What type of discharge means your pregnant

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. Incidence of pregnancy-related discomforts and management approaches to relieve them among pregnant women. J Clin Nurs. The cervical mucus plug: Structured review of the literature. Using tampons is not recommended during pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding or spotting during pregnancy.

Pregnancy symptoms you should never ignore. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing.

Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Vulvovaginal health. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Practice bulletin Premature rupture of membranes.

Labor and birth. Office on Women's Health. Patient education: Vaginal discharge in adults The basics. Patient education: Vaginal discharge in adult women Beyond the basics. Management of normal labor and delivery. Karisa Ding is a freelance health writer and editor with expertise in preconception, pregnancy, and parenting content.

A mother of two, Ding finds great joy in supporting new and expectant parents by providing information they need for the life-changing journey ahead. Ding lives in San Francisco with her family. Join now to personalize. Photo credit: Jianing Pan for BabyCenter. What does creamy white discharge mean during pregnancy? When is vaginal discharge in pregnancy a warning sign of a problem?

Can changes in my discharge be an early sign of pregnancy? How can I tell if this is vaginal discharge or my mucus plug? How can I tell if this is vaginal discharge or amniotic fluid?

What can I do about vaginal discharge during pregnancy? Healthy vaginal discharge is usually: Clear to milky white. Thin to thick or mucus-like. Mild-smelling or odorless. Also, call your doctor or midwife right away if: You're not yet 37 weeks along and notice an increase in the amount of discharge or a change in the type of discharge. We also discuss other symptoms of early pregnancy, other factors that can affect discharge, and when to see a doctor. It is an umbrella term that encompasses any fluid — other than menstrual blood or urine — that the vagina secretes, both healthy and unhealthy.

Cervical mucus refers specifically to the substance that the cervix releases. These can change the color , texture, and amount of discharge. Healthy vaginal discharge is usually thin and clear or milky white with only a mild, inoffensive odor. A person should see a doctor if they experience unhealthy discharge because it can signal an infection.

Early in a pregnancy, a person might experience a slight increase in vaginal discharge. Pregnancy causes higher levels of estrogen, leading the body to produce more discharge and increase the blood flow to the uterus and vagina.

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.