Experiences of declining cervical examinations

[RoseyPosey12]

I am keen to understand how people navigated declining cervical examinations when presenting at triage and if and how that affected admission onto labour ward. They're supposed to be optional and supposedly there are many other ways they can establish the progress of your labour but in reality my own experience and from speaking to others these examinations seem like the end all and be all.

Personally, I never went to triage so can't help with that.
But I did get offered for more international exams when I went in for labour.
I initially accepted the first check for them to "ensure I was in labour" ie 4cm to be admitted onto the labour ward
This is because with both children I've birthed my contractions haven't ever been text book and I've always been able to talk through them and be calm.
First birth I didn't even get chance for a second exam to be offered as I was 4-10 in the time it took them to go okay, you're going into this room!
Second, I went in extra early for antibiotics. I accepted the first 4cm established labour exam and was offered a second exam in the labour room but declined as I knew I was progressing and didn't need it.
Nobody ever pressured me into it, however as it was the second I felt a lot more im charge and aware of advocating for myself and what I did and didn't want.
That being said, I didnt particularly want the first exam however it was something that I knew would benefit me (because it would be the easiest way to prove I was in established labour) and therefore not have to give birth outside of the hospital or in an open room with every Tom, dick and Harry to watch!

What about the cervical checks is it you don't want op?

Thanks for sharing! I had a really traumatic experience last time I was in labour. I felt pushed into having examinations and interventions and just the thought of going through that again stresses me out. It was also incredibly painful! I really don't want to have to go through that again it's so invasive and it frustrates me that it's supposed to be optional and like with any other procedure they're supposed to get your consent but it's not really consent is it if you have to have it to actually get subsequently admitted.

I totally understand, if it wasn't for the admittance I would have declined all of them.
If it's something you're really not after, stick to your guns. At least for any subsequent exams.
Have you talked to your midwife about refusing them?
I've got it written on my birth plan this time around that I don't want any. My communal midwife told me how I may end up having issues with it as they're very exam happy in this country with hourly exams, but the midwife at the hospital who did my last checkup read through it and didn't mention a thing, so I guess we shall see on that front.

I've got a few midwife appointments coming up so will be sure to discuss with them and see how it goes. It's so tricky because on the day you have no idea what sort of midwife you will end up with and some of them were just vile last time around. I don't even get how it can be legal to prevent hospital admission and therefore access to care on the basis of this supposedly entirely optional examination especially when they are meant to have other ways of assessing progress. How many people are truly giving consent in the legal sense i.e. voluntarily and fully informed? Probably not a lot. Anyway thank you for the advice!

I have only had positive experiences of exams and they have informed the labour in a beneficial way. I had two exams when I was having my daughter. They were only 2 and a half hours apart but the second showed I was fully dilated and ready to push so the midwife got me straight into the pool and I started pushing a few minutes later. Having only been 2cm at the first exam and not showing signs of being fully dilated - the first midwife I spoke to wanted me to stay at home a bit longer, it was a surprise!

I had quite a few with my second and I would say they resulted in less intervention. I was in triage once for threatened preterm labour, diagnosed with irritable uterus as the cause of contractions. I was in a week later with extreme fatigue but because of the contractions they did another exam. After this they accepted that it was the irritable uterus as the reason for contractions and I wasn't likely to go into preterm labour.

As I had declining health I then had a sweep at 36+6 and an exam the next day when trying to decide if I needed inducing as the sweep has almost got me into labour, they could tell the cervix was favourable and because of that were happy to removed the pessetry after 4 of the possible 24h. I had 3 exams during induction and labour. Two didn't change anything and I guess you could say were unnecessary but the third showed my because of my health the labour had gone backwards. They broke my waters and labour accelerated. Baby got into distress and I had my last exam when found I was 8cm and likely to be fully dilated in a few minutes. I was tiring and starting to struggle with labour, without the exam that showed it was going backwards which wasn't obvious on the outside I would have continued trying and used up the last of my energy and needed interventions, without the last exam and knowing that very quickly baby was likely to be they would have escalated the situation to an instrument or cesarean delivery. They almost pressed the emergency button 3 contractions in a row

I think the important thing is to ask what the exams are hoping to achieve and how would they influence decisions.

I didnt have any during labour (home birth) as I didnt need to know how dilated I was - I just laboured in my own time. Also, infection risk once waters have gone.

I actually declined my last cervical examination as i was having them due to bleeding and felt they were making it worse they did try to push once or twice but i stuck with my decision i was still offered further monitoring whenever i went back in