ABSTRACT
Following delivery of the placenta and membranes, the lower segment of the uterus and cervix appear flabby and there may be small cervical lacerations. In the first few days, the cervix remains slightly open but, by the end of the second week, the cervix has regained its tone and the internal os should be closed. The external os can remain open permanently, giving a characteristic slit like appearance to the parous cervix. In the first few days, the stretched vagina is smooth and oedematous but, by the third week, rugae begin to reappear.
