Is my wife's vaginal delivery possible after a cerclage?

This Premium Q&A, reviewed and published, features a real conversation between an iCliniq user and a physician.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My wife had cervical cerclage at 20 weeks of pregnancy. Now, she is at almost 38 weeks, and the doctor is resisting the removal of the cerclage. Last time, the cervical length measured in the 24th week was 37 mm. We suspect that she is doing this to encourage C-section delivery.

  1. Should we get a second opinion in this case?
  2. My wife does not like to go in for a C-section unless it is extremely necessary. What to do now?

Please assist.

Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Sameer Kumar

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sameer Kumar is a highly qualified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Infertility specialist with more than two decades of clinical experience. He has completed his postgraduate training in Obstetrics and Gynecology and also specializes in infertility management. Dr. Kumar is dedicated to women’s health, offering expert care in pregnancy, reproductive health, and fertility treatments. His patient-centered approach combines medical expertise with compassionate support to ensure the best outcomes for his patients. Note: If you don't want go opt for IVF and spend lakhs, then you must contact me as i specialize in medical infertility treatment for both male and female. Results have been really encouraging and statistics speak for itself, about 2000 couples helped and avoided IVF.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have read your query and can understand your query.

Once the cervical cerclage (cervical stitch to prevent pregnancy loss or premature birth) has been placed, then the guideline is to remove it once the woman goes into the latent phase or active labor in the labor room. There is no indication of removing it earlier and letting the woman go back home, as this shall precipitate labor.

Again, labor pain has nothing to do with cervical cerclage. If the baby is in cephalic presentation and if she goes into labor with an adequate pelvis, then vaginal delivery shall definitely be undertaken. But in case there is any asynclitism (shoulder first) or non-progress of labor or any fetal distress at the time of labor or there is a tight loop of cord around the neck as seen on ultrasound and based on NST readings (non-stress test), it is only then the cesarean section is planned and not due to cervical cerclage. So, she is right in not removing it now and allowing her to go into labor first. One can actually wait till the completion of 40 weeks plus 3 days for labor pain to start naturally.

I hope I have answered your queries.

Please let me know if I can assist you any further.

Thank you.

Medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team
Published At May 11, 2016
Reviewed At August 6, 2025

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sameer Kumar is a highly qualified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Infertility specialist with more than two decades of clinical experience. He has completed his postgraduate training in Obstetrics and Gynecology and also specializes in infertility management. Dr. Kumar is dedicated to women’s health, offering expert care in pregnancy, reproductive health, and fertility treatments. His patient-centered approach combines medical expertise with compassionate support to ensure the best outcomes for his patients. Note: If you don't want go opt for IVF and spend lakhs, then you must contact me as i specialize in medical infertility treatment for both male and female. Results have been really encouraging and statistics speak for itself, about 2000 couples helped and avoided IVF.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Sameer Kumar
Dr. Sameer Kumar

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Education:

MBBS

Professional Bio:

Dr. Sameer Kumar is a highly qualified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Infertility specialist with more than two decades of clinical experience. He has completed his postgraduate training in Obstetrics and Gynecology and also specializes in infertility management. Dr. Kumar is dedicated to women’s health, offering expert care in pregnancy, reproductive health, and fertility treatments. His patient-centered approach combines medical expertise with compassionate support to ensure the best outcomes for his patients. Note: If you don't want go opt for IVF and spend lakhs, then you must contact me as i specialize in medical infertility treatment for both male and female. Results have been really encouraging and statistics speak for itself, about 2000 couples helped and avoided IVF.

This doctor is not available for online consultations on the platform anymore.

Consult other doctors in the same speciality
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