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Loosing Your Mucous Plug And What You Can Expect To Happen Next
 As you approach the end of your pregnancy, it is not uncommon for you to loose the mucous plug which generally leads to the next question “does this mean that I am going to start labor soon?”.
We know it is frustrating, but as mentioned before, every pregnancy and every birth is different, so there really is no certain way to say “Yes! You are going to go into labor!”.
When will labor start?
In most cases the mucous plug usually comes out after having a cervical examination
and obviously sometimes it just comes out by itself. Either way, this does not give any indication as to when labor may begin. It should of course also be said that not every women who is pregnant will even experience loosing the mucous plug either.
In some pregnancies labor starts a few days afterwards, and in other cases it doesn’t start for a few weeks. There really is no way we can suggest any pattern or consistency in the timing of when you loose your mucous plug to when labor starts.
However, what it does say is that you are not far away and you should begin to keep a closer watch on the early signs of labor.
What does the mucous plug look like?
The mucous plug is often described looking more like the mucous in your nose when you have the flu. It may also have a brown, red or pink tinge to it and is commonly
referred to as the 'bloody show'.
Should you call your doctor?
If you are nearing full term and you loose your mucous plug then there is usually no need for you to call your doctor.
However if you are earlier than 36 weeks, or you have a history of preterm labor then you should call your doctor immediately. If you loose your mucous plug and you are also experiencing bright red bleeding, or cramping then this could be a sign of placenta previa or placental abruption.
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