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[Slightly NSFW] Native clarification needed

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  • [Slightly NSFW] Native clarification needed

    This is primarily for women and all healthcare professionals. So to all men not working in healthcare: Proceed at your own risk! This might be a little icky for you and there will be mentioning of *gasp* sexual organs.

    I’m currently translating English texts for an organization that promotes sexual health and in this case the texts are targeted towards refugees and minorities that don’t speak the language of the country so that they can learn about these topics in their own language.
    The texts always refer to the cervix when talking about the uterine neck, but on certain occasions it becomes clear that by cervix they also mean the mouth of the uterus (e.g. saying that the cervix opens during delivery but is usually closed).
    So my question to all you native English speakers: Is there really no difference in common English between the uterine neck and the mouth of the uterus and do you call both the cervix? Yes, I have dictionaries and even highly specialized medical dictionaries, but this is about everyday English spoken by your average Joe (or rather your average Jane ). So any clarification will be highly appreciated.
    “If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.”
    ― Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

  • #2
    I'm not a health professional and I didn't take sex-ed in English, so this may not be correct, but I always thought that the cervix referred to an actual membrane that would open to allow passage between the uterus and the vagina. I've never heard of uterine neck, I'm assuming you are talking about the vaginal opening?
    Pain and suffering are inevitable...misery is optional.

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    • #3
      I've never heard of the term "uterine neck". I refer to the mouth and neck as the cervix.

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      • #4
        Quoth WoodenSunshine View Post
        I've never heard of the term "uterine neck". I refer to the mouth and neck as the cervix.
        So cervix could indeed refer to both?

        I have to admit that "uterine neck" is the medical term I had to go back to so I was able to describe the difference between the two parts I was referring to. In German we use two different terms for the mouth and neck ("Muttermund" and "Gebärmutterhals" respectively), that's why I was thrown off by the idea of using the same term for both parts.

        Quoth NecessaryCatharsis View Post
        I've never heard of uterine neck, I'm assuming you are talking about the vaginal opening?
        I was referring to the part between the neck of the cervix and the uterus, the part that usually seals the uterus but opens/widens during childbirth to allow the baby to pass.
        Last edited by Words4theWorld; 10-01-2014, 02:38 PM.
        “If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.”
        ― Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

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        • #5
          Ich verstehe

          I'm definitely sure it's all one thing then! No need to be embarrased. As long as you're not calling it the weird worm thingit up there lol

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          • #6
            In English as technical as I speak it, there's the vulva (visible exterior parts of the female genitalia), which is composed of various parts irrelevent to this conversation.
            Beyond the vulva is the vaginal vault, which has a couple of zones of interest for discussions of sex-for-pleasure.

            Penetrating into the vagina/vaginal vault is a part of the uterus known as the cervix. The common English speaker - and yes, even someone with as much medical knowledge as I have - is not familiar with different parts of the cervix. I know there's a hole in the cervix that leads into the uterus, I believe it's usually covered with a thick, protective mucous, and I know that it needs to be semi-regularly checked by my family doctor.
            I also know it plays a part in several different forms of birth control, specifically the ring, the diaphragm and/or cervical cap, and in a somewhat ouchy way, the IUD.

            Beyond that, the anatomy of the cervix is something I would have to look up.


            Does that help?


            NB: if you're flexible, you can actually feel your cervix. I did so regularly when wearing an IUD, to check for the strings. For me, at least, the texture of the cervical skin was slightly different from the texture of the vaginal vault; and the feel of the organ is quite different. The vaginal walls have the sort of flexible-strength feeling of belly muscles, whereas the cervix feels somehow bulkier, and a little bit spongey. Mine is vaguely cone-shaped.


            Hmm. I see. I just hit the wikipedia page for 'cervix'. I think what I'm referring to as 'the cervix' is, and I quote, "The lower part of the cervix, known as the vaginal portion of the cervix (or ectocervix), [which] bulges into the top of the vagina."

            It seems that people educated enough to write the wikipedia page about the cervix also refer to an 'endocervix', which connects the ectocervix to the uterus, and is probably your cervical neck. The ectocervix would be the mouth.

            Please note that I doubt that most English speakers would be familiar with 'ectocervix' and 'endocervix', though it would take only a paragraph of explanation to educate us; at least on the basics.

            I always thought of the endocervix as part of the uterus, not as part of the cervix. (Well, I guess the cervix is part of the uterus; but I never thought of it as being named as part of the cervix.)
            Last edited by Seshat; 10-01-2014, 06:01 PM.
            Seshat's self-help guide:
            1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
            2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
            3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
            4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

            "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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            • #7
              One thing that always helps as well: visuals. lots and lots of visuals.

              If there's a photo of the women's reproductive system (both front-on and side-on), you can show them what's what.
              The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

              Now queen of USSR-Land...

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              • #8
                OB nursing instructor here

                The word "cervix" means neck in Latin. So the terms uterine neck and cervix do mean the same thing and are used interchangeably by both the professional and the lay community..

                The cervix is actually a short canal linking the body of the uterus itself to the vagina. It is muscular in nature and has two openings: the inner os, that separates the uterus from the cervix, and the external os that separates the cervix from the vagina. The external os can be felt with a finger, and feeling it is part of a normal internal exam by an obstetrician.

                Addendum: The cervix is usually closed. It dilates slightly to allow the passage of menstrual blood, but closes tightly during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. It softens (ripens) shortly before labor due to other hormonal changes just prior to labor and slowly dilates to 10cm to allow passage of the baby. Some women have problems with their cervix during pregnancy that results in miscarriage (incompetent cervix); women known to be prone to this can have suture placed (cerclage) to keep it closed during the pregnancy; the sutures are removed by the OB at the start of labor.
                Last edited by Sapphire Silk; 10-02-2014, 12:40 AM. Reason: added more detail.
                They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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                • #9
                  Quoth Sapphire Silk View Post
                  <snip>
                  The cervix is actually a short canal linking the body of the uterus itself to the vagina. It is muscular in nature and has two openings: the inner os, that separates the uterus from the cervix, and the external os that separates the cervix from the vagina. The external os can be felt with a finger, and feeling it is part of a normal internal exam by an obstetrician. <snip>
                  Exactly what I was about to say! Along with: regardless of what some people insist, the cervix is not a sphincter.
                  Don't tempt pixies, it never ends well.

                  Avatar created by the lovely Eisa.

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                  • #10
                    Thanks a lot to all of you for sharing your knowledge and your native feel for your language (in German we say "Sprachgefühl", don't know if that's used in English too )! It really helps a lot, especially as I can now discuss the project with my client with a little more back up than just my non-native feeling for the language.
                    “If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.”
                    ― Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      You are most welcome, and please do feel free to ask for clarifications of native understanding of words.

                      English is especially difficult, because even among English-as-first-language speakers, we have the UK dialect, the many US dialects, Canada (except for the French-as-first-language Canadians), and New Zealand/Australia.

                      Then we have the English-as-a-common-language speakers: the Canadian French speakers who learn English from a young age, South Africa, India, Pakistan, and a whole lot of other countries I can't think of offhand.

                      So please do ask! And when - not if - you get contradictory explanations of how native-English-speakers understand particular words or phrases, please understand that this is exactly how English works.
                      Seshat's self-help guide:
                      1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                      2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                      3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                      4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                      "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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                      • #12
                        Obligatory:

                        http://www.marycagle.com/index.php?id=18

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