Stripped Membranes?

So i had my 39 week appt yesterday and i asked for an internal exam because i desperately wanted to know if i was dialated/effaced or not.  My doctors dont usually do it because it doesnt necessarily mean youre any closer to labor and i knew this but i had to know.  Well, she checked and it was really uncomfortable and hurt briefly and then i bled and ive been having just a little bloody mucous every time i go to the bathroom.  She told me to expect some bloody show, but didnt tell me anything about stripping my membranes.  Does this mean she did strip my membranes?  Or do you get spotting like this also after just being checked for dialation/effacement?  I know a lot of doctors do it without your consent so i just really want to know how to be able to tell if they did.  Thanks!

anybody!? just want to know if theres a way to tell if they stripped your membranes...

I am not quite sure what you mean... "stripped membranes"? I am a nurse so I might be of help. The babies weight does tug on a lot of ligaments on the outside of your uterus , but they have become so flexible at this point they don't tear, but just lengthen and stretch. There is a ligament that goes around your hips and back that starts to become painful around the time of your due date that is common and supposed to do that. Otherwise, were you speaking of the placenta in side the uterus?

Every time they have checked me they have told me that i will have some bleeding and i might have some difference in my discharge, and i have everytime. So it might be from where they checked u.

I would hope she would have asked you if you wanted to be stripped before going ahead and doing it, but there are plenty of stories out there where that isn't the case! It could very definitely be normal from being checked, though. And, I would guess that since they don't even necessarily check for dilation, they're unlikely to strip your membranes without it at least being mentioned.

I know...I wasn't much help!

oh maybe I am confused... it sound like some other ladies here may be discussing puncturing the placental sac on examination which is not that common unless you baby has descended pretty far. If forany reason you are having any leaking of fluid you should see the doctor. A broken sac on exam can lead to infection inside the placenta which is very dangerous, especailly if left for over 24 hrs. Always see a doctor if you are concerned that the placenta sac is in danger.

i wasnt talking about my placenta at all. google stripped membranes if you dont know what it means. aka having your membranes swept

I had my 39 week appt on Thursday and asked to be checked too!! I also asked her to strip the membranes if I was dilated enough for her to do it. I didn't have any bloody show or extra mucous afterward, just alot more pressure in my pelvis. It was definately uncomfortable. When she pushed against the bag of waters I could feel the pressure in the top of my stomach.

Anyway, I'm 90% effaced and 2cm dilated.....Come on Baby!!!

With my first two kids I was checked several times and had my membranes stripped a total of three times with no mucus or spotting afterward. With this pregnancy I've been checked 4 times and had my membranes stripped once thus far...with spotting and mucus after each! It's true...every pregnancy is different!

By the way, having your membranes stripped or swept is when the doctor or midwife uses a finger or two to run around the inside of your cervix, helping to seaparte the cervix and bag of waters. Nothing is broken and there is no guarantee that anything will happen at all. It can be painful or uncomfortable, again different for each woman and pregnancy.

Generally, they will tell you, or they should, that they are going to "strip" your membranes. But another, and I think more accurate, wording would be "stretch your cervix." It's the same.

Anyway, the bleeding is normal depending on your doctor. My doc is so used to checking that stuff that he's figured out how to do it without hurting a woman, which in my case, means that I don't have that bloody show after getting checked.

With my first pregnancy, I was asked if I wanted to have my membranes "stripped". I thought, why not?
Well...it hurt and I still did not go into labor ( I was told I was start to have regular contractions in 12-24 hours). The only thing I ended up with was a spastic, irritated uterus and an unecessary trip to the hospital. 
But everyone is different...

Wow! I did look this up and honestly after being an RN for 7 years had never heard of this. Though I have not worked in Labor Delivary, I have worked in Postpartum Recoupment and still nothing. It sounds like a route for infection especially if the water breaks early before getting to the hospital, now there is added organisms to invade the placental fluid and cause potential issues. Either way, it is just very important to get to the Hospital after your water has broken and certainly not more than 24 hours later. Wow, I will ask my girlfriends who were classmates at Nursing School if we reviewed this. Thanks for the info.

oh I guess I wasnt clear... I just meant if the examiner isintroducing a gloved finger between the sac and the endometrium, there is potential for extra bacteria in a place it normally would not be. Though I am sure they wash their hands, I doubt they do it under sterile procedure. Hum! BTW JHouston you have a cute top on in your profile pic!

Hi all.. I had my 38 wk checkup yesterday and the dr asked if I wanted her to strip my membranes...I said sure, I've got nothing to lose. Before doing so, she did explain to me that after doing that , it may cause me to start spotting....Needless to say, it did cause me to spot as well as to start losing chunks of my mucus plug. I didn't go into labor but I will say that doing that yesterday caused me to have some serious cramping and inconsistent contractions. To the OP I know that you were asking if drs tell you if they are g oing to do it or not - I have read that sometimes they do tell you and sometimes they don't...I don't know if any of my imput helped you out but I thought I would just put it out there.......