Cervical mucus is a vaginal fluid produced by the cervix. It changes in consistency throughout the menstrual cycle and plays a role in fertility.
Cervical mucus has a slippery, egg white texture. It’s essentially a gel that increases in volume around ovulation. Learn what clues it can tell you.
Overview ; You may lose your mucus plug in one glob or you may lose it gradually over time and never notice it. A small amount of blood is common, but severe bleeding may be a sign of placental abruption, placenta previa or other pregnancy complications. Contact your healthcare provider any time that you notice heavy bleeding during pregnancy. Most people don’t lose their mucus plug until after 37 weeks of pregnancy. It can happen a few days or a few weeks before your due date. Some people don...
Understanding your cervical mucus and knowing when your cervix is open is the key to pregnancy. See real cervix photos of a complete menstrual cycle.
Overview ; Cervical ectropion means that the cells inside your cervix are visible outside of your cervix. Cervical ectropion isn’t a concerning condition. Instead, it’s a harmless variation — or difference — in the way that cervical cells may appear. The outer and inner parts of your cervix consist of two types of cells. Cervical ectropion occurs when parts of your cervix turn inside out so that your healthcare provider can see the glandular cells outside of your cervix — as you might ...
What is a mucus plug? ; Your mucus plug is a thick clump of mucus in your cervical canal that acts as a protective barrier. The mucus plug starts forming around week 7 of pregnancy , and it helps stop bacteria and other sources of infection from getting into your uterus and harming your baby. "Losing your mucus plug usually means your cervix is dilating (opening up) and becoming thinner and softer (effacing)," explains the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health. "...
What is dilation? · When do you start dilating? · What is effacement and what does effaced mean? · What causes cervical dilation and effacement? · What you need to know about cervical dilation and effacement · What can you do about cervical dilation and effacement?
Mucus has a lot of important jobs, including: ; Trapping things that could harm you and moving them out of your body. ; Moisturizing your mucous membranes (mucosa) — the parts of your body that open to the outside world. ; Lubricating your mucous membranes. This helps different parts of your body perform different functions. For instance, it helps food move through your digestive tract and provides a way for sperm to get to an egg for fertilization in your reproductive tract (cervical mucus).
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer. Almost all cervical cancer cases are caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV)—types that are largely vaccine-preventable.1 · Early detection methods are highly effective at catching pre-cancerous changes to the cervix before they get more serious. However, this doesn't mean the risk of cervical cancer has vanished. In the US, each year, an estimated 13,000 new cases are diagnosed, and over 4,000 people will die from...
What does it mean to have an incompetent cervix? ; If you have cervical insufficiency, it means that your cervix has started to efface and dilate (grow shorter and open up) too soon – often before 24 weeks of pregnancy. Cervical insufficiency can result in miscarriage or preterm delivery. (Though it's still widely known as incompetent cervix, cervical insufficiency is the newer and more preferred term for this condition.) · The cervix is the narrow, tubular lower end of the uterus that extends into the vagina. When you're not pregnant, the c ...