What can be the discharge during pregnancy?

It’s common to experience physical changes during pregnancy, and discharge is one of these changes. This can cause anxiety and doubt in many women, but knowing what’s normal can help ease the mind.

While discharge is a typical aspect of pregnancy, its color, consistency, and quantity can all differ. While some discharge types are perfectly healthy, others might require medical attention.

You can be more certain about whether things are going well or if you need to seek guidance if you know what to look for. The various discharges that you may encounter during pregnancy are explained in this guide.

Features

Discharge during pregnancy is the simplest and most accessible way of self-diagnosis. Vaginal secretion during the nine calendar months of bearing a baby is not the same, it changes depending on the processes that occur in the body of the expectant mother at one time or another. Discharge, which, in fact, is a secretion of the vagina, is produced by the cervix, they are necessary so that a certain microflora is maintained in the genital tract, necessary for the normal course of the process of bearing a child. The woman"s body can react to hormonal changes by increasing or decreasing secretion, and the color of the discharge and impurities in them will help to understand what is happening with the uterus, cervix and baby.

You need to monitor your discharge throughout your pregnancy, any change or deviation from the norm should be a reason to talk to your doctor, after all, most pregnancy pathologies manifest themselves precisely with characteristic discharge. In order to promptly pay attention to changes in vaginal secretions, a woman should use daily thin sanitary pads from the very beginning of pregnancy. The benefit from them will be twofold: on the one hand, a woman will prevent the occurrence of hygiene problems, on the other hand, she will always be aware of the type, color, consistency and nature of her own vaginal secretions, which will help both her and her doctor if he needs such information.

No matter how nice and comfy they are, vaginal tampons are not allowed during pregnancy. Without obstruction, vaginal secretions must be able to flow out freely. If not, stagnation may happen, and if bacteria or fungi enter, this will unavoidably trigger a powerful inflammatory response.

It is important for women to know that monitoring the nature of their discharge is a perfectly acceptable method of conceiving and planning a pregnancy. It is neither strange nor embarrassing. Talk to your doctor about your observations and feel free to ask any questions you may have; only they can determine what is normal and when further testing is needed to identify the cause of the issue. Let’s examine the types of discharge that are typical for different stages of pregnancy.

In the early stages, before the delay

Ovulation is the only time when conception is possible. The woman’s body produces the ideal environment for sexual activity during the middle of her menstrual cycle. The more a woman desires sex, the more moisturized her perineum gets. During this fertile phase, discharge is quite voluminous, elastic, and has the consistency of raw egg white. Estrogen influences the production of such a secret. As a result, the vagina’s acidity is somewhat decreased, giving the sperm a better chance of surviving and making the "journey" to the egg cell that is waiting for them to fertilize. Sexual activity is facilitated by a naturally occurring "lubricant" that is thick, copious, and viscous discharge.

If fertilization has taken place, the body will undergo major changes within a few days as a result of the hormone progesterone initiating extensive preparations for the implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterus. This is how progesterone affects the cervix; minimal discharge during this time is normal. There could be a few bloody spots or a tiny amount of bloody discharge on days 8 or 9 following ovulation. This is the so-called "implantation bleeding," which is linked to the endometrium’s tiny blood vessels being destroyed as they attach to the fertilized egg’s wall. Women frequently fail to notice this kind of discharge. Many people have bloodless implantations.

Implantation bloody, serous or brownish discharge can be regarded by a woman as a hormonal imbalance that has led to an early onset of menstruation. However, menstruation usually becomes heavier every day, and implantation discharge will disappear in a few hours or within 1-2 days. They are considered normal, do not require treatment, they can be treated as the very first visual signs of pregnancy even before the delay. A week later, a woman can confirm or refute her suspicions by taking a pregnancy test. Already 8-10 days after implantation (which corresponds to the first days of the delay), a pregnant woman should have two fairly clearly distinguishable stripes even on the most inexpensive pharmacy test.

Progesterone does not contribute to the production of copious mucus or copious vaginal secretions during the discharge period or in the initial days following it.

Norm

In the first trimester

If a test results in two stripes, it’s time to start focusing more on the physical changes taking place in your body. Discharge will fluctuate during each pregnancy phase for a variety of reasons. Light to moderate discharge that is odorless and free of any impurities or inclusions characterizes this phase. Transparent, pale yellow, and whitish are acceptable color choices. Progesterone can cause early vaginal discharge to have a faint yellowish tint. Additionally, it keeps the discharge from being excessive.

On a daily pad, normal discharge does not leave smearing marks. There is no burning, itching, or discomfort in the perineum to go along with them. It is safe to say that the pregnant woman’s health is good if no such symptoms are noticed.

