What is a plug in pregnant women, what does it look like and when does it usually go away?

Appearance and purpose of the mucus plug

The mucus plug is a kind of barrier between the outside world and the fetus developing in the womb. It is formed at the beginning of pregnancy from mucus, intensively secreted by the body under the influence of hormones. Gradually its thickening is observed. By the end of pregnancy, the plug is a dense jelly-like substance.

After 38 weeks, the expectant mother’s body stops producing progesterone. As a result, the cervix shortens and softens, and the mucous plug gradually moves away. This process takes from several hours to two weeks. Sometimes the release of the mucus plug occurs immediately before childbirth.

Each case is a variant of the norm. The separation of the plug does not mean that the woman will give birth at that moment. This is a signal indicating the body's readiness for delivery.

The process of removal of the mucus plug

Separation of the mucous lump most often occurs in the morning, when the body is in a relaxed state. A woman is able to feel the process of its exit from the vagina. It is absolutely normal for a mucus plug to have the following characteristics:

• color from white or yellow to brown due to blood impurities;
• a dense lump of jelly-like consistency;
• maximum volume of discharge – up to 2 tablespoons;
• the presence of blood streaks, which is associated with traumatization of small vessels during the maturation of the uterus;
• separation shortly before birth - maximum 2 weeks.

The mucus plug sometimes comes off gradually - over several days. In such a situation, the woman notices an increase in the intensity of the discharge. They become thick, contain streaks of blood, and acquire a more pronounced color.

Are there differences between primiparous and multiparous?

There are no fundamental differences in what the plug looks like before childbirth in multiparous and primiparous women.
The nature of the accumulated cervical mucus does not depend on the number of pregnancies and episodes of labor. The consistency and color of the plug is determined by the functional characteristics of the cervical epithelium, as well as the vital activity of the microbial flora of the genital tract. It is difficult to predict when the mucus plug begins to come off before childbirth in multiparous women. The specialized literature does not describe patterns that show the same timing of passage of the mucus plug in a woman during her first pregnancy and subsequent episodes. In the same woman, before her first birth, the plug may come off shortly before the onset of contractions, and in the next pregnancy - a few days before the amniotic fluid breaks.

Scheme of actions for the appearance of nagging pain in the abdomen

In the last weeks of pregnancy, the expectant mother notices that the lower abdomen or lower back feels tight and painful.
In the absence of frequency and other symptoms, the appearance of training contractions is suspected. The female body is preparing for the upcoming birth, but it has not yet begun. To alleviate your condition, it is recommended to take No-Shpu or lie in a warm bath for a while. Such activities will relieve tension, relax the body and discomfort will disappear. The onset of labor after the complete removal of the plug and the appearance of pain does not necessarily occur immediately. This process may take several days, which is normal for doctors.

Tugging sensations also appear during real contractions. They are accompanied by spasms, girdling pain, concentrated in the lower abdomen and lumbar region. Unpleasant sensations occur with a certain frequency. Gradually, the interval between developing spasms decreases, which indicates the approaching process of delivery. In primiparous women, 2-18 hours pass from the onset of contractions to the birth of the child.

How does a plug come out before childbirth?

The so-called pre-birth plug is a clot of cervical mucus that accumulates in the cervix during pregnancy, closes the cervical canal and comes out shortly before birth.
The cervical canal connects the uterine cavity to the vagina and produces mucus with its cells. During pregnancy, the mucus becomes thicker and forms a protective plug.

The plug is formed around the fifth week of pregnancy in order to protect the fetus from possible infections. The plug comes out shortly before childbirth, but this process occurs differently for each woman in labor. Some may notice a clot of mucus on their underwear a few weeks before giving birth, others a couple of hours, or not see the plug at all if it comes off during water procedures or directly during childbirth.

The process of removal of the mucus plug before childbirth is associated with hormonal changes in a woman’s body in the last weeks of pregnancy, when the amount of progesterone decreases and estrogen levels increase. The cervix softens, the elasticity of the vagina increases, and the nature of the discharge changes.

If the plug comes off immediately, then its consistency is quite dense and jelly-like. But the mucus can also come out in parts - in this case it will also be quite thick, but not so dense.

The color of the cork can be very different: from transparent to light brown with streaks of blood. There is no need to be alarmed if you find a small amount of blood in the plug - after the cervix begins to open, small capillaries may burst. There's nothing wrong with that.

A mucus plug before childbirth is a frequent harbinger of contractions and the first stage of cervical dilatation. On the other hand, the removal of the plug may only indicate that the body is preparing for childbirth, but they themselves will begin later. Therefore, it is not worth calculating the date of onset of labor from the moment you notice the traffic jam. This is a very individual process that can happen differently for each woman.

