Why are UK mums-to-be not checked for dilation?
It’s unnecessary. UK labour wards are not filled with women who have unexpectedly gone into labour because they were not checked for dilation! Women can begin to dilate weeks before she actually goes into labour and still be overdue, or she can be tightly shut at 38 weeks and then deliver 2 days later! It doesn’t really tell a doctor anything about whether the woman is close to labour, about to go into labour, or still weeks away. And as you say, there is a risk of infection- no unnecessary or routine internal exams are carried out here during a woman’s pregnancy, except when a woman is in established labour and the midwife may check to see how far the cervix is dilated. The whole issue of care in pregnancy is very different here than it is in US. It is far more based on the fact that pregnancy is not a medical condition- of course for women who do need it there are doctors and examinations etc available as much as they need, and women at risk of premature labour etc are checked freque
