What does sweeping membranes do
Does It Speed Up Your Labor?
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
In this Article
- Understanding Labor Induction
- How Membrane Sweeping Works
- Pros and Cons of Membrane Sweeping
- Risks of Not Having Labor Induced
When you near the end of your pregnancy, your medical team watches you closely for signs that they may need to induce your labor. If your baby needs to be born sooner than everyone else counted on, membrane sweeping, also called sweep and stretch or membrane stripping, may be the labor-induction method your doctor chooses.
Understanding Labor Induction
Usually, a woman’s body goes into labor without much prompting, in preparation for a baby’s birth. But if you or your baby is at risk, your doctor may want to induce your labor sooner.
There may be other, practical reasons why a doctor may want to induce. But labor induction techniques should not be used before 39 weeks’ gestation unless there is a medical reason.
Your cervix prepares for labor by:
- Ripening, which is also called softening
- Opening, also called dilation
- Thinning, also called effacement
These things may start to happen but then stall. Or your water may break, but contractions don’t follow. In these cases, a doctor may choose to induce labor, to stimulate the body’s progress.
Other conditions that call for inducing labor include:
- Status of one or two weeks past the estimated due date
- High blood pressure
- Placenta detached from the uterus
- Infection
- Lung disease
- Diabetes
If your doctor doesn’t try membrane sweeping or another labor induction method, it increases your risk for a cesarean section delivery. While a C-section is sometimes necessary, it is considered higher-risk, so your doctor may want to avoid doing one if possible.
How Membrane Sweeping Works
Your doctor inserts a gloved finger into your vagina and up into your cervix to separate your water (amniotic) sac, or bag, from your uterus without breaking the sac.
Your doctor uses this technique to urge your body to release prostaglandins, hormones that stimulate labor. As the water sac separates from your uterus, your cervix may soften and contractions may begin.
Your membranes can only be swept once your cervix opens enough for your doctor to insert a finger. Membrane sweeping to induce labor works for one in eight women. It’s one of the less risky labor-induction techniques.
Pros and Cons of Membrane Sweeping
Pros of membrane sweeping. The idea of forcing your body into labor may be daunting, but this technique has been used for decades.
Compare membrane sweeping to other ways to induce labor:
- Taking medicine that softens your cervix
- Taking medicine that causes your uterus to contract
- Using a balloon catheter to encourage the cervix to open
- Having medicine inserted vaginally to ripen your cervix
When membrane sweeping works and labor begins, there’s no need to help labor along with drugs like oxytocin, by breaking your water, or by using other, more invasive methods.
It’s considered a safe way to speed up your labor without increasing your risk for infection. It can also prevent you from needing to deliver via C-section.
Cons of membrane sweeping. You may start to feel uncomfortable afterward, with irregular contractions and some bleeding. In addition, if membrane sweeping brings on too many contractions, your uterus may be overstimulated.
Too many contractions can put you at risk for:
- Irregular fetal heart rate
- Too much pressure on your umbilical cord
- Uterine tear
- Increased risk of cesarean birth
- Fetal death
Medical problems you may have had before or during your pregnancy can also contribute to these complications. Your doctor will weigh the pros and cons of membrane sweeping before using it to induce your labor.
Risks of Not Having Labor Induced
Your health. If your doctor wants to sweep your membranes or use any other labor-induction technique around the time of your due date, take this into account: If you let your pregnancy go past full-term, you will be at greater risk of a difficult delivery as your baby continues to grow in utero.
You’re also at an increased risk for a type of high blood pressure that's associated with pregnancy, after your due date.
Your baby’s health. Your baby is also at risk as your pregnancy stretches on. With each passing week, the placenta becomes less effective at passing nutrients and blood to your baby. A baby that grows larger than your birth canal will allow for, may be stressed during delivery. A C-section may become unavoidable.
Staying pregnant longer can increase the risk of your baby passing their first meconium stool in utero. If your baby breathes meconium in the birth canal, it greatly increases their risk of developing an infection. A baby born after 42 weeks of gestation also has an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Purpose, Procedure, and What Happens After
I was pregnant with my son during one of the hottest summers on record. By the time the end of my third trimester rolled around, I was so swollen I could barely turn over in bed.
At the time, I worked in our local labor and delivery unit as a nurse, so I knew my doctor well. At one of my checkups, I begged her to do something to help spur my labor.
