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As the pregnancy progresses into labor, the cervix begins to dilate and the mucus plug is discharged. The plug may come out as a plug, a lump, or simply as increased vaginal discharge over several days. Loss of the mucus plug does not necessarily mean that delivery or labor is imminent. [2]
Throughout pregnancy, the cervix is tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. Effacement is accompanied by cervical dilation. When the cervix effaces, the mucus plug is loosened and passes out of the vagina. The mucus may be tinged with blood and the passage of the mucus plug is called bloody show (or simply "show"). As effacement takes ...
Bloody show or show is the passage of a small amount of blood or blood-tinged mucus through the vagina near the end of pregnancy.It is caused by thinning and dilation of the cervix, leading to detachment of the cervical mucus plug that seals the cervix during pregnancy and tearing of small cervical blood vessels, [1] and is one of the signs that labor may be imminent. [2]
During dilation, this plug is loosened. It may come out as one piece, or as thick mucus discharge from the vagina. When this occurs, it is an indication that the cervix is beginning to dilate, although not all women will notice this mucus plug being released. Bloody show is another indication that the cervix is dilating. Bloody show usually ...
Women taking an oral contraceptive pill also have thick mucus from the effects of progesterone. [23] Thick mucus also prevents pathogens from interfering with a nascent pregnancy. [28] A cervical mucus plug, called the operculum, forms inside the cervical canal during pregnancy. This provides a protective seal for the uterus against the entry ...
The term is used to describe a cluster of physical changes that may take place in a pregnant woman before she goes into "real" labor, such as an increase in blood volume (sometimes resulting in edema), Braxton Hicks contractions, the presence of colostrum in the breasts, and the dislodging of the mucus plug that has sealed the cervix during the ...
Some women also experience an increase in vaginal discharge several days before labour begins when the "mucus plug", a thick plug of mucus that blocks the opening to the uterus, is pushed out into the vagina. The mucus plug may become dislodged days before labour begins or not until the start of labour. [38]
The cervix remains soft after birth. The vagina contracts and begins to return to the size before pregnancy. For four to six weeks of the postpartum period the vagina will discharge lochia, a discharge containing blood, mucus, and uterine tissue. [11]