effacement

nouns

shortening of the uterine cervix and thinning of its walls as it is dilated during labor
effacement
is a part of
concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
"she was in labor for six hours"
childbed, confinement, labor, labour, lying-in, parturiency, travail
is a type of (narrower)
a process occurring in living organisms
biological process, organic process
withdrawing into the background; making yourself inconspicuous
effacement, self-effacement
is derived from
efface