Bag of Water Breaks (Ruptured Membranes)

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KEY POINTS

• During pregnancy, the baby develops inside a sac that is filled with fluid. The sac is called the amniotic sac. Usually the sac breaks open just before or during labor. When the sac breaks it is called ruptured membranes.
• If you think your bag of water has broken call your healthcare provider even if you have no other signs of labor. If this happens a few weeks or more before your due date, your provider may try to keep you from going into labor so the baby has more time to grow and develop before delivery. If you are close to your due date and labor does not start after the sac breaks, your provider may want to start labor.

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What are ruptured membranes?

During pregnancy, the baby develops inside a sac that is filled with fluid. The sac is called the amniotic sac. It is also sometimes called the bag of water. The fluid in the sac helps cushion and protect the baby. It’s also important for helping the baby grow normally.

Usually the sac breaks open just before or during labor. When the sac breaks it is called ruptured membranes. More commonly, when this happens a woman might say that her water broke.

What happens when the sac breaks?

When the sac breaks, the water may trickle slowly out of the birth canal (vagina) or it may suddenly gush out. It can happen before or after labor starts. Most women who are not already in labor start having contractions within 24 hours after the sac breaks.

What should I do when the sac breaks?

If you think your bag of water has broken:

• Call your healthcare provider even if you have no other signs of labor.
• Do not use tampons or have sex. They could bring bacteria into your uterus and cause an infection.

If this happens a few weeks or more before your due date (especially if you are less than 34 weeks pregnant), your provider may try to keep you from going into labor so the baby has more time to grow and develop before delivery. This usually means you need to stay in the hospital until you deliver. Your provider will do tests to check your baby's health.

If you are close to your due date and labor does not start after the sac breaks, your provider may want to start labor. This is called inducing labor and means you may be given medicine to start your contractions