strip membranes [Ger, strippe, strap; L, membrana, thin skin] , (in obstetrics) a procedure in which an examiner, with the fingers, frees the membranes of the amniotic sac from the wall of the lower segment of the uterus in the small area around the cervical os. It is done to stimulate labor, but, because infection or hemorrhage may result, it is not recommended.
