Hegar's sign
Hegar's sign is a non-sensitive indication of pregnancy in women — its absence does not exclude pregnancy. It pertains to the features of the cervix and the uterine isthmus. It is demonstrated as a softening in the consistency of the uterus, and the possibility to compress the connection between the cervix and the fundus.[1] The uterine fundus is palpable.
The sign is usually present from 4–6 weeks[1] until the 12th week of pregnancy. Hegar's sign is more difficult to recognize in multiparous women.
This sign was repeatedly demonstrated and described by Ernst Ludwig Alfred Hegar, a German gynecologist, in 1895. Hegar credited Reinl, one of his assistants, who originally described this sign in 1884.[2]
See also
References and further reading
- E. Sonntag Das Hegar'sche Schwangerschaftzeichen Leipzig, 1892. Ca. 20 pp. Sammlung Klinischer Vorträge herausgegeben, Leipzig, Neue Folge no. 58.
- A. Hegar Diagnose der frühesten Schwangerschaftsperiode Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift, Berlin, 1895, 21 (35): 565-567.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cunningham, Gary (2010). Williams obstetrics: Chapter 8, Prenatal Care (23rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Medical. ISBN 978-0071497015.
- ↑ Hamilton Bailey & W. J. Bishop (1944). Notable names in Medicine & Surgery. London: H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd. p. 101.
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