I want to use a type of contraception such as a cervical cap or the spermicidal squares that cover the cervix, but I am unsure where my cervix is and how to put the device in place. I have searched the Internet but haven't found a diagram of the cervix. Perhaps you can tell me what it feels like or point me to a diagram? I feel a fleshy protuberance inside my vagina, but I am not sure if this is the cervix.

--Dawn

That "fleshy protuberance" you feel is probably your cervix -- I think it feels like the end of a nose. The cervix is actually the lower portion of the uterus that projects into the vagina. It is roughly cylindrical, about 2-2.5 cm (around one inch) in length, located at the top of the vagina. In women who have not had a child, it is often fairly narrow, but it can be larger in diameter in women who have given birth. In women who have not given birth, the cervical canal opening in the center of the cervix is small and round (it feels like a little indentation), whereas in women who have had children, this opening is often elongated, like a fish mouth.

Probably the best way to get to know your cervix is to see your gynecologist. The doctor can place a speculum and use a mirror to help you see the cervix. She or he can also help you place a cervical cap or diaphragm correctly. The office will probably have diagrams you can look at, or even a model (we have a "plastic pelvis" in my office that comes in handy in these situations).