If only they would strip my membranes to induce labor, I reasoned, I could be out of my misery and meet my baby boy sooner.
Here’s a look at how effective membrane stripping is for inducing labor, plus the risks and benefits.
Stripping the membranes is a way to induce labor. It involves your doctor sweeping their (gloved) finger between the thin membranes of the amniotic sac in your uterus. It’s also known as a membrane sweep.
This motion helps separate the sac. It stimulates prostaglandins, compounds that act like hormones and can control certain processes in the body. One of these processes is — you guessed it — labor.
In some cases, your doctor can also gently stretch or massage the cervix to help it start to soften and dilate.
Your doctor may suggest trying a membrane stripping if:
- you’re near or past your due date
- there isn’t a pressing medical reason to induce labor with a faster method
You don’t need to do anything to prepare for a membrane stripping.
The procedure can be done in your doctor’s office.
You’ll simply hop up on the exam table like at a normal checkup. The best thing you can do during the procedure is simply breathe through it and try to relax. Membrane stripping doesn’t take long. The entire procedure will be over in a few minutes.
Researchers on a study published in the Journal of Clinical Gynecology and Obstetrics (JCGO) didn’t find any increased risks for negative side effects in women undergoing membrane stripping.
Women who have their membrane swept aren’t more likely to have a cesarean delivery (commonly referred to as a C-section) or other complications.
The study concluded that membrane stripping is safe and that, in most cases, women will only need to have the procedure one time for it to work.
Experts still question whether or not membrane stripping is really effective. A 2011 review of available studies concluded that the efficacy depends on how far along in pregnancy a woman is, and whether or not she uses other induction methods.
It’s most effective if she doesn’t.
The JCGO study reported that after a membrane sweep, 90 percent of women delivered by 41 weeks compared to women who didn’t receive the membrane sweep. Of these, only 75 percent delivered by 41 weeks’ gestation. The goal is to stimulate labor and safely deliver before the pregnancy is beyond 41 weeks, and membrane stripping may occur as early as 39 weeks.
Membrane stripping might be most effective for women who are past their due dates. One study found that membrane sweeping could increase the likelihood of spontaneous labor within 48 hours.
Membrane stripping isn’t as effective as other types of induction, such as using medications. It’s generally only used in situations when there really isn’t a pressing medical reason to induce.
Advice from a nurse educator This procedure does cause some discomfort and should only be done by an experienced doctor. You may experience bleeding and cramping for a few days following the procedure.
But if it works, it could save you from having your labor induced with medication.
Advice from a Nurse Educator
This procedure does cause some discomfort and should only be done by an experienced doctor. You may experience bleeding and cramping for a few days following the procedure. But if it works, it could save you from having your labor induced with medication.
The bottom line is you’ll need to balance your discomfort with other adverse effects.
— Debra Sullivan, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, COI
To be honest, a membrane stripping isn’t a comfy experience. It can be uncomfortable to go through, and you may feel a bit sore afterward.
Your cervix is highly vascular, meaning it has a lot of blood vessels. You may also experience some light bleeding during and after the procedure, which is completely normal. However, if you’re experiencing a lot of bleeding or in a lot of pain, be sure to go to the hospital.
Membrane stripping is most effective if a woman:
- is over 40 weeks in their pregnancy
- doesn’t use any other type of labor-inducing techniques
In those cases, the JCGO study found that women on average went into labor on their own about a week earlier than women who didn’t have their membranes swept.
If you’re reaching a stage in your pregnancy where you’re feeling miserable, talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of a membrane induction. Remember that unless there’s a medical concern, it’s usually best to let your pregnancy progress naturally.
But if you’re past your due date and you don’t have a high-risk pregnancy, a membrane stripping might be a very effective and safe way to help put you into labor naturally. And hey, it might be worth a shot, right?
sweepers. Types and purpose.
Sweepers. Types and purpose. - Articles about agricultural technologyGARDEN EQUIPMENT
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Sweepers designed for cleaning indoor and outdoor surfaces - the best solution for removing debris and dust. You can choose models of sweepers with both battery and petrol drive. nine0003
- manual sweepers;
- suction sweepers with battery drive or petrol engine;
- High performance manual or driver seated machines for utility, building cleaning and industrial applications.
