When your pregnant do you discharge a lot

Vaginal discharge during pregnancy | Pregnancy Birth and Baby

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All women, whether they’re pregnant or not, have some vaginal discharge starting a year or 2 before puberty and ending after the menopause. How much discharge you have changes from time to time and it usually gets heavier just before your period.

Is it normal to have vaginal discharge in pregnancy?

Almost all women have more vaginal discharge in pregnancy. This is quite normal and happens for a few reasons. During pregnancy the cervix (neck of the womb) and vaginal walls get softer and discharge increases to help prevent any infections travelling up from the vagina to the womb. Increased levels of the hormones progesterone can also make you produce more fluid.

Increased discharge is a normal part of pregnancy, but it’s important to keep an eye on it and tell your doctor or midwife if it changes in any way.

How does vaginal discharge change during pregnancy?

Increased discharge can be a sign that you are pregnant — though many things can influence vaginal discharge so you can’t be sure this is the reason.

The amount of discharge may increase throughout the pregnancy. Towards the end, there may be so much you confuse it with urine.

Towards the end of pregnancy, the amount of discharge increases and can be confused with urine.

In the last week or so of pregnancy, your discharge may contain streaks of thick mucus and some blood. This is called a 'show' and happens when the mucus that has been present in your cervix during pregnancy comes away. It's a sign that the body is starting to prepare for birth, and you may have a few small 'shows' in the days before you go into labour.

When to see your midwife or doctor

You should tell your midwife or doctor if your vaginal discharge increases a lot in later pregnancy. If you have any vaginal bleeding in pregnancy, you should contact your midwife or doctor urgently, as it can sometimes be a sign of a more serious problem such as a miscarriage or a problem with the placenta.

Normal healthy discharge should:

be clear and white
not smell bad

Tell your midwife or doctor if:

the discharge is coloured (greenish or brownish)
there is blood in the discharge
it smells strange
you feel itchy or sore

If the discharge is coloured or smells strange, or if you feel itchy or sore, you may have a vaginal infection such as thrush, which your doctor can treat easily, or bacterial vaginosis. Do not try to treat it yourself — always talk to your doctor, pharmacist or midwife if you think you have an infection.

You can help prevent thrush by wearing loose cotton underwear, and some women find it helps to avoid perfumed soap or perfumed bath products.

Sources:

Mater Mother’s Hospital (Pregnancy - information for women and families), NSW Health (Having a baby), Jean Hailes for Women’s Health (Hormonal health – clues made clear)

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: November 2020

Common discomforts during pregnancy
Vaginal thrush during pregnancy

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Vaginal Discharge During Pregnancy: What’s Normal?

Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT — By Juliann Schaeffer — Updated on March 7, 2019

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Typical vaginal discharge is thin, clear, or milky white, as well as mild smelling. It will fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle. During pregnancy, the discharge will increase and may vary in consistency, thickness, frequency, and amount.

Pregnancy can be as confusing as it is elating, and it’s not always easy to tell which changes are typical and which are cause for concern.

One of the earliest signs of pregnancy is an increase in vaginal discharge, and this continues throughout pregnancy.

When a woman becomes pregnant, her vagina largely takes on a personality of its own, says Dr. Sheryl Ross, an OB-GYN and women’s health expert at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Typical vaginal discharge, known as leukorrhea, will begin to change as early as one to two weeks after conception, even before you’ve missed your period. As your pregnancy progresses, this discharge usually becomes more noticeable, and it’s heaviest at the end of your pregnancy. You may want to wear an unscented panty liner. Avoid tampons in pregnancy.

In the last weeks of pregnancy, you may also notice that your discharge contains streaks of thick mucus with streaks of blood, called “show.” This is an early sign of labor and should not be cause for alarm.

Vaginal discharge ebbs and flows throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle due to a fluctuation in hormone levels. Once you become pregnant, hormones continue to play a role in the changes to your vaginal discharge.

Changes to the cervix during pregnancy also affect vaginal discharge. As the cervix and vaginal wall soften, the body produces excess discharge to help prevent infections. Your baby’s head may also press against the cervix as you near the end of your pregnancy, which often leads to increased vaginal discharge.

