What is a Cervix? Do men have one?

THE CERVIX is a part of the body that not everybody has.

This article will answer your burning questions about what the cervix is, how it works, and who has it.

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What is the cervix?

The cervix lies between the womb/uterus, and the top vaginal lining.

It sometimes gets the name “the neck of the womb”.

To look at, it’s a bit like a ring doughnut the size of two inches.

It serves many purposes, including keeping the vagina clean.

It can also be used to provide pleasure in sex. While it is not possible for the fleshy ring to be pentetrated, it can still be bumped against.

The cervix protects a foetus in pregnancy by creating a protective mucus plug that prevents bacteria from entering the womb.

The cervix will open up when the baby is ready for birth. This is what doctors look at to say whether the patient is “dilated” during labour.

It’s important to protect the cervix, as cervical cancer can be deadly.

Anybody with a cervix should get a free NHS smear when they are invited. This checks for any abnormalities on the cervix.

Does a man have a cervix too?

A cervix can be found in women, transgender (transgender) men, and anyone who was assigned a female birth certificate.

Transgender men can have their cervix, ovaries, and womb removed. Not all men choose to have this done.

A cervix is an integral part of the female reproductive process. Men don’t have one.

Some women may need to have their cervix removed, or, in rare cases, they are born without one.

What is the cervix trend?

You may have seen #cervixes or #OnlyWomenHaveCervixes trending on Twitter.

It is the result of a long-running dispute over trans rights, which has been going on for over one year.

It all began when Labour MP Rosie Duffield indirectly said “only women have a cervix” by liking a Tweet in July 2020.

The Canterbury MP was criticized for her opposition to trans people having access spaces like school toilets, prisons, and domestic violence refuges.

Amid the Labour Party’s annual conference in Brighton this week, Sir Keir Starmer said “it is not right” to say only women have cervixes.

There are concerns that such statements may be simplified or prevented trans men from having their smear tests.

On the other hand, speaking toThe Timesin October last year, MP Duffield said: “Men seem to have a space or a door with the word ‘man’ on, then women have ‘women and anyone else’. Why are we encroaching on women’s spaces but not men’s?”