There are a number of operating principles for sweepers:
- Shovel principle - using this principle, the dirt is directed directly into the hopper located in front of the sweeper shaft. The advantage of this method:
- minimum effort;
- ease of handling;
- small dust whirl. - The principle of throwing garbage - in this case, the garbage captured by a sweeping shaft rotating at high speed is thrown by it into a hopper located behind the shaft. Large items, such as cans for drinks, can be easily swept through the wide-opening large debris flap.
Filtration Technology - The filtration technology and cleaning system used in all suction sweepers offered is based on patents. The use of patented technical solutions guarantees you:
- ease of filter replacement;
- inexpensive maintenance;
- long periods of continuous operation associated with the use of efficient filter cleaning systems;
- High-quality filter media retains 99.9% dirt.
Sweepers vary in size, purpose, technical characteristics. Therefore, there are several classes of such devices:
- Compact sweepers
- Sweepers for professional use.
- Sweepers with driver's seat
Best regards, "Agro Trading"
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What are membranes made of? | "BASK" - the official website of the manufacturer of clothing and equipment
There are hydrophobic, hydrophilic and transition polymers.
It is customary to consider polymers that absorb no more than 1-2% of moisture - hydrophobic, 10% or more - hydrophilic.
Hydrophobic polymers and membranes thereof
Hydrophobic polymers do not absorb and therefore do not let water through. This means that thin films made of them are waterproof. But it also follows from this that such films do not pass water vapor. To combine impermeability and vapor permeability, hydrophobic films are made porous. The pores, of course, do not look like a system of neat round holes passing through the thickness of the film. The structure of the membrane can be similar to a sponge, a slice of a loaf of bread, or, for example, a chaotic or somewhat ordered volumetric interweaving of threads, which is clearly seen in the images taken with an electron microscope. nine0003
Small pore size, 0.1 µm to 1 µm. Therefore, water drops do not pass through such pores. Water vapor mechanically passes through the pores of the membrane, practically without interacting with the substance of the membrane.
It is more correct to say a porous membrane, not a porous one.
Let's start with the most famous brand of hydrophobic polymer membranes - GORE-TEX. The membrane is made from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PTFE films with the addition of substances for pore formation are mechanically stretched under certain conditions, and films with a structure are obtained, as in the photo above. Next, a grease-repellent PU layer is added to this film, possibly sprayed, to protect the pores from grease and dirt. nine0003
PTFE molecule
When measuring vapor permeability using the b1 method, PTFE is used as a spacer between the absorbent and the membrane, because it has such a high vapor permeability, which is obviously higher than the vapor permeability of the membrane under test. Then why doesn't everyone use PTFE to make membranes?
I guess there is only one possible answer - a patent. W.l. Gore has patented PTFE membranes, and this prevents others from making membranes in the same way and from the same material.
And other companies have to get out, inventing other membranes and achieving similar characteristics. And it looks like the BHA Group, with its Event membrane, has managed to develop the technology or buy a license to make PTFE membranes. nine0003
To achieve greater breathability than gore-tex (3-layer event ret = 4.5, 3-layer gore xcr ret = 5.1), the protective PU layer was removed from Event. According to the manufacturer, protection is built into the membrane itself, which is not explained. In other words, Event is a gore-tex clone.
Toray has no secrets, they are open compared to other manufacturers. Specifications for all membranes are publicly available. They produce conventional microporous and non-porous PU membranes. I note the unique two-layer membrane Entrant HB, where a microporous PU layer is combined with an ultra-thin non-porous layer. nine0003
1-3. gore-tex 2. sofitex
Hydrophilic polymers and membranes made of them
The hydrophilicity of these polymers is explained by the fact that their molecules are polar and therefore readily enter into chemical bonds with water molecules - hydrogen bonding.
Vapor-permeable films without pores can be made from such polymers.
PU molecule
Despite the fact that there are no pores in such membranes, water vapor - water molecules - binds to the hydrophilic molecules of the membrane. Further, water molecules move through the thickness of the membrane sequentially, like a relay baton, binding with polymer molecules, gradually moving to the other side. The membrane remains solid and is not diluted with water. nine0003
A hydrophilic membrane takes an active part in the transport of molecules: on the one hand, it has no pores at all, and therefore it must pass water pores worse, but on the other hand, in contrast to hydrophobic ones, additional chemical forces appear in it. The concentration gradient plays the same decisive role for them as for hydrophobic membranes. An exact description of these processes will be the subject of my subsequent research.
1. PU - inner surface, gore-tex membrane finish 2.
