What is uterine mucus?

The cervix of women secretes a kind of mucous glandular cells. The essence of this mucus is glycoprotein gel. For example, when preparing for ovulation, under the influence of estrogen, the cervix will secrete a lot of this mucus. After ovulation, the amount of cervical mucus secretion will also decrease due to the decrease in estrogen. Now many young people do not know what cervical mucus is, so the following is a detailed introduction.

What is cervical mucus?

Does the falling off of the cervical mucus plug mean that birth is imminent? The discharge of the cervical mucus plug is commonly known as seeing the spotting. Generally speaking, labor is likely to occur 24-48 hours after seeing the spotting, but it may take longer for some expectant mothers. It is recommended that you pay attention to uterine contractions. Once regular uterine contractions accompanied by abdominal pain occur, you should go to the hospital immediately.

In the days and even weeks before delivery, false labor may do some preliminary work, softening and thinning the cervix, and perhaps even dilating it slightly. If you have given birth before, your cervix may open 1 to 2 centimeters before labor begins. But be aware: if this is your first child, even if you are 40 weeks pregnant and your cervix is ​​1 cm dilated, it does not guarantee that you will be born right away. If your due date has arrived or is very close, your doctor may do a vaginal examination during your prenatal visit to see if your cervix has begun to change.

As labor approaches, if your cervix begins to dilate, you may pass your mucus plug — a small amount of thick mucus that has sealed your cervical canal for the past nine months. The plug may come out all at once in one piece, or it may come out as increased vaginal discharge over several days. This mucus may be tinged with blood (it may be brown, pink, or red), hence the term "bloody show." Spotting, like increased uterine contractions, is a sign of labor that is easier to identify.

It's also possible that during intercourse or vaginal examinations, the mucus plug may be disturbed, causing bloody discharge to appear. Even if you don't get pregnant for a few days, in either case, if you see only a few spots of blood, you should see a doctor because it could be a sign of a problem. Of course, some doctors will also suggest that if no other symptoms occur at the same time, it is not necessary to go to the hospital for treatment.

The above is an introduction on whether the falling of cervical mucus plug means that birth is imminent. From the above introduction, we can know that if the cervical mucus plug falls off, it means that the baby is about to be born. Therefore, if the cervical mucus plug falls off and is accompanied by regular uterine contractions and abdominal pain, you should go to the hospital immediately.