Changes in vaginal discharge

An increase in vaginal discharge is one of pregnancy’s less-discussed but very normal changes. From early on, the extra blood flow and pregnancy hormones lead your body to produce more discharge, and it usually increases as pregnancy goes on. It plays a helpful role too — keeping the vagina healthy and helping protect against infection.

What’s normal. Healthy pregnancy discharge (sometimes called leukorrhoea) is usually thin, clear or milky white, and mild-smelling or odourless. There can be quite a lot of it, especially later in pregnancy, and wearing a breathable panty liner (not a tampon) can help you feel more comfortable. Keeping the area clean and dry, wearing cotton underwear, and avoiding scented soaps, washes and douches (which upset the natural balance) all help keep things healthy.

When to get it checked. Because the vagina is a bit more prone to infections in pregnancy, it’s worth knowing the changes that mean you should see your GP or midwife. Contact them if your discharge:

• Becomes thick and white and lumpy (like cottage cheese), especially with itching, soreness or burning — this can be thrush, which is common in pregnancy and easily treated (but check before using any over-the-counter treatment).
• Turns greenish, grey or yellow, or develops a strong or fishy smell — which can signal an infection like bacterial vaginosis that needs treating.
• Comes with pain, itching, or discomfort when you wee or have sex.

These infections are common and treatable, so there’s no need to feel embarrassed — but they’re worth sorting out, particularly in pregnancy.

Signs that need prompt attention. A few changes in discharge should prompt a call to your maternity unit straight away rather than waiting:

• Any bleeding, or discharge that is pink, red or brown — always worth a check in pregnancy.
• A sudden gush or a constant trickle of watery fluid, which could be your waters breaking (note the colour — green or brown fluid needs an immediate call).
• A noticeable increase in discharge, or a “show” (blood-tinged mucus), before 37 weeks, which could be a sign of premature labour.

Near your due date, losing a thicker plug of mucus (sometimes blood-tinged) — the “show” — is a normal sign your body is getting ready.

A couple of everyday comfort tips: change your underwear or a panty liner as needed to stay dry, choose breathable cotton over tight synthetic underwear, and skip the scented products, “feminine washes” and douches entirely — the vagina is self-cleaning, and those products tend to cause more problems than they solve. Plain warm water is all you need to wash the outside. These small habits keep the natural balance healthy and reduce your chances of the itching and irritation that come with thrush.

So while more discharge is a normal and even helpful part of pregnancy, changes in its colour, smell or consistency, or any bleeding or waters, are worth a quick check. When in doubt, your midwife would much rather you asked.