Is smelly discharge normal during pregnancy?

Congratulations! You are pregnant, and your body is undergoing some incredible changes to accommodate a growing life inside you. However, with these amazing changes come several not-so-pleasant experiences like morning sickness, fatigue, cravings, mood swings etc. One of such discomforts that may catch your attention is smelly discharge.

What Is A Vaginal Discharge?

Before we get into the crux of the matter let us first take a quick lesson on vaginal discharge itself. “A vaginal discharge” as explained by John Hopkins Medicine, “is a combination of fluid and cells that rids the vagina of bacteria and dead cells.” It goes on to state that this normal process assists in keeping our reproductive system healthy – which should excite any pro-biotic fanatic out there!

While it’s completely normal for women to have a white or clear odorless discharge (typically signifying ovulation) what happens when things smell?

Is something wrong?
Do I need medical help immediately?

fret not; we will address all these queries.

Why Does My Discharge Smell During Pregnancy?

Now back to pregnancy-related concerns…

It’s common for pregnant women’s bodies to experience an increase in estrogen causing quite a few fluctuations throughout pregnancy- one of which could be…yep you’ve guessed it! DISCHARGE.
Not only can elevated hormone levels cause more secretions down there but also change their consistency & color including greenish-gray hue due to infections(now that does sound off putting right?!) But then again – hold up: lets’ ease those nerves down how about another fact: These types infections happen even outside pregnancy i.e during every day life where different factors might impact it like foods, underwear type or even stress!

Moves to comfort on this point – It’s important also to note that smell is primarily due to some kind of vaginal infection. So if you are worried about the odor emanating down there, know that an elevated level of secretions isn’t necessarily a symptom of an infection on its own.

Common Types Of Vaginal Infections During Pregnancy

Next confession time: when I was pregnant with my daughter I absolutely abhorred the word ‘Infection’. Didn’t matter what kind. We all would ideally love a pregnancy where everything flows smoothly- no swellings, food aversions and no infections! But alas -ladies get ready for a culprits list as we identify them one by one;

1] Bacterial Vaginosis [BV]

Oh dear [@#$%%^$ symbol] damn raise your hands if you’ve ever heard of BV before? If not don’t worry cause spitting out medical jargon doesn’t always guarantee comprehension sometimes in plain English folks;

It’s basically when good bacteria become outnumbered by bad causing’ itchiness painful discharge @#$%^&(insert cuss words)! All thanks to overacidity neutralizing other pH levels we need.

Are there any triggers that make me susceptible?

Well…technically speaking it is generally caused by either unhealthy behaviors such as poor diet choice or unprotected sex with multiple partners-that being said know that studies show close relation between pregnant women & BV.

How Will It Affect Me and My Baby?

Although super common during pregnancy (don’t freak out just yet) chances are without medication it could lead to birth complications such as preterm labor or low weight babies so yes speak up & see doctor stat!!

2) Yeast-Infections

Second stop-off? Yeast infections:

Now they seem almost lethal because let’s be real – who wants to deal with itching and burning for a few days? Especially adding up the ever-present fatigue from carrying miniature sumo wrestler-sized bundle around is really not fair at all. But if it does happen – know this, yeast infections occur because an imbalance in your vagina’s microbiome which could be provoked by any of these;

  • Antibiotics
  • High sugar foods
  • Tight underwear or pants

There’s no shame in admitting you’re going through it during pregnancy – half the time its that one friend who doesn’t speak to you about anything but says; ‘girl me too’ when gets a chance 😂

Oh pheww this just got a bit more bearable how do I treat it?

Antifungal medication either pill form or cream form will be prescribed by the doctor (preferably OBGYN) Note: If your OB cant prescribe maybe request referrals ALWAYS remember convenience of online pharmacies while pregnant BEST THING INVENTED!

3)Trichomoniasis Infections.

We know we are like what?? A WHAT infection? Call spell check-in here yes it exists and let us tell you dealing with such condition has never been easy especially due to lack of awareness.

In simpler words: “‘trick‘” aka Trichomoniasis ‘moniasis’ shown symptoms from recurrent discharge (grey-green color often fishy smell ), vaginal irritation AND according to CDC can be either asymptomatic (that means symptoms gone un-noticed as well)

How Do I Get Infected?

Now: eye full alert-you can catch Trichomonas through intercourse (must include unprotected, same sex partners included)

Okay important question now:

What Are The Complications

This trio right here buddy;

1] Low birth weight babies just like BV –

2] Premature rupture also known as prom

3] Preterm delivery

When should You See Your Doctor During Pregnancy

You have probably gotten the gist of it now- but let’s outline some scenarios where you might want to put a call through to your physician during pregnancy;

[ ] When discharge is accompanied by other symptoms like itching, soreness and or blood
[ ] When the color and odor changes dramatically illustrating any symptoms mentioned above
[ ]Increase in volume over days indicating potential water breaking

Always remember preventing contraction of these infections purely lies within how healthy one’s lifestyle can be;

#Top Tips To Prevent Infections

Being pregnant, already feels like such a daunting experience that no mom-to-be wants added gory stories to write in their musings. Here are a few tips on how best you can keep things tidy down there:

1] Avoid those tight pants as much as possible, especially after changing workout gears.

2] Vaginal douching should not happen periodttt even if suggested DO YOUR RESEARCH – several health practitioners including web MD advise against this practice due its linkage with vaginal infections including BV!

3] Cotton underpants gloves at night for dryness?

4] Keep up with recommended check-ups & tests;

and lastly our personal favorite:

5] Clean Up correctly! Make sure your wiping technique from back forward only (let’s leave fecal matter alone), keeping washcloths/ bath loufa clean

What If I Already Have An Infection? Will It Hurt My Baby?

Urghh-I know what you’re thinking ‘Can anything go right? But hey perk up when treated well often there isn’t too much damage done. Granted untreated infected may affect largely during labor causing preterm birth etc but working with doctor gives mother-baby combo fighting chance!

Ladies – while we hope this information has sufficiently answered some of your questions and provided tips, When In Doubt Please Reach Out!

Speak to your OBGYN as soon as you detect anything out of the ordinary; no question or query is silly, Shame aside it’s one way to make your pregnancy experience A UNICORN RIDE.

May this journey be filled with aromatic candles refreshing flora-flavored teas & many other great scents-not smelly discharges!

Hasta La Vista,Ladies !!!

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