It’s important to let your healthcare provider know about any abnormal discharge, as it could be a sign of an infection or a problem with your pregnancy. Here are some signs of abnormal discharge:

yellow, green, or gray color
strong and foul odor
accompanied by redness or itching, or vulvar swelling

Abnormal discharge may be a sign of infection. Yeast infections are common during pregnancy. If you develop a yeast infection during pregnancy, your doctor may recommend a vaginal cream or suppository. To avoid a yeast infection:

wear loose, breathable clothing
wear cotton underwear
dry your genitals after showering, swimming, or
exercising
add yogurt and other fermented foods to your diet to
promote healthy bacteria

Abnormal discharge can also be caused by a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend screening all pregnant women for STDs. Your healthcare provider may screen you for STDs at your first prenatal appointment. If you believe you have an STD, it’s important to let your doctor know as soon as possible to help reduce the risk of passing the STD to your baby.

Abnormal discharge may also signal a complication in your pregnancy. Call your healthcare provider immediately if you have bright red discharge that exceeds an ounce. This could be a sign of placenta previa or placental abruption.

When in doubt, it’s always better to play it safe and call your doctor. Note when the changes to your vaginal discharge began and any defining characteristics. This will help your doctor determine if your discharge is cause for concern.

Last medically reviewed on May 26, 2017

How we vetted this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Frequently asked questions: pregnancy. (2014).
acog.org/~/media/For%20Patients/faq133.pdf
Is it normal to have vaginal discharge during pregnancy? (2015).
nhs.uk/chq/Pages/952.aspx?CategoryID=54#close
Mucus plug: bloody show. (2014).
americanpregnancy. org/labor-and-birth/mucus-plug/
STDs during pregnancy – CDC fact sheet. (2014).
cdc.gov/std/pregnancy/stdfact-pregnancy.htm
Vaginal discharge during pregnancy. (2014).
americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/vaginal-discharge-during-pregnancy/
Vaginal discharge during pregnancy. (2014).
pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/vaginal-discharge-during-pregnancy
Yeast infections during pregnancy. (2006).
americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/yeast-infections-during-pregnancy/

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Mar 8, 2019

Juliann Schaeffer

Edited By

Alina Sharon

May 26, 2017

Medically Reviewed By

Debra Rose Wilson, PhD, MSN, RN, IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT

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Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT — By Juliann Schaeffer — Updated on March 7, 2019

Pregnancy discharge | What are the discharge during pregnancy? | Blog

In the absence of menstruation, girls usually suspect that conception has occurred. However, during pregnancy, the female body may continue to secrete a secret of a different color and character. We recommend that you keep a close eye on everything that happens so as not to miss the development of adverse events. We will talk about how to recognize problem situations during pregnancy in the article.

What discharge can occur during conception

Many women note that immediately after the delay and in the later stages, the nature of the secretion changes. It can be:

With or without scent.
Depending on the color - transparent, white, cream, yellow, greenish, bloody.
By consistency - thick, liquid, cheesy.
As a symptom for assessing the state of health - threatening, safe.

During ovulation, the egg is released from the ovary, its membrane is deflated, a small amount of fluid is released - so it becomes ready for fertilization. At this time, the thick mucus that fills the cervical canal of the cervix becomes less viscous. This makes it easier for the spermatozoa to penetrate and move further into the tubes for fertilization. At this time, you may notice an abundance of clear mucous secretion.

After the fusion of the egg with the spermatozoon, movement into the uterus begins, which should end with implantation in the inner layer. During penetration, its slight detachment may occur - this causes damage to the blood vessels that abundantly penetrate the muscular layer of the uterus. You may see light brown discharge, which is common during pregnancy. The color is due to the fact that the blood has time to clot.

Sometimes the discharge is brightly colored and some women mistake it for a period that has started too early. But in this case, a short duration is characteristic, a different shade (dark or scarlet), a slight mark on the linen.

With some features of the structure of the female genital organs (for example, with a bicornuate uterus), after implantation of the embryo in one part, rejection of the endometrium may begin in the other, as usually occurs during menstruation. This rarely happens.

Characteristics of discharge in the event of a threatened miscarriage

Spontaneous abortion is the rejection of an embryo in the early stages after conception. If at the first signs of pregnancy, you notice spotting, there is a high probability that a miscarriage begins.