The exact signs of the onset of labor are frequent contractions that repeat every 10 minutes and the breaking of water, and not the appearance of mucous discharge. If the plug comes out before giving birth, you should not panic, but gradually get ready to start serious work. Of course, it is better to stay at home and calmly wait for further harbingers of an imminent event.

As mentioned earlier, no special actions need to be taken. Of course, you should be wary if the mucus plug is followed by heavy bleeding, and immediately consult a doctor for further examination. But if your health has not changed, you do not feel nagging pain in the lower back or abdomen, you can relax while waiting for the baby for some more time and save energy. You will need them in full very soon.

After the plug comes out, you need to be more attentive to personal hygiene, because the natural protection that cervical mucus previously served will no longer exist. Therefore, in order to avoid infection, you should not take a bath or swim in a pool or pond.

The medical literature does not indicate exactly how long it will take before birth after the plug comes out. And the cork itself is described in most publications in a couple of sentences. Compared to contractions and the breaking of water, the passing of a plug is a fairly simple and often unnoticeable process for the woman in labor. Of course, before giving birth you need to monitor the nature of the discharge and your own feelings, but you definitely shouldn’t worry about the fact that more mucus appears than usual or does not appear at all, although childbirth is very close.

Text: Gulnara Garafieva

The female body is surprisingly thoroughly thought out and organized. Like a thrifty housewife, it has everything you need for any life situation. Who would have thought, but even such a thing as a cork can also be found in the female body. Of course this is a joke. And the topic of our conversation is quite serious - the beginning of labor. Let's try to find out: if the plug comes out, how long will it take for labor to begin?

What kind of traffic jam is this that didn’t exist, didn’t exist - and suddenly exists? A plug is a clot of mucus that is produced from the walls of the cervix. After the embryo is formed, the mucous secretions become so thick that they completely clog the uterus.

The cervical plug forms for the entire period of pregnancy and opens the exit for the baby just before birth. In appearance, it is a shapeless transparent clot of mucus, often light yellow in color. Often there are blood streaks in the plug - this is the result of dilatation of the cervix, when capillaries may rupture. If there is a lot of blood, do not hesitate to visit a gynecologist.

The plug can come off at any time, and if this happens, for example, while visiting the toilet or in the shower (a bath is not recommended at this time), then you are unlikely to notice anything. In other situations, the cork is difficult to miss - it will leave marks on your laundry.

Let us also note that the cork may not come out of the body entirely, but in parts - don’t be afraid, this is a normal phenomenon. When the plug is out, expect contractions to begin. However, you can wait an hour or two weeks - this is normal, so you shouldn’t run straight to the maternity hospital, but from the moment the traffic jam goes away you need to be ready.

After the mucus plug has gone, you just have to wait for two more signs of impending labor:

• discharge of amniotic fluid;
• the start of regular contractions.

In the table we provide a comparative description of the waste of the plug and amniotic fluid.

Go to the maternity hospital

It’s unlikely that any obstetrician can accurately answer the question: If your water breaks, how long will it take for contractions to start? All questions of this kind, as you may have already noticed, are of a purely individual nature for each pregnant woman. First of all, the presence of contractions is determined by the degree of maturity of the cervix. In any case, after the release of amniotic fluid, a certain period of time is needed to start the birth process. The main thing is to remember that there is still time, but it is not unlimited.

And here we smoothly move on to the next burning question: If the water breaks, how long can the child remain without water? Doctors' opinions on this issue differ. Some argue that it is impossible to wait more than a day for labor to begin in such a situation, since the risk of infection of the fetus increases. Others, on the contrary, do not find anything terrible if they wait for the birth for two days or even longer.

The decision is made depending on the position of the child. Here the big concern is the danger of ascending infection, and not oxygen starvation. Moreover, if the umbilical cord is not clamped, there is no talk of any lack of oxygen. Evidence of oxygen starvation of the child is the greenish or brownish color of the amniotic fluid.

A traffic jam is not a reason to immediately go to the maternity hospital. First of all, you need to pay attention to your feelings and some external signs. If your baby is ready to go, your belly will drop noticeably and you may experience nausea and an upset stomach.

The main guideline is contractions. Here it is important to distinguish preparatory from true ones. True contractions are much more painful, stronger and more regular. If you feel satisfactory and the intensity of contractions is less than once every five minutes, then the baby is training you. You definitely need to go to the maternity ward if your water breaks after the plug.

