Harder to conceive
the second time? [q&a]
MY doctor said my cervical os is very tight but that she could help to open it. Will this affect my efforts to conceive? If so, how?






The cervical os is generally "tight" in women who have never had a pregnancy, and it is very difficult to make such a diagnosis through visual inspection alone. All one needs is a microscopic opening. If you are having regular menses and they are not unusually painful, it is likely that the cervix is open enough. Also, the cervix undergoes changes during the ovulatory period, which makes it very hospitable to sperm transport.

The cervix can be dilated with progressively larger and larger instruments or by placing a small seaweed stem (laminaria) in it and waiting a day. Unless you have some history of infertility, it is doubtful that this would be necessary.

I would wait until a problem developed before I seek treatment for a condition that may not exist. Instrumentation may also damage the cervical mucus-producing structures, although this is unlikely.

I hope this is helpful, and remember that midwives think along these non-interventionist lines, so it is my opinion.