What is the mucus plug?
I have heard that the mucus plug is always pink tinged. Is this true? What exactly is the mucus plug?
Question:Peg Plumbo CNM
Peg Plumbo has been a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) since 1976. She has assisted at over 1,000 births and currently teaches in the... Read more
The mucus plug is an accumulation of cervical secretions, which form all throughout pregnancy to block the cervix and deter the passage of bacteria into the uterus.
Usually in pregnancy, the mucus is cloudy clear, thick and sticky. Toward the end of pregnancy, when the cervix thins, some blood is released into the cervix which gets caught up in the mucus and becomes bloody. The capillaries in the lower uterine segment break down a bit and can bleed.
In early labor, the plug is usually released as a continuous stringy discharge but sometimes it can actually resemble a plug.
Any vaginal discharge in pregnancy should be evaluated. It could be normal but it could be a sign of a vaginal infection, which may or may not impact the pregnancy depending on the type, a sign of a cervical infection (unlikely if the pap is normal) or it could be premature rupture of the membranes, which can happen at any time in the form of a small leak or a large gush.
If a wet mount (microscopic test) has been done and is negative and the pap is normal, and cultures for gonorrhea and chlamydia are negative and rupture of membranes has been ruled out -- then we explain that the discharge is normal.
I would ask your provider for an exam to rule out any problems.
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