From everything that has been said today, one important conclusion needs to be drawn - everything in life cannot happen as it is written in the instructions, especially when it comes to pregnancy. It progresses differently for all women, and each mother can write a unique story of her nine months. General knowledge about how everything happens in the prenatal state should serve as a kind of guide for you to make decisions, taking into account your feelings and well-being, but not be a reason for panic.

Read other interesting sections

The harbingers of an early birth are numerous, and one of the most obvious among them is the appearance of a mucus plug that closes the entrance to the cervix throughout the entire 9 months of pregnancy. There is no universal answer to how long labor begins after the plug comes out, but there is no doubt that this indicates the proximity of labor. In order to anticipate this event, find out what the traffic jam looks like and at what point it can go away, it is worthwhile in advance.

This is another element invented by nature in order to protect the unborn baby as much as possible from contact with the external environment and guarantee full growth inside the mother. Under normal conditions, the mucus secreted by the uterus quietly leaves it, but during pregnancy the hormonal status changes, as a result of which the same usual mucus acquires a thicker, jelly-like consistency and seems to clog the cervix. It is thanks to the creation of a tightness effect that it is called a cork, although in practice it is by no means rigid and is similar in appearance to ordinary secretions. The plug blocks the possibility of infections entering the uterus, which is why it plays such an important role. When the hormonal status begins to change again, which happens as the body prepares for childbirth, the plug leaves the cervix. That’s why expectant mothers are so interested in how long it will take to give birth after the plug comes out.

Don’t think that a plug looks like a foreign body and is visible to every pregnant woman. Since its content is not much different from other vaginal discharge, which can increase in volume towards the end of pregnancy, it is easy to miss its waste. Moreover, the plug may not come out completely, but release the cervix gradually, leaving it partially. It looks like a clot of mucus; if it comes off entirely, then its volume is slightly more than a spoon. The color of the cork can be different and the presence of bloody streaks in it is not at all necessary. Most often, this mucus is white, transparent, or with a yellowish tint, sometimes with an admixture of blood, and its color does not affect how long it takes for labor to begin after the plug comes out. Sometimes the plug leaves the cervix just before childbirth, followed by the water breaking and contractions beginning. But much more often it is noticed a couple of days, and sometimes a week before the day of birth. Some expectant mothers, especially first-time mothers, simply miss the moment of her departure and there is nothing special about it. It is believed that during the normal course of pregnancy, the plug can come off no earlier than two weeks separating it from the most important day. Especially if this event was preceded by a doctor’s examination. In this case, the uterus may respond with tone to the vaginal examination and push out the plug. Other cases indicate pathology and require immediate medical attention.

Knowing how long it takes for labor to begin after the plug comes off and during what period it can come off, it is especially important not to miss the appearance of pieces of mucus before 38 weeks of pregnancy. If the plug comes off earlier, this may be an indicator:

• the presence of infectious diseases that need to be treated promptly;
• the possibility of subsequent leakage of amniotic fluid and the presence of a risk of placental abruption;
• bleeding.

The latter can be diagnosed if the plug comes off within a few days and is accompanied by red blood, albeit in a small amount. The specific color of the cork should also alert you. If it is closer to green, this may indicate oxygen starvation experienced by the child. Therefore, if there are even minimal doubts that everything is going as it should, it is better to consult with your doctor.

Unprotected sex and visiting pools or other open bodies of water are not recommended during this period. The bath should also be replaced with a shower in order to minimize the risk of infections entering the uterus. There is no point in further mentioning personal hygiene, since its importance is already obvious. For the rest, although information about how long it takes for labor to begin after the plug comes out is important for the expectant mother in labor, its removal is not a reason to immediately call an ambulance. If there are no other signs that the baby is planning to be born soon, then you can continue your previous lifestyle. Without medical indications, hospitalization in this case is not required, however, collecting things and preparing everything necessary for the birth and meeting the baby is more than advisable. When the plug comes out, the countdown begins. measuring the days until the end of pregnancy.

Situations in which consultation with a doctor is necessary

A woman should be wary of the fact of premature rejection of the plug. If characteristic discharge appears before 38 weeks, you can suspect the following:

• Presence of intrauterine infection. She starts the birth process ahead of time.
• Subsequent discharge of amniotic fluid, which is accompanied by placental abruption.
• Developing bleeding. This is indicated by the presence of scarlet blood of any volume in the discharge.

Particularly dangerous for the child and mother is placental abruption. This condition is accompanied by bloody discharge, acute pain, and increased body temperature, which can occur at any stage of pregnancy. If these symptoms appear, you must call an ambulance and go to the hospital. Only coordinated actions of doctors will save the child’s life and prevent intense blood loss.

