During pregnancy, what term refers to the process of the uterus becoming wider?

The term that refers to the process of the uterus becoming wider during pregnancy is dilation. During pregnancy, the uterus undergoes significant changes to accommodate the growing fetus. Dilation specifically describes the widening of the cervix as the body prepares for childbirth, but it can also extend to the broader process of the uterus adjusting its size to create room for fetal development.

While options like expansion, elongation, and proliferation may describe different biological processes, they do not accurately capture the specific term used in medical contexts to describe the uterus's widening. Expansion could imply an increase in size but is not the precise term used in obstetrics. Elongation suggests a different kind of growth, typically in length rather than width, and proliferation refers to the rapid increase or reproduction of cells, which does not directly relate to the dimensional changes of the uterus itself during pregnancy. Thus, dilation is the most appropriate choice to describe the widening of the uterus during this vital period.