Discharge during pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most important and exciting periods in a woman’s life. In order to properly take care of yourself and the baby growing in your stomach, expectant mothers need to know what kind of discharge occurs during childbearing. ” Healthy Food Near Me” together with obstetrician-gynecologist of the highest category Alla Pashkova understands which of them are considered the norm, and which are the reason for visiting the antenatal clinic.

Why do secretions appear

Every woman has vaginal discharge. Their number, color and consistency depend on many factors: the phase of the cycle (for example, during the period of egg maturation and ovulation there are quite a lot of them, and immediately after menstruation there is practically none), the woman’s health (with genital tract infections, inflammation in the pelvic organs (discharge at the same time, they often change color, an unpleasant odor appears).The discharge is also affected by the build of a woman (thin discharges are usually more abundant than full ones), sexual activity, the use of vaginal deodorants and intimate hygiene products, wearing synthetic underwear and other factors And, of course, the nature of the discharge is influenced by pregnancy.With its onset, a woman may notice that the discharge has become much more than usual (1).

“More abundant light discharge during pregnancy is the norm,” says Alla Pashkova, obstetrician-gynecologist of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences, author of a blog about women’s health. – They are enhanced under the influence of the hormone progesterone, which begins to be actively produced in the body of a woman with the onset of pregnancy and creates favorable conditions for the implantation of the embryo and its further development. If there are no complaints about a change in the color of the discharge, itching, burning, swelling of the tissues of the perineum, an unpleasant odor, then you do not need to worry and take unnecessary tests, for example, bacterial culture, it is enough to limit yourself to a smear on the flora. Allocations of various kinds can appear during early pregnancy also due to infections and with the threat of miscarriage.

What are the discharges

Discharge during early pregnancy can be of different colors (white, yellow, green, bloody), consistency (thick, liquid, curdled), may have a neutral or unpleasant odor. In some cases, they do not pose a danger, they are considered a variant of the norm, in others, on the contrary, they can become an alarm about the threat of termination of pregnancy and are a reason for urgent medical attention. Together with our expert Alla Pashkova, we will analyze in more detail what the discharge of a particular nature in the early stages of pregnancy may indicate. We note right away that any deviations from the norm are a reason for an urgent visit to a doctor.

Light highlights

Normally, vaginal discharge in most women just has a light whitish tint. They have no smell, or it is slightly sour. There are few of them – up to 4 ml per day. In pregnant women, if the pregnancy is going well, the color and smell, as a rule, does not change, but the discharge may become more abundant due to the action of the hormone progesterone. This is normal, you should not be afraid.

White discharge

White discharge can also be a normal option if the woman is not bothered by anything. But if the white discharge has acquired a curdled character, itching and burning have appeared in the vagina, then this picture most likely indicates the development of vaginal candidiasis (thrush).

– Vaginal candidiasis during pregnancy is very common – up to 90 percent of women suffer from it, – says Alla Pashkova. – This is facilitated by a change in the hormonal background, namely the absence of phases of the cycle and ovulation, and excessive secretion of progesterone. It is necessary to treat candidiasis if a woman has specific complaints: a change in the nature of the discharge, a sour smell, itching in the vagina. If Candida bacteria are found in a smear on the flora, while nothing bothers you, then you do not need to take any drugs.

Transparent highlights

In non-pregnant women, such heavy discharge can be observed in the middle of the cycle. This is a sign of ovulation. In pregnant women, clear discharge is the norm. The main thing is not to confuse them with amniotic fluid, especially in the third trimester of pregnancy. But for this there are special tests for the determination of amniotic fluid and the doctor will always help you figure it out.

Mucous discharge

Mucous discharge from the vagina, not accompanied by pain and discomfort, is considered normal in both pregnant and non-pregnant women. During pregnancy, they may be more due to hormonal changes in the body.

Yellow discharge

Light yellow discharge can also be a normal variant. Most likely, before pregnancy, you had discharge of the same color. But if you notice that the discharge has become darker, an unpleasant odor has appeared – this is a reason to consult a doctor. Such discharge may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process, indicate an infection. – I note that in 90 percent of cases, the cause of changes in vaginal discharge in women and the appearance of complaints (itching, burning, changes in color, smell and type of vaginal discharge) are candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis, – says Alla Valerievna. – Candidiasis is more often characterized by white or greenish curdled discharge, accompanied by severe itching and swelling of the tissues, for gardnerellosis ( bacterial vaginosis) – grayish watery discharge with the smell of fish, with trichomoniasis – abundant purulent – frothy leucorrhoea with an unpleasant odor, tissues of the vagina and cervix swell , the neck acquires a specific appearance (symptom of strawberries) – red, with grayish zones in the form of eyes on strawberries.

