One sure sign that labor is on the way is when you lose the mucus plug. Tinged with blood or clear in color, the mucus on your underpants in the last weeks describes this mucus plug. The thick mucus has been blocking the opening to the cervix for a while now. As your due date approaches, the mucus plug dislodges and breaks up and passes out of your body. When this happens it is clear your body is preparing for labor. Labor can however commence within hours but most likely, within days.



The mucus plug facts

• Your cervix is the mucus-producing part of your reproductive system.


• In the pregnancy months a thick plug of mucus collects at the cervix and seals it; the protection offered by this glob of mucus is vital


• The mucus plug functions as a barrier throughout your pregnancy against outside infections.


• Not every woman experiences the expulsion of this gelatinous discharge


• This glob of mucus cannot be counted upon as a reliable sign of labor


• Towards the end of pregnancy the mucus plug lessens in importance because its tendency to free itself from the cervix increases with vaginal exams or with the natural thinning and dilation of the cervix



• When the mucus plug dislodges labor can be 1 day to 3 weeks away. So don't panic and assume you are going into labor at the sight of this clear or blood stained discharge on your underpants.


• When the mucus plug dislocates, it is simply telling you that your cervix is effacing and or dilating and that the labor process is not far behind.


• This wad of sticky, thick mucus dislocates from the cervix when it begins to dilate or open wider and is pushed into the vagina


• Dislodgement doesn't necessarily imply that labor is imminent; it could simply mean that the cervix is going through normal changes


• If you are not sure about what you see, contact your doctor to rule out serious possibilities



When to call your doctor..

• Don't confuse this discharge with the amniotic fluid which is watery in consistency as opposed to the gelatinous texture of the mucus plug.


• Amniotic leakage should be reported ASAP


• If the discharge is bright red in color and quite a bit in quantity, contact your care provider ASAP.


• You could be bleeding which is indicative of premature separation of the placenta or placenta previa, both of which require immediate medical attention.