Discharge typically gets a little bit more liquid at 7-8 weeks. The body’s changes in hormones are the cause of this. By week ten of pregnancy, discharge might start to smell a little sour. It smells like sour milk or freshly made kefir. It shouldn’t have a strong, overpowering scent. Furthermore, the expectant mother shouldn’t experience any discomfort as a result of the discharge.

In the second trimester

There is a noticeable increase in the amount of discharge during this stage of pregnancy. After the woman’s body forms the placenta, which occurs by the 12th or 14th week of pregnancy, she has an extra blood circulation circle called the uteroplacental.

The woman’s body now circulates approximately 40% more blood than it did before, a significant increase. As a result, the woman perspires more and experiences increased heart and kidney activity. Additionally, discharge from the genital tract increases noticeably. There are occasions when a woman’s perineum physically haunts her due to a persistent feeling of moisture. The expectant mother experiences a surge in her desire for sex along with the rush of blood to her genitalia, giving her intimate life new and intriguing dimensions (assuming, of course, that sex is not medically prescribed as contraindicated!).

Normally, in the second half of pregnancy, discharge remains light, light yellowish shades are acceptable. They are almost never transparent, usually normal discharge in the middle of the term of bearing a baby is of the nature of leucorrhoea. However, the discharge should remain uniform, without lumps, mucus, clots, streaks. They can be somewhat more liquid than in the first trimester, but this is quite normal, this is how the body begins to prepare for the upcoming birth, cleansing the genital tract. By the end of the second trimester, a woman should be extremely careful. Any changes in the nature of vaginal discharge at these times may indicate that the woman is at risk of premature birth. Only vigilance will help to react in time, contact a medical institution and do everything to save the child and prolong the pregnancy.

In the third trimester

During this period, discharge is an important diagnostic indicator. They reflect most of the preparatory prenatal processes. So, due to the stretching of the ligaments that hold the uterus, which has become large, a woman often has a stomach ache, in addition, most pregnant women already experience training contractions, which are also called false. The lower abdomen sometimes hardens during them, and then, after a few minutes, relaxes again. A woman may begin to feel tingling somewhere deep in the vagina. This means that the process of preparing the cervix for labor has begun. Ripening of the cervix may be accompanied by an increase in the volume of vaginal secretions. The discharge becomes significantly larger and now you definitely cannot do without a daily sanitary pad.

In the third trimester, progesterone begins to give up its leading place to other hormones, thanks to which labor should soon begin. First of all, the estrogen content increases, the concentration of oxytocin grows. Because of this, the softening and shortening cervix begins to produce more secretion. The normal color of discharge in the later stages is light. Acceptable options are white, whitish, yellow shades. Discharge without lumps and impurities, with a smell similar to the smell of fermented milk products, are still considered healthy. As the cervix matures, the cervical canal, which was tightly sealed with a mucous plug throughout the pregnancy, will expand. Its expansion will lead to the discharge or partial discharge of the mucous plug.

Therefore, it is not surprising that a few days or hours before childbirth, viscous fragments of mucus appear in the discharge. If the plug comes off at one time, then lumps of mucus with streaks of blood or brown inclusions are clearly visible on the pad. However, the plug often comes off not entirely, but in parts, and then the expectant mother will experience mucous discharge for several days. These discharge are also considered normal, especially at 36-40 weeks of pregnancy. Closer to childbirth, watery colorless discharge may appear, more abundant than usual. A woman may have a feeling that she could not hold a small amount of urine. This may be the beginning of the discharge of amniotic fluid, which, like the mucous plug, do not always leave simultaneously in full, sometimes they leak a little for several days.

These discharges also conditionally correspond to the typical 36–40 week gestation period. The child is 100% viable right now and could be born at any moment. During this period, a watery discharge indicates the start of birth activity.

The absence of the above -mentioned discharge at 39, 40, 41 weeks of pregnancy does not mean at all that a woman has to transfer her baby. Vaginal secretion is a thin, delicate and purely individual thing. Norms exist mainly only in medical literature. In practice, everything may be different. The secretion may not be abundant, and the plug and water will leave at the same time as the contractions begin or in the midst of the first or second stage of labor. If nothing bothers the woman, she does not have acute pain, itching, bloody discharge, discharge with a sharp and unpleasant odor, you can consider that she is fine. A timely visit to the doctor, taking tests, including smears from the vagina and scrapings from the cervix will help not to miss deviations. A simple laboratory analysis will give comprehensive information about whether everything is in order with the secretion of the genital tract.

Pathological discharge

Expectant mothers rarely have a lot of questions about normal discharge. However, departures from the standard could easily cause a pregnant woman who is observant and wary to become uneasy and anxious. Now let’s look at the type of pathological discharge that most frequently happens during pregnancy.

