Meaning of "efface"

[all potted out]

"In the first stage of labour...initial contractions pull up and efface the cervix; subsequent contractions dilate the cervix."

What does "efface" mean in this context?

[Yankee]

Hi apo

From one online glossary (Storknet ):
Effacement
The shortening of the cervix and thinning of its walls as it is stretched and widened by the fetus during labor.

From another online glossary:
Effacement
Thinning of the cervix that occurs in preparation for childbirth. The cervical canal shortens from 2cm to paper thin edges and the canal itself disappears. Only the external opening of the uterus remains of what was the cervix. The edges of the internal opening of the cervix are drawn upward several centimeters to become part of the lower uterine segment. When the cervix becomes as thin as the adjacent lower uterine segment, it is considered to be completely effaced.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English