Hegar's sign is a non-sensitive indication of

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

in women—its absence does not exclude pregnancy. It pertains to the features of the

cervix The cervix (: cervices) or cervix uteri is a dynamic fibromuscular sexual organ of the female reproductive system that connects the vagina with the uterine cavity. The human female cervix has been documented anatomically since at least the time ...

and the

uterine isthmus The uterine isthmus is the inferior-posterior part of uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates ...

. It is demonstrated as a softening in the consistency of the uterus, and the uterus and

seem to be two separate regions. The sign is usually present from 4–6 weeks until the 12th week of pregnancy. Hegar's sign is more difficult to recognize in multiparous women. Interpretation: On bimanual examination (two fingers in the anterior fornix and two fingers below the uterus per abdomen), the abdominal and vaginal fingers seem to oppose below the body of uterus (examination must be gentle to avoid abortion). This sign was repeatedly demonstrated and described by Ernst Ludwig Alfred Hegar, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

, in 1895. Hegar credited Reinl, one of his assistants, who originally described this sign in 1884.

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. Obstetrics Medical signs Midwifery {{med-sign-stub

See also

References and further reading