Mucus Plugs: More Useful Than You Think

Mucus. The first word that pops into my mind when I think of that is, "EW!" However, mucus can be a good thing, in the right circumstances. When I think of the cervical mucus plug, I remember the final days of my pregnancies. I cannot speak for all mothers, but I really was ready to be done with the swelling feet, the extra weight and pressure on my bladder and the sore lower back. I was also ready to meet my babies. I am the first to say that all the morning sickness and heartburn was completely worth it, but I am also the first to say that I did not enjoy the non-perks. The loss of the mucus plug was generally a signal that labor was imminent, so I was always overjoyed to know that I had lost it. However, while I was looking for information about it, I was surprised to see that there was more to learn about cervical mucus than I had realized.

"After a menstrual period ends, the external os is blocked by mucus that is thick and acidic. This 'infertile' mucus blocks spermatozoa from entering the uterus. For several days around the time of ovulation, 'fertile' types of mucus are produced: they have a higher water content, are less acidic, and have a ferning pattern that helps guide spermatozoa through the cervix. This ferning is a branching pattern seen in the mucus when observed with low magnification (Wikipedia.org)." Hmmm. I never knew what purpose all that discharge served. I just knew that there was more of it at certain times, and I thought it was icky. However, according to SisterZeus.com and Wikipedia.org, women who are trying to get pregnant can watch the changes in their cervical mucus to know when the timing will be most optimal for conception. Personally, I think this would beat having to urinate on a test stick or taking basal body temperature, which seems like a complete pain. I looked up the instructions for that on www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com. I will not put the instructions in this article, but anybody who is interested can get a good set of instructions from that site.

When a woman becomes pregnant, the mucus in her cervix forms a plug to block the opening of the cervix. Toward the end of her pregnancy, the woman's cervix will begin to thin, or efface. Effacement is when the baby's head is pressing on the cervix, causing it to relax and get thinner. When this happens, some blood is released into the mucus. As the mucus gets thinner and is discharged, this is called "bloody show." While the loss of the mucus plug is a sign that labor is imminent, it does not mean that labor will happen immediately. It does tend to happen within a few days or sometimes, it may even be weeks (http://www.justmommies.com). I would lose my mucus plug over several days, and it would be within the next week that I would have my baby. Sexual intercourse, mucus thinners like guaifenesin, and pelvic exams can disturb the mucus plug and cause it to be discharged (Wikipedia.org).

By the last month of pregnancy, most women are seeing their doctors weekly or biweekly. While it is not necessary to call and let the doctor know that the mucus plug has been discharged, he or she will be able to ascertain this at the next appointment if a pelvic exam is performed. If there is not a pelvic exam, it would be a good idea to mention this, so the doctor can check for dilation of the cervix, but unless there are contractions that are at regular intervals and last over a minute, I would not call my doctor after losing the mucus plug. Also, it is necessary to not panic if there is a bloody substance in the underpants or on the toilet paper. It is most likely the mucus plug. I can vouch for this from personal experiences of people I know and my own, from what I have read on the aforementioned sources and from the links that I have listed at the end of this article.

I like to think that I learn something new, every day. While this is not knowledge that I would have sought again, since pregnancy is now extremely unlikely (again, thank you tubal ligation), it is useful and interesting to know. If there is anything I would like to do, it would be to ease the mind of a first-time mother. Then again, none of my pregnancies were remotely the same, so this information may be important to another pregnant woman, regardless of how many children she may have already had. Also, it can be an encouraging sign for a woman to know that she will be likely meeting her child, soon, and that is the reward we mother's get for the trials and tribulations of pregnancy, labor and delivery.

Sources:

Personal experiences.
http://www.justmommies.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervical_mucus_plug
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cervix
http://www.webmd.com/baby/tc/cervical-effacement-and-dilatation-
http://www.sisterzeus.com/cervob.htm
http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/basalbodytemp.html
http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/encyclopedia/Birth/Mucus-Plug/