Longitudinally and circularly measured EMG activity in the human uterine cervix during labour.

The role of the smooth cervical muscle has not yet been sufficiently explored. For that reason cervical EMG was measured during induced labour of several primiparas and multiparas. Three spiral electrodes were placed on the cervix in order to measure the EMG in the longitudinal and circular direction referred to the cervical axis.

Electromyographic observations on the human cervix during labor.

The activity of smooth muscles in the cervix is one of the relevant factors for its dilatation during labor, but in humans it has not yet been sufficiently studied. Muscular activity may be observed by measuring electromyographic phenomena. In 60 parturient women of different parity and with various degrees of cervical ripeness at the onset of labor, the cervical electromyographic activity was measured through the entire course of labor in synchronization with uterine pressure measurements and also in 30 cases in synchronization with measurements of the uterine corpus electromyographic activity.