Immediate contact with a gynecologist is necessary when the process of release of the plug is accompanied by the discharge of amniotic fluid. Additionally, nagging pain may be observed. In such a situation, artificial or natural delivery should occur within 12 hours. This time is characterized by doctors as completely safe for a child in the womb in an anhydrous environment.

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What should the discharge be like before childbirth?

During the period of bearing a child, a woman should especially carefully monitor changes in the body. The greatest concern is the first trimester, when there is a risk of miscarriage, and the last month. Discharge before childbirth is a physiological feature that indicates the preparation of the female body for the birth of a baby.

But it is important to evaluate the nature of these discharges, since the color and smell may indicate the presence of complications. You can keep your baby healthy and avoid problems during childbirth by detecting them in a timely manner.

It is important for a woman in the last month of pregnancy to know what discharge should be present before giving birth. This will help distinguish the physiologically occurring process of preparing the body from pathological conditions. Normally, abundant mucus appears first, then the plug comes out and water pours out. The fact that not everything is in order is indicated by bloody, curdled white and greenish discharge with an unpleasant odor.

Pink discharge before labor appears because the plug that previously covered the cervix may contain a small amount of blood. The mucus is slightly colored by it, but does not contain blood streaks. If the color turns red, this indicates early placental abruption or placental previa. Both are dangerous for the child, so immediate medical attention is necessary.

Brown, pink, brown discharge before childbirth is not bleeding. They are mixed with mucus, insignificant and appear, as a rule, less than a day before the birth of the child. At this time, you can begin preparing for departure to the maternity hospital: collect all the necessary things and documents, warn close relatives.

If the discharge before childbirth is white, looks like cottage cheese and has a sour smell, then most likely a fungal infection - thrush - has spread into the vagina. The disease must be treated urgently, since it significantly complicates the birth process for the mother and can harm the health of the child. Candidiasis in a woman in labor reduces the elasticity of the vagina and increases the risk of ruptures. Read more about preventing ruptures during childbirth→

Green and yellow discharge before childbirth also indicates an infection (trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia) or inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs. In any case, immediate medical attention is required.

The mucus released before childbirth can be thick, viscous, transparent or white with a slight tint. You can take a small amount of mucus with two fingers; when you separate them, its consistency (strength, viscosity) will be clearly visible.

Mucous discharge before childbirth indicates the ripening of the cervix. They are most noticeable after waking up, when a woman moves from a horizontal to a vertical position. After some time, the discharge begins to darken and turn brown - this means that there are several hours left before the birth of the baby.

During pregnancy, the lumen of the cervix is ​​blocked by a mucous plug, which protects the fetus from infection. By the end of gestation, the walls become elastic and open. Under the influence of hormones, the plug softens and comes out. It is impossible to predict exactly when this will happen: for some women two weeks before giving birth, for others a few hours.

If the mucus plug comes off all at once, it looks like the white of an egg or a jellyfish. Often this process goes unnoticed because it occurs while visiting the toilet or taking a shower. In addition, the plug may come out gradually, over one or two days, then it will look like the usual clear or white discharge before childbirth.

After the mucus plug comes off, you should not take a bath, you should refrain from sexual intercourse, be more attentive to intimate hygiene, and change your underwear more often. During this period, the uterine cavity becomes open to infection.

Unlike a mucus plug, the leakage of amniotic fluid cannot be ignored. They are a liquid whose volume ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 liters. Normally, it is transparent, has a slightly sweetish odor or does not smell of anything. Sometimes, along with the water, particles of lubricant come out, protecting the baby’s integument in the uterine cavity. They look like small white flakes.

The process of discharge of amniotic fluid also occurs in different ways. Sometimes the liquid pours out all at once, this often happens after visiting the toilet or with a sudden change in body position. In other cases, it gradually leaks. Exactly how this will happen depends on where the bladder ruptures - near the cervix or above.

If the amniotic fluid is yellowish or greenish in color, cloudy, this may indicate that:

• the child experiences oxygen starvation;
• there is a presentation of the fetus;
• premature placental abruption began.

Blood discharge and changes in the color of amniotic fluid require an immediate call to the ambulance team. Trying to get to the maternity hospital on your own can be harmful and further complicate the situation.

You should see an obstetrician-gynecologist if you have discharge that differs from normal daily discharge. A specialist will be able to accurately determine their character and tell whether everything is in order. If the discharge is white, curdled, yellow or green with an unpleasant odor, then a visit to the doctor is necessary.

An infectious disease in late pregnancy is dangerous to the health of the child and negatively affects the birth process. After the plug comes out, pathogenic microflora can easily enter the uterine cavity.

