right about having it....the midwife said it's basically the same as an internal examination and that whilst she was at it she may as well do a sweep...in fact she said 'there's no point me doing an internal examination without doing a sweep as well'. My partner was keen too, so I just thought 'Ok may as well...' (partly cos I really wanted to find out how many cms I was and it was July and I was uncomfortable as hell and wanted the baby to be out!!) Wish I'd just listened to my instincts and declined the sweep. But who knows it could have turned out exactly the same anyway ! That's just my story.... Most importantly just do what you feel is right. And if you do choose to have a sweep, it's not too bad, just have to relax ! Also side note --- I totally didn't feel anything in my internal examinations during the birth...and I had a lot of them !! I was all numb (before I had any drugs) I think the natural pain relieving labour hormones your body produces are amazing !!

I had several membranes sweeps. The first couple were not particularly uncomfortable but they weren't effective. The final one hurt like hell but brought on the labour.

Eepie, that sounds really disconcerting...
Sweep was a really positive experience for me, and I felt it brought labour on so I narrowly avoided induction and had a gold outcome all round.

All the best!

Don't have a sweep or an internal exam during labour. They are not necessary and you cannot benefit from them. You cannot trust a MW or a doctor when you consent to an internal. A sweep can be performed or your waters broken without your consent. They can bully and talk you into it.

Do what is right for you - don't trust HCP to do the same.

What a ridiculous and unhelpful thing to say. Whatever your own personal experience, which I can only assume was negative and traumatic, you cannot go around stating that all obstetric staff will lie to you, bully you and do unnecessary procedures. Sometimes internal exams in labour are done just for reassurance for all involved or to assess progress sooner than is necessary and sometimes this can lead to intervention but there's also a hell of a lot of situations where internal examinations give a huge amount of information that is helpful and necessary for mum and baby. Knowing the risks and benefits is one thing but scaremongering is completely different.

Apart from "reassurance", please explain how an internal exam during labour helps a woman?

I am a HCP, and I have witnessed labouring women being cajoled, bullied and guilt tripped into unnecessary interventions.

Wow way to scare a girl! Don't listen to them OP, having had 4 sweeps I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I have a fair bit of experience in them - for me they didn't work and I needed to be induced but they were just slightly uncomfortable and a bit weird! The examinations during labour were pretty similar but a bit less forceful, though I only remember the first two - after the gas and air everything else was a blur! Please don't work yourself into a state reading other peoples birth stories on MN, it will go how it will go and you'll cope, bear in mind most women do it more than once!

I'm not trying to scare the OP. There is no evidence that sweeps work. They can be invasive and painful and be the start of a cascade of intervention. Do your own research. Don't be bullied into a procedure you are not comfortable with.

The sweep was uncomfortable but not painful. My waters went 40 mins later but I was already 3cm dilated and in early labour.
Internals I didn't even really notice while breathing and mooing through proper labour - or if I did I have forgotten like the rest of the labour and following 2 days

I had two sweeps and they were definitely less comfortable than a VE. The VE's didn't bother me at all, just a quick poke. In fact I kept badgering the midwives to do them because I wanted to know how close I was to pushing! The sweeps were quite uncomfortable for me in a grabbing the bedsheets thinking "ooh ooh ooh that doesn't feel very natural, get out of there" kind of way but not painful.