Effacement is when the cervix shortens, becoming softer and thinner in preparation for your baby's birth. During pregnancy, your cervix is about 3.5 to 4 centimeters long.

Most of the effacement happens in the early stage of labor, when your cervix is dilating from 0 to 6 centimeters. This stage generally lasts 14 to 20 hours or more for a first-time mom, but (of ...

Herniated T1-2 Disk: T2-weighted sagittal MRI scans of the cervical and upper thoracic spine. Note the large disk herniation between the T1 and T2 vertebral bodies. Also note the effacement of the CSF ...