Exact Answer: After 37 weeks
The thick piece of mucus blocks the opening of the cervix. This mucus plug forms during the pregnancy stage to protect the baby from bacterial infections. The mucus plug is considered as a fence between the vagina and the uterus.
When the labor time is near, the body would start preparing for it. The cervix of the women would become soft and start opening slowly. The mucus plug would start to get removed from the cervix when the date is close.
Most women lose their mucus plug during the 37th week of pregnancy. Some women may get it a little early or late depending on the condition of the pregnancy.
How Long After You Lose Your Mucus Plug?
| Mucus Plug | How Long After You Lose Your Mucus Plug |
| Minimum time | 37 weeks |
| Maximum time | 39 weeks |
The mucus would get pushed into the vagina when the cervix would start dilating. The person can take it as an early sign of labor. Many women don’t lose their mucus plug before reaching 37 weeks of pregnancy. Some women may lose the mucus plug after 38 weeks of pregnancy.
There will be some women who would lose mucus plug just a few days before their pregnancy. If any women lose their mucus plug before reaching 37 weeks should immediately inform the doctor about it.
The woman would be able to identify and recognize the mucus plug by its texture and color. The mucus plug would be off-white or slightly bloody in appearance. Sometimes, the mucus plug would be clear or slightly pink in color. The texture of the mucus plug would be stick just like jelly.
The length of the mucus plug would be no more than 2 inches. The volume of the mucus plug would not be more than 1 or 2 tablespoons. There won’t be any unpleasant odor coming from the mucus plug, but some cases may cause odor.
Some women lose their mucus plug at one go time while others may lose it slowly with time. If the mucus plug comes with a very little amount of blood, then it is quite normal. Sometimes, the mucus plug would come with a huge amount of blood.
This sign of bleeding could bring the danger of placental abruption. Excess bleeding when someone loses the mucus plug can be a sign of pregnancy complications.
Why You Lose Your Mucus Plug After This Long?
The woman may get confused between the mucus plug and normal vaginal discharge. The normal vaginal discharge in women would be very thin as white or yellow in color. In the case of mucus plugs, the texture would be very thick and stringy.
The mucus plug gets dislodged with some amount of red or brown blood. There is a huge difference between the mucus plug and bloody show. The bloody show would come out with some pieces of mucus in it. The bloody show happens when the cervix expands.
This would cause the blood vessels to rupture. Mucus plug will not predict any specific date for the labor pain, but it indicates that the labor is about to happen. Some women may get the labor in a few hours while others may get in weeks.
Some women can get the mucus plug in their underwear or somewhere in the toilet.
Mucus plug would get removed naturally and this may happen due to sex or cervical examination in some women. Some women may start experiencing labor pain without losing the mucus plug. The symptoms of losing mucus plug or labor pain depend on the type of pregnancy the woman has.
Conclusion
The pregnancy of a woman contains many stages that would occur naturally. The mucus plug is a part of the pregnancy process that would happen to all women. The woman has to keep a track of all the things happening to her body during the pregnancy.
Women with complicated pregnancy symptoms may face some difference in the texture or color of the mucus plug. The woman should have regular medical check-ups to avoid any repercussions.
References
