Ruptured Membranes

What are ruptured membranes?

During pregnancy, a sac forms around the baby and fills with fluid. This is called the amniotic sac or bag of water. The fluid in the sac cushions and protects the baby. Usually the sac breaks just before or during labor. The technical term for the breaking of the sac is ruptured membranes. More commonly, women may say, "My water broke."

What happens when the sac breaks?

When the sac breaks, the water may trickle out slowly or it may suddenly gush out all at once. If labor has not already started, it usually starts within 24 hours after the sac breaks.

What should I do when the sac breaks?

If you think your bag of water has broken, do not use tampons or have sexual intercourse. Germs could get into the uterus and cause an infection. Call your healthcare provider as soon as it happens, even if you have no other signs of labor. Your provider will want to see you and will check:

• your temperature
• the amount and color of the fluid coming out of your vagina
• the baby's heartbeat, to see if it is beating strong and steady.
• for infection as the cause of ruptured membranes.

Other tests may also be done. For example, you may have an ultrasound scan to check the amount of fluid still around the baby. You probably will be admitted to the hospital.

Sometimes the membranes rupture before the 37th week of pregnancy. This is called premature (early) rupture of the membranes. When this happens, your provider may do more tests to check the baby's health.

If labor does not start within 24 to 72 hours after the sac breaks and you are close to your due date, your provider may want to start labor. This is called inducing labor and means you may be given medicine to start your contractions. It is important for the baby to be born soon after the sac breaks to help prevent infection of the baby.