I have good news and bad news: The bloody show is a sign that your body is getting ready to have a baby. The bloody show refers to vaginal discharge that occurs at the end of your pregnancy. During pregnancy, the cervix is covered by a thick plug of mucus that helps protect the baby.
This prevents any bacteria or other sources of infection from getting past the cervical barrier. As your pregnancy comes to a close, your cervix will begin to dilate open to make way for your baby to pass through.
When the cervix opens, the mucus plug is released. Check out this chart on cervix dilation. You might lose your mucus plug entirely. Or, it can be lost in small amounts. If this is the case, you might not even notice it. Discharge can also increase at the end of pregnancy, and the mucus plug can be a part of that. During my time as a hospital labor and delivery nurse, some of the most common phone calls we answered were about the mucus plug.
Women wondered if losing it meant they needed to come in right away. They also wanted to know what to do with it. One woman even brought hers to the hospital in a plastic baggie. I can assure you — this is very unnecessary. Therefore, it can bleed easily. When the cervix starts to open and the mucus plug dislodges, some of the blood vessels in your cervix will rupture and bleed.
You may notice this when you go to the loo or in your pants. The jelly-like plug is often blood-tinged or streaked with old, brownish blood when it comes away. Because it's mucus, it can look like a blob of blood-streaked snot. This is called a show. Enter your due date or child's birthday dd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 mm Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec yyyy Trying to conceive?
We use your health information to make our site even more helpful. By clicking the button, you agree to our policies and to get emails from us.
Join BabyCentre. Sign up to receive free emails and track your baby's development. Track my baby. Most popular in Pregnancy. See all in Community. See all in Getting Pregnant. See all in Pregnancy. Don't hesitate to call your health care provider if you're confused about whether you're in labor. Preterm labor can be especially sneaky. If you have any signs of labor before 37 weeks — especially if you also experience vaginal spotting — consult your health care provider.
If you arrive at the hospital in false labor, don't feel embarrassed or frustrated. Think of it as a practice run. The real thing is likely on its way. There is a problem with information submitted for this request.
Sign up for free, and stay up-to-date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID, plus expert advice on managing your health.
Error Email field is required. Error Include a valid email address. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information and to understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your e-mail and website usage information with other information we have about you.
If we combine this information with your PHI, we will treat all of that information as PHI, and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of e-mail communications at any time by clicking on the Unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions.
Healthy Lifestyle Labor and delivery, postpartum care. Products and services. Signs of labor: Know what to expect Do you know the typical signs of labor? By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Labor and birth. Accessed June 13,
0コメント