The mucus plug is a thick piece of mucus that blocks the opening of your cervix during pregnancy. It forms a seal to prevent bacteria and infection from getting into your uterus and reaching your baby. Think of it as a barrier between your vagina and your uterus where your baby is.
The look, size, and texture of your mucus plug discharge vary. It can range from being thick and gelatinous like snot or egg whites to more watery and stringy but sometimes thicker than either - dependent mainly upon the stage of the labor process & uterine strength.
The cervix generally needs to be dilated to 10 centimeters before it's ready for the baby to pass through. Your cervix can be dilated to a couple of centimeters for a few weeks before delivery. This softening can cause the mucus plug to be dislodged and come out.
The mucus plug is usually thick, stringy, sticky, and/or jelly-like, and may appear clear, off-white, or slightly bloody with a pink, red, or brown hue.
The mucus plug is usually a jelly-like, thick, snotty, stringy or even sticky discharge. It can be tinged with pink, red or even brown. This happens when small blood vessels break as the cervix starts to soften and thin.
What are some signs that I lost my mucus plug? The most noticeable sign is seeing mucus in your underwear or on toilet paper. Not all people know when they lose their mucus plug. This is because it comes out slowly over time instead of all at once.
The mucus plug is usually clear, slightly pink or blood-tinged in color. The mucus plug can be stringy mucous or sticky discharge. Some women might not notice the loss of their mucus plug since there is already an increase in vaginal discharge during pregnancy. For some women, it comes out all at once.
Depending on your cycle and hormones, most women will experience increased clear jelly like blob discharge around ovulation time. Ovulation is usually around the middle of your menstrual cycle. Your body releases an egg, and in preparation for potentially being fertilised, cervical mucus increases.
If you lost your mucous plug and you do not have any contractions yet, that simply means that your body is preparing for labour by dilating (opening) and/or effacing (thinning and stretching) the cervix. It does NOT necessarily mean that labour is imminent though.
For starters, the mucus plug is gooey, gelatinous, and usually yellowish-white in color (sometimes with tinges of pink or brown). In some respects, it can resemble egg whites. Normal pregnancy discharge, on the other hand, tends to be thin, mild smelling or odorless, and clear or milky white.
Most people lose their mucus plug as the body starts preparing for delivery, usually in the ninth month of pregnancy, when the cervix begins to soften or dilate.
Texture: It has a gelatinous look and is thick while in the cervix, but typically becomes thin and more liquid once expelled. Size: The mucus plug is about 4-5 centimeters long, or about 1 ounce in volume. If your body doesn't expel the plug all at once, it may seem like much less.
Most effacement usually happens during the first stage of labor, when your cervix is dilating to 6 cm. This process can take several hour or days, and will likely be accompanied by early signs of labor such as Braxton Hicks contractions and losing your mucus plug.
Many a first-time mom has confused these two, especially since a ton of discharge can follow the loss of your mucus plug. Think of it this way: Mucus is gooey; water is liquid. So if it's thick, it's not your water.
Clear stretchy discharge is a sign of ovulation, while clear watery vaginal discharge occurs between periods, sexual arousal, or pregnancy. Thick clear vaginal discharge can indicate something more serious like a yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis, or menopause.
If you experience discharge during late pregnancy that looks like boogers, you might be losing your mucus plug. Sometimes it comes out in one blob, but often it comes out in bits and pieces. This could indicate you're going into labor (but is not a guarantee).
Clear and stretchy — This is “fertile” mucous and means you're ovulating. Clear and watery — This occurs at different times of your cycle and can be particularly heavy after exercising. Yellow or green — May indicate an infection, especially if it's thick or clumpy like cottage cheese or has a foul odor.
Getting up and moving around may help speed dilation by increasing blood flow. Walking around the room, doing simple movements in bed or chair, or even changing positions may encourage dilation.
If a person loses their mucus plug before 37 weeks of pregnancy, they should contact their doctor. However, after 37 weeks of pregnancy, doctors do not typically consider losing the mucus plug harmful unless other symptoms accompany it, such as sudden bleeding, pain, or fever.
Many of these symptoms are due to increased levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which boost blood flow throughout your body to support your baby — including to your labia. As a result, your labia and vagina may experience the following changes: Swelling.
In the days before labour starts, you might notice some subtle signs. It can be hard to tell them apart from your normal pregnancy discomforts. You might notice a change in the discharge from your vagina or a few cramps in your abdomen. You may have a low, dull ache in your back that can come and go.