Mucus Plug and Effacement

by Melissa
(Oklahoma)

Question: I am 36 weeks, 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. I know what all that means but what I want to know is, does being effaced that much mean I already lost my mucus plug or can I still be losing it?

Answer:You may or may not have lost your mucus plug. Dilation and effacement can happen slowly over several weeks like you're experiencing. Or, it could happen quickly, maybe not even until labor starts. As the cervix gets soft and opens enough the plug will fall out. You still have plenty of cervix left to be holding in your plug. There's really no way for you to tell whether or not you've lost it. Sometimes you find it when you use the bathroom and sometimes it comes out and you don't even know it.