An immediate call to an ambulance is necessary if bleeding develops. Copious discharge of bright scarlet blood is dangerous for the life of mother and child.

You should seek medical help if the discharge is accompanied by cramping pain in the lower abdomen. Most likely, this is a sign of the onset of labor. Moreover, this can happen even before the amniotic fluid breaks.

At the end of her term, a pregnant woman should know what discharge is normal before childbirth. Physiological changes of this kind by the end of the term consist of three stages: mucus secretion (ripening of the cervix), discharge of the plug and amniotic fluid. In all cases, you need to pay attention to the color, structure and smell of the discharge.

Author: Olga Khanova, doctor, especially for Mama66.ru

Mucus plug: what is it?

Expectant mothers are right in their assumptions. Indeed, there are a number of signs that the long-awaited moment of childbirth has already arrived. One of these first signals of the onset of labor is not pain in the lower back and lower abdomen, but the release of a lump of mucus from the vagina. This is nothing more than a mucus plug that closes the entrance to the uterus throughout pregnancy. The mucus plug has a complex composition:

• mucus (secretion product of the vaginal glands);
• collagen fibers (form the framework of the cork);
• leukocytes (a protective factor that protects against infection).

How does the mucus plug come off during the first and second birth?

The passage of the plug is equally typical for the first and subsequent pregnancies, but the process of passage in primiparous and multiparous women may be different. During the first pregnancy, the cervical canal is narrow, and it is more difficult for the mucous plug to come out of it, so it comes out in parts and almost always contains bloody inclusions.

In multiparous women, the cervical canal is wider and the plug exits more freely. Usually it comes out entirely in the form of a lump of dense mucus up to 5 cm in size and weighing about 50 grams. Blood streaks are not always present in such a plug.

What does it look like?

It is important for every woman to know what the plug looks like in pregnant women when it comes off.
A certain color and impurities are regarded as a sign of intrauterine fetal hypoxia, therefore emergency medical intervention is required. Knowing what a normal traffic jam looks like during pregnancy, it’s easy to stop worrying about your condition and the health of your unborn baby. Typically, a woman notices the appearance of a dense clot on her underwear or panty liner. Its size does not exceed 1-2 cm. This is the mucus plug.

What colour?

The answer to the question of what a plug looks like before childbirth primarily involves color and consistency.

The plug before childbirth can be of different colors. Normally there are:

• white color, natural for uninfected cervical mucus;
• yellow color due to the influence of lactic acid bacteria;
• brown or reddish color.

A brown plug before childbirth is also not considered a cause for concern. A slight admixture of oxidized blood is quite acceptable, which is released when small-caliber vessels of the cervix are damaged.

It is important to know what color the plug should not be for pregnant women before giving birth. A healthy pregnant woman should not have discharge with a green tint. This is a sign of intrauterine infection, possible fetal hypoxia.

If the mucus plug looks like a clot of pus, then this is a reason to contact your doctor.

Could it be mixed with blood?

A blood plug before childbirth is a less common, but quite normal option. It is not the fact of blood admixture that is important, but its quantity and color. Brown discharge before childbirth is the result of a violation of the integrity of small vessels. This bleeding stops on its own and does not require medical intervention.

Discharge with blood, scarlet or bright red, copious amounts, blood flows out of the genital tract, and does not mix in small quantities with cervical mucus - all these are possible signs of placental abruption.

A plug with blood in a significant amount is a reason to immediately seek medical help at the nearest maternity hospital.

How long after the plug comes out do contractions begin?

The time interval between the release of mucus from the cervical canal and the onset of contractions is usually very short and is 1-2 hours or less. Most women experience almost no cramping or abdominal pain at the beginning of contractions. The first contractions do not interfere with walking and preparing to go to the hospital. However, you must be prepared for the fact that the pain can quickly intensify.

It is advisable to ensure that the woman is delivered to the maternity hospital as quickly as possible. Since the amniotic fluid may break at any time, it is necessary to protect clothing during transportation with a sanitary pad or a clean cotton napkin or gauze folded several times.

How to cope with pain?

The cervical mucus cleared and the woman went into labor. During contractions, a woman in labor usually has pain in her lower back and a tightening in her lower abdomen; this process is associated with pain. Is it possible to relieve pain during contractions? There are 2 groups of labor pain relief methods. Medication methods:

Non-medicinal methods include:

• psychological preparation;
• massage;
• transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS);
• aromatherapy;
• hypnotherapy;
• impact on reflex zones;
• water birth;
• yoga.

Each of these methods has its pros and cons. Before choosing any method of pain relief, including non-medicinal ones, you must consult a doctor to identify possible risks and contraindications.