Also, miscarriage symptoms include:

pulling or pressing on the lower abdomen, sacrum, lower back;
the muscles of the uterus are tense.

The woman may feel cramps. This continues all the time or intermittently. From the vagina there are scarlet or brown discharge during pregnancy, which was previously confirmed. Sometimes the period may be still small, and the first signs did not have time to appear.

After 22 weeks, this phenomenon is called preterm labor. The child in this case is still weak, the organs are not sufficiently developed, and there is little chance of survival.

The following factors increase the risk of miscarriage:

various diseases;
progesterone deficiency;
nervous and physical overexertion;
pathologies in the genitals;
fetal developmental defects.

To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes an ultrasound scan. If it shows that the fetal heart rate is disturbed, the tone of the uterus is increased, its size differs from normal for this period, hospitalization will be recommended to maintain pregnancy.

What discharge during pregnancy is considered normal

This secretion does not pose a threat to health:

transparent;
whitish;
yellowish;
odor free;
mucous;
without itching, burning, redness of the genitals.

Clear fluid on underwear is a symptom of ovulation. During pregnancy, the activity of ongoing processes in the body increases, so the amount of secretion secreted may increase. However, a violation of the norm is the leakage of amniotic fluid. You can determine the problem with the help of special diagnostic tests that the doctor will prescribe if he has suspicions.

White color, small amount, homogeneous structure should also not cause concern. The increased volume of fluid in this case is associated with increased hormonal activity.

One of the variants of the norm is mucous discharge, which smells of slight sourness. If there is no pain, discomfort, there is nothing to worry about.

Yellow discharge, there are signs of pregnancy, there is no unpleasant odor - you are all right. Some women had this color before conception, only they did not pay attention. Now there are more of them, therefore more noticeable.

Sometimes a woman observes that the laundry gets wet and there is a smell of urine. This may indicate incontinence due to the constant pressure of the growing uterus. In this case, it is recommended to go to the toilet more often, change underpants twice a day.

What discharge during pregnancy is considered a sign of infection?

White discharge during pregnancy with a cheesy texture is a symptom of thrush (candidiasis). In pregnant women, it is diagnosed quite often - the reason is a change in hormonal levels. The disease is accompanied by itching, redness of the vulva, a strong sour smell. Sometimes external manifestations are not detected, then treatment is not carried out.

Infection is indicated by pain, pain, skin irritation, ulcers, smell of rot or fish, gray or green color, frothy discharge, increased nervousness, large inguinal lymph nodes. The reason may lie in sexually transmitted infections. This includes syphilis, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, chlamydia and others. They are dangerous because they cause premature birth and fetal developmental defects.

What kind of discharge during pregnancy should I pay special attention to and should I consult a doctor?

The following indicates that pregnancy is at risk:

Severe pain in the perineum, bleeding, difficulty defecation, convulsions - these may be injuries to the vaginal mucosa.
Nausea, profuse vomiting, edema, headaches, cough, hypertension, bright red secretion are symptoms of hydatidiform mole (abnormal development of the embryo).
A drop in blood pressure, pallor, weakness, sweating, pulling sensations, bleeding during pregnancy against the background of a lack of growth of hCG in the blood - this is how ectopic attachment manifests itself.
Isolation of clots, sharp pain, vomiting, diarrhea may indicate a frozen fetus.

If you experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.

It is also necessary to go to the clinic if you have been physically abused, had rough sex, had an accident, fell, hit. The likelihood that the situation will be resolved successfully is much higher if you do not delay the visit, listen to the symptoms and take good care of your health.

Remember, despite the fact that pregnancy is a normal state of health of the female body, the diagnosis and treatment tactics are still different, due to the many restrictions on manipulations and medications during pregnancy. That is why diagnosis and treatment during pregnancy should take place only under the supervision of a physician. By ignoring the symptoms or self-medicating, a pregnant woman risks not only her health, but also the health of her child.

Doctors of the Leleka maternity hospital manage pregnancies of any complexity, including those aggravated by infections, pathologies, and the threat of miscarriage. Our own diagnostic laboratory allows us to accurately and in the shortest possible time to obtain the results of the tests. Thanks to constant medical supervision throughout the entire period, the chances of a successful birth are greatly increased.

Trust the life and health of your child to Leleka doctors, and we will make sure that you are satisfied.

