Increased discharge also helps protect the fetus by preventing external infections from traveling up from the vagina to the uterus. Healthy vaginal discharge during pregnancy is called leukorrhea. It is similar to everyday discharge, meaning that it is thin, clear or milky white, and smells only mildly or not at all. Infections, including yeast infections or sexually transmitted infections STIs , can affect vaginal discharge, so it is important to monitor discharge as a health indicator.
Below are a few examples of unhealthy discharge and the diseases or infections that they may indicate. Many signs — some subtle and some less so — can indicate pregnancy in the early stages.
However, menstruation can vary due to many other factors, including stress, birth control, and weight loss. Learn about other possible causes of missing a period. If a person had sex without effective birth control or barrier methods and is experiencing these symptoms or thinks that they might be pregnant, they should consider getting a pregnancy test.
There are two ways to test for pregnancy: urine testing and blood testing. They should be able to buy a home pregnancy test relatively cheaply from a local pharmacy. To do the urine test, a person catches their urine midstream on the test stick, which will check for the presence of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin hCG in the urine. This hormone is elevated during pregnancy. Blood pregnancy tests are much more accurate and can tell a person more about their hCG level.
This test will reveal to a person the exact amount of hCG in their blood. A blood test can also detect pregnancy earlier than a urine test.
A person should see a doctor if they are experiencing signs and symptoms of pregnancy. A person can take their own home pregnancy test, but it is still wise to follow up with a doctor, no matter the result. Regardless of pregnancy concerns, if a person notices a change in their vaginal discharge, they should speak with a doctor, who can help diagnose the issue and prescribe any necessary treatment. Seeking advice is particularly important if changes in vaginal discharge accompany pain or itchiness.
However, other changes in the color or texture of vaginal discharge are more likely due to an infection, and a person should seek help from a healthcare provider to treat them. The term frequently refers to vaginal discharge during pregnancy, but leukorrhea is also present in non-pregnant women.
During pregnancy, leukorrhea production increases due to increased estrogen and blood flow to the vaginal area. However, this increase doesn't typically become noticeable until the eighth week—after other, more definitive signs of early pregnancy, such as a missed period.
In your first trimester of pregnancy, vaginal discharge increases in an effort to remove dead cells and bacteria from the uterus and vagina to help prevent infections. The amount of vaginal discharge you experience will increase gradually as your pregnancy progresses. As long as it remains generally colorless and odorless, it is normal and not cause for concern.
Over time, this discharge also helps form the mucus plug. This plug blocks the opening of your cervix to prevent an infection from entering the uterus and harming the baby.
Brown or pinkish vaginal discharge may occur during pregnancy. This could appear as light streaks or spots of color on your underwear or the toilet paper when you wipe. If it seems like very light bleeding, it could be spotting. Usually, this brown- or pink-tinged discharged does not indicate a problem.
Common causes may include:. Some changes in vaginal discharge during pregnancy can be signs of infection. Check in with your healthcare provider if you notice redness, itching, or swelling in the vulva, or changes in discharge including:. If the discharge is very watery and seems excessive, it could be amniotic fluid or even urine.
Since leaking amniotic fluid could be a sign of preterm labor , it's important to call your doctor and have this checked out. Bleeding as opposed to light spotting or pink-tinged discharge in pregnancy is not normal. Always call your doctor right away if you have any vaginal bleeding.
While it can be uncomfortable or annoying, increased vaginal discharge is normal during pregnancy. If you have any questions or concerns, or experience bleeding or a change in the amount, consistency, color, or odor of discharge, it's important to call your healthcare provider.
Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Ulcova-Gallova Z. Immunological and physicochemical properties of cervical ovulatory mucus. J Reprod Immunol. Cone RA. Barrier properties of mucus. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. Facts Views Vis Obgyn. Nazik E, Eryilmaz G. This discharge is made up of secretions from the cervix and vagina, old cells, and normal vaginal bacteria.
Healthy vaginal discharge is usually:. You'll probably also notice more vaginal discharge as you approach labor, although it's likely to look somewhat different from the flow you've become accustomed to. Discharge that's green, smells unpleasant, causes pain or itching, or seems unusual in any other way could be a sign of infection or another problem.
Also, call your doctor or midwife right away if:. It can be hard to tell when symptoms signal a problem, and even if you don't have common symptoms like irritation, itching, or burning, you could still have a vaginal or sexually transmitted infection. And using them can aggravate an already sensitive area. Instead, see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis and the right treatment.
Typically, no. And it's not one of the early pregnancy symptoms that women commonly report during those first few weeks. If you suspect you might be pregnant, your best bet is to take a pregnancy test around the time you would expect your period. The "mucus plug" is a collection of gelatinous secretions from your cervix. These secretions fill the cervical canal in early pregnancy and create a protective barrier for most of pregnancy.
As you get closer to delivery and your cervix begins to thin out efface and open up dilate , these mucus-like secretions may come out of your vagina. This can be a sign of early labor. Labor still progresses on its own timeline, and your baby remains well protected. Not everyone experiences losing their mucus plug.
If you do, it might seem like an increased amount of vaginal discharge over the course of a few days, or a glob of thickened mucus that's clear, pinkish, brownish, or tinged with a bit of blood.
Regular discharge comes out sporadically in small amounts, but amniotic fluid leaks out continuously once your water breaks. Amniotic fluid is usually clear or slightly yellowish, watery, and odorless or slightly sweet-smelling. When your water breaks, amniotic fluid may come out as a leak or trickle, or in a big, dramatic gush.
Either way, it will continue to leak out until you have your baby. If you think it's possible you're leaking amniotic fluid, contact your provider immediately. It's important to find out if you might be going into labor. If you're less than 34 weeks pregnant and you think your water has broken, call your provider right away.
You may need medications to delay your labor and speed up the development of your baby's lungs and antibiotics to protect against infection. There's not much you can do to stop your body's normal vaginal discharge. You can wear panty liners to absorb discharge if you need to but using them frequently may irritate your vulva. Using tampons is not recommended during pregnancy.
Vaginal bleeding or spotting during pregnancy.
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