Vaginal discharge: Is it normal?

Why does the vagina have ooey gooey weird stuff come out of it?

Vast majority of the time, it’s normal.

Why?

Think of your vagina like your nose or mouth.  Both places make moisture: the mouth makes saliva and our noses make mucus.  The vagina and cervix do the same thing, but they are hanging upside down and you can’t swallow or sniffle to adjust the discharge.

Normal discharge can be clear, white, grey, cream colored, blood tinged, brown, maroon, or even have a yellow/green hue to it.  It can vary in how it smells from odorless, to pungent, to metallic depending on where you are in your cycle.

How do you know if it’s NOT normal?

The take home message is this: If you ever notice discharge that’s really unusual, smells terrible, or is associated with notable, persistent pain, irritation, itching, painful sex, see your doctor so they can verify what’s going on.

Here are the simplified nuts and bolts:

Does the vaginal discharge smell like really, REALLY strong fish?

Does this smell & discharge increase after sex or your period?

• If yes- it could be a simple bacterial imbalance called bacterial vaginosis (BV).
• This is not a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
• It’s fixable with an antibiotic that rebalances the bacteria in the vagina.

Does it itch?  Does it really, really itch- as in- it’s difficult to leave the house for fear of itching your labia or vagina?

• If yes, it could be a yeast infection, but the only way to know for sure is to visit your Dr.
• This is NOT an STI.
• It is easy to treat with over the counter meds (think monistat) or a pill called Diflucan.
• Keep in mind- the itching can temporarily worsen when you treat it, & that’s normal.

Are there clumps like cottage cheese?

• If yes, this could be normal.
• But, if you also have itching, it could be yeast.

Is the discharge, really thin/runny, unpleasant in smell AND associated with irritated genitals AND pain with sex or uncomfortable urination?

• If yes, definitely see your doctor.
• It could be nothing, but it needs to be checked out.

Why?

Anytime sex hurts, it should be investigated.

Also, an easy to treat infection, Trichomoniasis, can give you these symptoms (only 30 % of people infected get symptoms– so the other 70% have no symptoms– which is another reason it’s important to use condoms).

Are you pregnant?

• Leukorrhea (LOO-kor-ree-uh) is what we call the natural increase in vaginal discharge during pregnancy.
• {{For more, see this post about discharge and mucus plugs.}}

Lastly, is there any chance you’ve forgotten to remove a tampon?  Any chance at all?

• Retained tampons suck.  They make you feel irritated.  They have a terrible odor.  They cause people to feel mortified.
• Yet, they are easy to identify and fix!

That’s, that.  Bottom line: Vaginas are like our noses and mouths.  Stuff comes out of them; most discharge is normal.

However, if you are worried, go see your doctor- don’t google or bing yourself into a frenzy.

Much love, Kristi A.