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Effacement means a shortening or thinning of bodily tissue. In the context of sexual health, it refers to thinning of the cervix during childbirth. Not only does the cervix open and widen (dilate), it also gets thinner/shorter as well. The cervix is normally about 4 inches in length and shaped about like a bottleneck. But as labor begins, the cervix pulls up and it is almost like the vagina opens directly into the uterus.

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11y ago

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