What is a mucus plug?

Your mucus plug is a thick buildup of mucus in your cervical canal that acts as a protective barrier. The mucous plug begins to form around the 7th week of pregnancy and helps prevent bacteria and other sources of infection from entering the uterus and harming your baby.

“Loss of the mucus plug usually means that your cervix dilates (opens) and becomes thinner and softer (clears),” explains the US Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Women’s HealthOpens a new window. “Labor could start immediately, and it might be a few more days.”

The plug can also be dislodged by sex, engorgement (when your baby’s head drops into your pelvis), or during a pelvic exam at your doctor’s office. If your mucus plug comes out but labor doesn’t start, your body will replace it with more mucus.

At some point after you lose your mucus plug, you may start to notice cramping, contractions, or other signs of early labor.

Along with these signs, you may also see a thick, stringy, bloody discharge called a bloody discharge. This is a combination of mucus and blood from vessels that have ruptured as the cervix begins to dilate and clear in preparation for active labor. The bloody discharge may be brownish, pink, or bright red and mixed with small amounts of mucus.

What does a mucus plug look like?

Mucous plug:

• It is thick, sticky and stringy
• It is relatively odorless
• It can be transparent, off-white, slightly pink or brown, or slightly bloody
• May appear gradually over several days (and be barely noticeable)
• It can appear all at once in a large clump, about an inch or two in length

There is a wide variety of normal when it comes to mucus plugs. For example, look at these pictures of what a mucus plug looks like.

Is it my mucus plug or vaginal discharge?

Some women expel the entire mucus plug at once, he says American College of Obstetricians and GynecologistsOpens a new window (ACOG), while others lose it over time in what appears to be an increase in vaginal discharge.

In fact, you may not notice when the mucus plug comes out because you may be used to seeing a lot of vaginal discharge during pregnancy, caused by increased estrogen levels.

Although the discharge and your mucus plug may look quite similar, here are some differences you may notice:

• If the discharge is pink or brown, it’s probably your mucus plug. Healthy vaginal discharge is usually clear to milky white or light yellow.
• The mucus plug is usually thick, like jelly, and sticky. Vaginal discharge is usually thinner and more slippery than sticky.
• If it suddenly appears in a large clump, it’s your mucus plug (though again, it can come out during the day). Vaginal discharge usually lasts.

Sometimes vaginal discharge during pregnancy can signal a problem, such as a vaginal infection such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) or a yeast infection. Call your provider if your discharge:

• Increases or changes color, consistency or quantity
• Is green or gray, or smells bad
• Foamy with an unpleasant smell
• It comes with itching or irritation of your vulva

“Sometimes small amounts of bright red blood can mix with the discharge and your mucus plug,” he says. Melissa Simon, MD., vice chair for research in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Northwestern Medicine.

“This is very common, especially after intercourse or a vaginal examination. As long as it is a minimal amount, it is not a concern. But if you notice more than two teaspoons of blood, call your doctor immediately,” says Dr. Simon.

When will I lose my mucus plug?

You will lose your mucus plug sometime before labor (usually after 37 weeks) or when labor starts. This happens because as the cervix begins to open, the plug falls into the vagina.

When it comes to losing mucus, don’t get too excited. It’s impossible to predict when labor will actually start – and for many women it’s days or even weeks later.

– Dr. Shannon Smith, gynecologist

However, it could take hours, days, or even weeks before labor actually starts after your mucus plug comes out.

Every pregnancy is different. Here are some BabyCenter Community members experienced with their mucus plug:

• “When I lost mine, it was streaked with blood and it literally felt like a ‘plug’ fell out,” says KTravis2022. “I knew for sure. I gave birth a week later.”
• “I completely lost my mucus plug at 14 weeks…I had cramps and everything was fine. I lost my mucus plug again at 30 weeks. I’m 35 weeks now,” says KarlaUT.
• “I’ve never lost one that I’ve noticed,” says Kay8993102324. “I guess it came out during the hospital birth, so you might never see it.”

What should I do after losing my mucus plug?

You don’t have to do anything, although this might be a good time to make sure your hospital bag is packed and ready for the baby’s arrival.

Although the loss of the mucus plug is one of the signs that your body is preparing for labor, it does not mean that you need to go to the hospital or even call your doctor. (Though, of course, if you have questions or aren’t sure, go ahead and call your doctor or midwife.)

To determine whether it’s time to go to the hospital or birth center, look for other signs of labor, such as regular contractions or water leaking.

How long after the loss of the mucous plug does labor begin?

There is no way to tell how long it will take for labor to start after you lose your mucus plug. Losing the mucus plug can be a sign that labor is imminent. But it may take a few more days or even a week for labor to begin.

“Each stage of pregnancy and labor is exciting to experience because it brings you one step closer to meeting your baby,” says Shannon Smith, MD, an ob/gyn at Brigham Faulkner Ob/Gyn Associates in Boston and a member of BabyCenter’s Medical Advisory Board. “However, when it comes to losing mucus, don’t get too excited.”

dr. Smith says, “It’s impossible to predict when labor will actually start—and for many women, it’s days or even weeks later. So be happy that your body is preparing for labor and that things are happening, but understand that it doesn’t predict when you’ll go.” into true, active labor.”

However, if the loss of the mucus plug is accompanied by other early signs of labor, the birth of your baby is probably close.