Bloody

These discharges are the riskiest. Vaginal secretions should normally not contain any blood. A tiny amount of bloody discharge that occurs right after a sexual encounter in late pregnancy is the exception. Because of their looser texture, the mucous membranes of expectant mothers may sustain minor injuries from frictional movements.

This type of discharge is brief, and the daily pad becomes clean in a few hours. Blood in the genital tract secretion is, in all other circumstances, concerning and occasionally urgent.

We should immediately note that bloody discharge includes a wide range of colors. These are pink and brown discharges, as well as orange, scarlet, burgundy and others. All of them are considered bloody, since their color is given by the red blood cells that got into the secretion. In the early stages, bloody spotting can be a sign of retrochorial hematoma – partial detachment of the chorion from the wall of the uterus. The exact shade and intensity of the discharge directly depend on the degree of detachment. However, the stronger the spotting, the more favorable the prognosis – the blood accumulated between the chorion and the uterine wall must find a way out, otherwise the detachment can continue until the complete death of the embryo and miscarriage. Bloody, pink, brown discharge in the early stages and in the second trimester is a sign of a threatened miscarriage, and in the third – a sign of the risk of premature birth. The most dangerous are bloody discharge of scarlet color, abundant, as well as blood with admixtures of clots. Such discharge at almost any stage of pregnancy can indicate placental abruption.

The most vulnerable women are those with low placentation, placenta previa, isthmic-cervical insufficiency, and persistently or frequently elevated uterine muscle tone. Brown discharge with blood clots up to 20 weeks into pregnancy may signal the start of a miscarriage or a frozen pregnancy that only recently started to be rejected. Large amounts of scarlet blood and excruciating, sharp lower abdominal pain may indicate an ectopic pregnancy and subsequent tube rupture up to 9 or 10 weeks into the pregnancy.

You should lay flat on your side or back in a comfortable position and call an ambulance if a bloody discharge of any color or intensity occurs.

95% of the time, pregnancy can be saved, the threat can be neutralized, and there is a good chance the unborn child will be born on schedule, healthy, and strong, provided prompt treatment is received.

Purulent

Pus is identifiable not only by its distinct sweetish odor but also by its color, which is typically a greenish or yellow-green discharge. There are also gray, green, and gray-brown discharges in this group. They are typically accompanied by other symptoms such as burning, pain, and a disagreeable stench that is similar to that of rotten fish when urinating.

This kind of discharge can occur at any point during pregnancy. They typically signify the existence of a serious infection, which can range from a bacterial infection to a sexually transmitted illness. No matter how long has passed, you still need to get checked out, figure out what caused the infection, and get started on treatment right away.

In the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, the appearance of green discharge often indicates the presence of colpitis or cervicitis. Sometimes the cause lies in bacterial vaginosis. In the third trimester of pregnancy, green discharge of a dirty shade can indicate the development of chorioamnionitis – an inflammatory process that has captured the fetal membranes. This is very dangerous for the child, who may be infected in the mother"s womb. The baby may die from an intrauterine infection. Infectious diseases of the genitourinary system represent several risk factors at once. A baby can be infected in utero, and he can also become infected during passage through the genital tract during childbirth. For an immature, weak immune system of a child, a bacterial infection can even be fatal, since the innate passive immunity inherited by the baby from the mother does not protect it from bacteria.

Treatment is required, probably even involving the use of antibiotics. You shouldn’t be concerned about how drugs will affect the unborn child. Physicians will choose medications that are appropriate for treating expectant patients. Untreated bacterial and genital infections can cause far more harm to the unborn child.

White

As we already know, it’s normal to have white or whitish discharge during pregnancy. However, there are also exceptions, where the woman experiences uncomfortable side effects along with either sparse or copious leucorrhoea. Fungal infections are typically linked to white chalky discharge, which manifests as a small coating on the external genitalia. Women often experience burning, itching, and dryness in the perineum.

Most women are familiar with thrush, which is characterized by a white discharge that coagulates like coarse-grained cottage cheese and has a distinct yeasty smell. Pregnant women are most frequently affected sexually by farm fungi. The sound of thrush flows over a background of excruciating, never-ending burning and itching. She begins with ease given the background of lowered immunity that all expectant mothers experience.

A bright discharge or any other discharge that itches should be investigated by a physician. The cause could be a common disregard for personal hygiene guidelines and the occurrence of vulvit, which can be easily and quickly treated by starting the right hygienic practices. It may, however, also be the result of more serious fungal infection of the genital tract, necessitating medical attention.

