Cervical incompetence

Cervical incompetence (or cervical insufficiency) is a medical condition in which a pregnant woman's cervix begins to dilate (widen) and efface (thin) before her pregnancy has reached term. Definitions of cervical incompetence vary, but one that is frequently used is the inability of the uterine cervix to retain a pregnancy in the absence of the signs and symptoms of clinical contractions, or labor, or both in the second trimester. Cervical incompetence may cause miscarriage or preterm birth during the second and third trimesters. Another sign of cervical incompetence is funneling at the internal orifice of the uterus, which is a dilation of the cervical canal at this location.