Green discharge

Such discharge can never be a variant of the norm, often they are a sign of candidiasis. When such discharge occurs, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Bloody issues

Blood discharge during pregnancy is a separate situation that always requires a woman to pay special attention and consult a doctor. In the early stages of bleeding during pregnancy is not uncommon.

“Bleeding of the first trimester occurs in every fourth woman,” says Alla Pashkova. “About one in seven people have a spontaneous miscarriage. But in 80 percent of cases, even in the presence of blood discharge, as well as pain in the lower abdomen, the uterine pregnancy progresses almost to the term and ends with the birth of a healthy child.

The main causes of bleeding in early pregnancy can be:

• a threat or a miscarriage that has begun due to detachment of the chorion and retrochorial hematoma;
• implantation bleeding;
• ectopic pregnancy;
• non-developing or frozen pregnancy. An accurate diagnosis will be made by the doctor based on the dynamics of the level of hCG in the blood, as well as ultrasound studies;
• spontaneous reduction (loss) of one of the embryos during multiple pregnancy;
• incomplete cystic drift – when, due to genetic disorders, the development of the embryo does not occur, and the chorionic villi grow in the form of bubbles filled with liquid. This pathology is very rare.

It is important to understand that bleeding during pregnancy is unpredictable and can change within hours (2). Therefore, in any case, blood discharge during pregnancy, no matter if it is scanty, spotty or abundant, pink with small streaks of blood, brown or scarlet, is ALWAYS a reason for an urgent internal examination by a doctor. Below we will talk about the possible causes of spotting of different colors. It should be noted that the division into colors is rather arbitrary, and the exact cause of the discharge by the brightness of their color, their intensity cannot be determined without additional examination.

pink discharge

If you notice pinkish discharge or small streaks of blood on your underwear, this may indicate implantation bleeding, which is quite common.

– It occurs at the stage of implantation of the fetal egg. This is 6-7 days after conception or 21-22 days of the menstrual cycle, when there is no delay yet, explains Alla Pashkova. But such women are very, very few. But there is also a second stage of implantation bleeding – during the period of growth of the chorion, it often occurs at the time of an already existing delay in menstruation – 4-5 weeks from the last menstruation or 3 weeks after fertilization. This type of implantation bleeding occurs in many women – about a quarter of pregnant women. In addition, at 7-8 weeks, when a luteoplacental shift occurs and progesterone begins to produce not the corpus luteum of the ovary, but the chorion, the level of progesterone may drop, and the pregnant woman may experience bleeding. It’s also not scary and safe. The main thing you should remember is that the peculiarity of implantation bleeding is that it is short-lived, scarce and usually takes only a few hours. But in any case, this is a reason to promptly consult a doctor to exclude a possible threat of termination of pregnancy.

Brown discharge

Brown discharge can also be a sign of implantation bleeding, which we talked about above. If such discharges are observed at the time indicated above, there are very few of them, and they pass quickly, then most likely there is nothing to worry about.

But brown discharge can also be a very alarming signal.

“For example, with an ectopic pregnancy, against the background of a positive pregnancy test, there may be spotting, usually minor, spotting,” says Alla Pashkova. – On average, these symptoms appear with an ectopic pregnancy at 7 weeks. At the same time, pains are noted in the lower abdomen, more on one side, and pains can also appear during urination and defecation. It is urgent to consult a doctor to confirm or exclude an ectopic pregnancy.

Scarlet discharge

Blood discharge, when it comes to, for example, blood clots, bright scarlet discharge, heavy bleeding, always scares a pregnant woman. Indeed, such secretions in most cases indicate a threat or a miscarriage that has begun due to detachment of the chorion and retrochorial hematoma (or subchorial, when blood accumulates between the chorionic membrane covering the embryo and the uterine wall). Up to 60 percent of hematomas in the 1st trimester are of this type. More often, subchorial hematomas are detected at the 8th week of pregnancy, on average, their volume is 1,5 ml of blood. With heavy bleeding, a woman is placed in a hospital, while ultrasound in the uterine cavity shows a live fetal egg with an embryo and a heartbeat, the pregnancy is prolonged and not interrupted, hemostatic hemostatic drugs are used.

“It is worth noting that every fourth or fifth pregnancy ends in a miscarriage in the first three months,” says Alla Pashkova. – At the same time, in 90-95 percent of cases, this situation does not repeat itself again, and a woman has every chance of becoming a mother. After a single miscarriage, there is no need to conduct an in-depth examination to identify its causes.

Popular questions and answers

Expectant mothers during pregnancy are concerned about the presence of discharge. Together with the gynecologist Alla Pashkova, we will analyze popular questions and answer them.

Sources of

1. Chesnova I.E., Mom soon// 2020
2. Burmistrova E.A., Pregnancy, childbirth, motherhood// 2012
3. Belokon O.A., I am pregnant, what should I do? // 2018