Yellow

Because the vaginal secretion has such an unusual color, yellow discharge may very well be an anomaly. It should, however, be able to tell the difference between pathological and normal yellow discharge. In the early stages, lower back pain, pulling, and aching sensations, along with itching in the vicinity of the external genitalia, are always present in conjunction with painful yellow discharge. One common cause of yellow discharge could be an allergic reaction to soap or products used for personal hygiene. This is what frequently occurs to women who misuse soap washing. The mucous membranes’ protective layer is destroyed and dried out by the alkaline soap environment. An allergic reaction starts slowly.

Because dried membranes provide an ideal environment for the same intestinal bacteria to infiltrate microcracks, it is crucial to stop a bacterial infection from joining it.

Pathologies of the cervix, the risk of miscarriage or premature birth, and yellow discharge can sometimes coexist. Later on, a yellowish, watery discharge could be a sign of amniotic fluid leakage. It is crucial to investigate and determine the actual cause for this reason.

Watery

Watery discharge above was thought to be typical in the latter stages of pregnancy, signifying the start of labor. But an earlier stage may see the appearance of a watery, rather abundant discharge. They won’t then fall inside the typical range. Watery discharge is almost always linked to amniotic fluid being present in the vaginal discharge, which is a breach of the fetal membranes’ integrity.

Such discharge typically occurs in conjunction with other pathologies, such as intrauterine infections that compromised the fetal membranes and the possibility of an early birth or miscarriage.

This kind of discharge can also result from invasive diagnostic procedures, such as puncturing the membranes with a long needle in order to gather tissue for genetic examination.

It is imperative for a woman to notify her doctor right away if she experiences watery discharge. In order to ascertain whether the amount of water present is adequate for the baby’s continued development, she will have an ultrasound, during which the amniotic fluid index must be measured. Analyses will be performed on vaginal secretions to see if amniotic fluid is present. A well-considered choice regarding the possibility of preserving the pregnancy is only made after this.

Mucus

Normally, the presence of mucus in the discharge is limited to the mucus plug discharging. Every other manifestation of mucus clots is an obvious and undeniable pathology. Pathologies of the cervix and cervical canal, along with a variety of inflammatory diseases of the uterus and its appendages, can be associated with a slightly pinkish-colored mucus. Since all of these illnesses seriously jeopardize conception, prompt diagnosis and treatment are imperative.

It is not indicative of pathology when transparent mucus develops several hours after a sexual encounter. This discharge, which consists of seminal fluid and dead sperm leaving the woman’s genital tract, is normal and not cause for concern.

Vaginal discharge is normal during pregnancy and can vary in quantity, color, and consistency. While the majority of discharge is normal and a result of the body’s natural processes, some types—such as thick, yellow, green, or odorous discharge—may be signs of an infection or another medical issue. In order to protect their health and the health of their unborn child, expectant mothers should be aware of what is normal and when to consult a doctor.

After a doctor"s examination

Small pinkish or brownish discharge after a gynecological examination is a completely common and normal phenomenon during pregnancy. You shouldn"t think that the doctor has done harm and doubt his qualifications. The fact is that the inner surface of the vagina already in the early stages becomes looser under the influence of progesterone, blood vessels are easily injured. A vaginal examination, especially if it was carried out using obstetric instruments, may well cause subsequent bloody or serous discharge (smearing). Such discharge does not last long, after a day there is no trace of it. In later stages of pregnancy, when the doctor may need to examine the cervix for its maturity, the examination can provoke the discharge of the mucous plug, and then clots of mucus with streaks of blood will appear in the discharge.

You should notify the doctor if the discharge persists for more than a day following the examination.The abnormal nature of the vaginal discharge is linked to the development of a pregnancy termination threat, so it’s possible that the discharge had nothing to do with the examination.

Type of Discharge	Characteristics
Normal Discharge	Clear or white, mild odor, not irritating.
Early Pregnancy Discharge	Thin, milky white, slightly increased.
Mid-Pregnancy Discharge	Thicker, creamy, may have a faint odor.
Late Pregnancy Discharge	May become more profuse, possibly mixed with mucus, sometimes blood-tinged.
Abnormal Discharge	Yellow or green, strong odor, itching, or irritation; could indicate infection.

Many changes occur during pregnancy, so it’s critical to know what’s typical and when to seek medical attention, particularly when it comes to discharge. Even though the majority of discharge types during pregnancy are perfectly normal, you should be aware of any changes in color, consistency, or smell to help you decide when it might be a good idea to see your doctor.

Clear or white discharge that doesn’t have a strong smell is typical. On the other hand, an infection might be indicated if the discharge turns green or yellow, or if it is accompanied by itching or an unpleasant odor. If you’re unsure, it’s always best to get checked out.

Navigating these changes with greater confidence can be achieved by remaining informed and maintaining an open channel of communication with your healthcare provider. To make sure that you and your unborn child remain healthy throughout your pregnancy, routine checkups are essential.

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