Bloody show vs mucus plug

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.

Your cervix is highly vascular, meaning it’s full of blood vessels.

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.

This is what you see with the bloody show.

It’s part (or all) of the mucus plug mixing with a small amount of blood from your cervix’s blood vessels.

The bloody show isn’t always a dramatic affair. It can actually be very slight blood-tinged discharge.

It can be so slight that you might not even notice it. In general though, it will be a very small amount, and shouldn’t require you to wear a pad or panty liner.