What is a cervical cerclage and an incompetent cervix?

An incompetent cervix is when the cervix is not strong enough to hold a pregnancy. Typically a woman with an incompetent cervix, the cervix will start to dilate without pain and without contractions and lead to a second trimester pregnancy loss usually around 18-20 weeks of gestation. A woman who has been diagnosed with an incompetent cervix would then be a candidate for cervical cerclage with her next pregnancy. A cerclage is a stitch that is placed around the cervix typically around 12-13 weeks of gestation. The cerclage is placed to give the extra strength that it needs to hopefully carry the next pregnancy to term.