Signs of pregnancy - Clinic Zdorovye 365 Yekaterinburg

Symptoms of pregnancy - what is it?

Symptoms of pregnancy or signs of pregnancy are, as a rule, a combination of certain physiological changes in the body that a woman notices in herself already in the early stages of pregnancy.

Sometimes one hears that it is wrong to say “pregnancy symptoms”, because if there are symptoms, then there is a disease, and pregnancy is not a disease. But if we dig into dictionaries, we find that the word “symptom” comes from the Greek sýmptoma, i.e. "sign", "case", "coincidence". Thus, "pregnancy symptoms" is just a synonym for the phrase "signs of pregnancy", which is absolutely correct. The symptoms of early pregnancy or the first symptoms of pregnancy are different from the symptoms that occur in the later stages.

Knowing the signs of pregnancy allows a woman in the early stages to show increased attention to her health, and, consequently, to the health of the unborn baby, a pregnant woman will be able to determine pregnancy in the earliest possible time and, accordingly, resolve the issue for herself in time about its prolongation (preservation, continuation).

Every woman is remarkably different, so the symptoms a woman may experience during pregnancy may vary. Some women feel pregnant even before the test is positive. Below are nine symptoms of pregnancy.

The first symptom of pregnancy is implantation bleeding.

This is one of the earliest symptoms. On the sixth - twelfth day after conception, the introduction (attachment, implantation) of the embryo into the wall of the uterus occurs. Some women notice a small amount of red discharge (spots), which may be pink or reddish brown. If you have pain along with spotting or bleeding, see your doctor immediately as this could be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.

The second symptom of pregnancy, also the main one, is the delay in menstruation

This symptom must be present during a normal pregnancy. You should know that sometimes bleeding occurs during pregnancy. The main thing is not to confuse them with menstruation, especially on those days when you should have started your period, that is, at 4, 8, 12 weeks of pregnancy. Bleeding during pregnancy is a sign of a threatened abortion. Therefore, if you notice this symptom in yourself, then immediately contact a specialized medical institution. With timely treatment, there is every chance to save the desired pregnancy. Menstruation does not occur throughout pregnancy and, as a rule, during breastfeeding.

The third symptom of pregnancy is increased basal body temperature.

Basal body temperature rises above 37 degrees during pregnancy. If you notice some symptoms of pregnancy in yourself or even confirmed it with a doctor and at the same time observe a decrease in basal temperature, consult a doctor. A decrease in basal temperature may be due to the threat of miscarriage. For the result to be reliable, measure the temperature correctly. It should be measured in the rectum, immediately after waking up, in the morning.

The fourth symptom of pregnancy is heavy discharge.

In this case, we do not mean bleeding. Women know that normal vaginal discharge is odorless and almost colorless. Their number increases during ovulation and, as you now know, during pregnancy. On 9/10, you are pregnant if you have a missed period, heavy discharge, and an elevated basal body temperature.

The fifth symptom of pregnancy - swelling and (or) increased sensitivity of the mammary glands.

Many women say that the sensitivity of the mammary glands changes. This symptom may appear 1 to 2 weeks after conception. Swelling and increased sensitivity of the breast may appear not only as a result of pregnancy. Other causes are: premenstrual syndrome (PMS), birth control pills, or hormonal imbalances.

The sixth symptom of pregnancy is toxicosis.

Nausea or vomiting in the morning usually does not occur early in pregnancy, but some women experience nausea as early as the third week. Many women believe that toxicosis is morning sickness and vomiting. But it is not so. In addition to nausea and vomiting, signs of toxicosis include a heightened sense of smell and aversion to certain foods. Many pregnant women cannot tolerate certain smells during early pregnancy. A heightened sense of smell is a side effect of a rapidly rising level of estrogen in your blood. Aversion to certain foods is even more common than cravings for certain foods during pregnancy. You may suddenly find that certain foods, even your favorites, disgust you.

The feeling of fatigue, which will be discussed below, is also referred to by some obstetricians as manifestations of toxicosis. Toxicosis, most often, goes away on its own by 12-14 weeks of pregnancy.

The seventh symptom of pregnancy is feeling tired.

Fatigue can be as pronounced as if you had run a marathon. Fatigue is caused by increased levels of progesterone and other hormones necessary for the development of the child.