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What causes white discharge during pregnancy?

22 Apr, 2023 by Dane Raynor

Congratulations, you’re pregnant! Now get ready to experience some of the weirdest and wackiest bodily functions you’ve ever encountered. One interesting phenomenon that many women experience during pregnancy is white discharge, but what causes it? Let’s take a deep dive into this sticky subject.

Hormonal Havoc

Hormones are wreaking havoc on your body right now. Between estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuating like teenagers at a dance party, your cervix might be going haywire too. The cervix is producing more mucus than usual to help prevent bacteria from entering the uterus and causing an infection (because who wants that?).

Cervical Mucous Extravaganza!

While we’re on the topic of cervical mucus (which I know you were just dying to talk about), let’s dive further in. During pregnancy, the glands in your cervix start pumping out copious amounts of clear or slightly milky looking fluid (sounds appetizing, right?). This slippery substance serves as both an antibacterial agent (fancy!) AND helps nourish sperm (if that’s what floats your boat). There’s no set amount every woman produces as everyone is unique à la snowflakes.

But Why So Much?

As mentioned earlier, hormone fluctuations can cause excessive mucus production – which leads us down one possible path – yeast infections! Another possibility could be cervical irritation; sex during pregnancy may cause small tears resulting in increased discharge (eek!). At times if one must have intercourse whilst they’re carrying a baby bump then use lube for minimum discomfort (phew!)

Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Itchy? Smelly? Green or yellow discharges? Then listen up girl: these symptoms could indicate something potentially nasty so high-tail it over to an OB-GYN or midwife pronto. They’ll whip out the Q-tips and run some tests to see if it’s bacterial vaginosis or an STI (which is not only seriously scary news but also could cause harm to bubble up inside YOU – which we all know no one wants).

Iron Supplements

Just when you thought pregnancy couldn’t get any better-queue iron supplements! The extra iron intake may change your discharge color from white to grayish green (did someone say fashion-forward?) Doctors will often advise taking iron with a source of Vitamin C for better absorption.

Amniotic Fluid Leak

Sometimes pregnant women mistake an amniotic fluid leak for just plain old discharge, so it’s vital you are able to single them out. If there’s ever sudden gush of liquid that feels like water and doesn’t smell anything like sweat (ew) then call your practitioner, stat as this could be a potential health hazard!

Conclusion

Though at times somewhat uncomfortable (understatement), white discharge during pregnancy is typical; however, we all come in different shades and sizes so the amount can vary greatly between ladies. Knowing what is normal versus more questionable symptoms such as extreme itchiness or odors worse than dirty socks becomes imperative towards keeping everyone healthy though! As long as those fluids don’t seem suspicious – keep calm and “discharge” on my friend!

Related Topics:

  1. Does white discharge mean pregnancy?
  2. What causes vaginal discharge during pregnancy?
  3. When does pregnancy discharge start?
  4. Is smelly discharge normal during pregnancy?
  5. How to avoid brown discharge during pregnancy?

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