What can be the discharge during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, women take a close look at the discharge from the genitals. Both for the expectant mother herself and for the obstetrician-gynecologist observing her pregnancy, discharge is an important diagnostic sign that can tell a lot about the condition of a woman and her baby. We will talk about which discharge during pregnancy is considered normal and which are not, we will tell in this material.

Features:

Discharge during pregnancy is the easiest and most affordable way to self-diagnose. The vaginal secretion over the course of nine calendar months of bearing a baby is not the same, it changes depending on the processes that occur in the body of the expectant mother at one time or another.

The secretions, which, in fact, are the secret of the vagina, are produced by the cervix, they are necessary in order for a certain microflora to be maintained in the genital tract, which is necessary for the normal course of the process of bearing a child. By increasing or decreasing secretion, a woman's body can react to hormonal changes, and the color of the secretions and impurities in them will help to understand what is happening with the uterus, cervix and baby.

You need to monitor the discharge throughout pregnancy, any change, deviation from the norm should be a reason for talking with a doctor, because most of the pathologies of pregnancy are manifested precisely by characteristic secretions. In order to timely pay attention to changes in vaginal secretion, a woman should use daily thin sanitary napkins from the very beginning of pregnancy.

The benefits from them will be twofold: on the one hand, a woman will prevent the occurrence of hygienic problems, on the other, she will always be aware of the type, color, consistency and nature of her own vaginal secretions, which will help both her and her doctor if he needs such information.

During pregnancy, vaginal tampons should not be used, no matter how good and comfortable they are. The vaginal secretion must be able to leave freely, without hindrance, otherwise stagnation may occur, which, if bacteria or fungi enter, will inevitably lead to a strong inflammatory process.

It should be clear to a woman that there is nothing unusual or shameful in observing the nature of the discharge, this is a completely civilized approach to planning pregnancy and bearing a child. Do not hesitate to discuss your observations and ask the attending physician questions that arise, because only he will be able to understand when everything is normal, and when an additional examination is required in order to find the root of the problem.

Let's look at what discharge can be normal at a variety of stages of pregnancy.

In the early stages, before the delay

Conception is possible only during ovulation. In the middle of the menstrual cycle, a woman's body creates conditions under which sexual intercourse will be most productive. A woman's sexual desire increases, the perineum becomes more hydrated. The discharge during this favorable period for conception is quite abundant, stretching, in consistency resembling a raw egg white. This secret is produced by estrogen.

In this way, the acidity of the vagina is somewhat reduced, so that the sperm have a better chance of survival and a successful "journey" to the egg, waiting for them, ready for fertilization. Thick, abundant and viscous discharge is a natural natural "lubricant" that facilitates sexual intercourse.

If conception has occurred, in a few days the first global changes will begin in the body - the progesterone hormone will deploy large-scale preparations for implantation of the ovum into the uterus. During this period, scanty discharge is considered the norm, this is how progesterone affects the cervix.

On the 8-9 day after ovulation, there may be several bloody spots or small bloody discharge. This is the so-called implantation bleeding associated with the destruction of small blood vessels of the endometrium of the uterus at the time of attachment to the wall of the ovum. Such discharge often goes unnoticed by women. For many, the implantation is completely bloodless.

Implantation bloody, bloody or brownish discharge can be regarded by a woman as a hormonal imbalance, which led to the early onset of menstruation. However, menstruation usually becomes more and more plentiful every day, and implantation discharge will subside in a few hours or within 1-2 days. They are considered the norm, do not need treatment, they can be treated as the very first visual signs of pregnancy even before the delay.

After another week, a woman can confirm or deny her suspicions by doing a pregnancy test. Already 8-10 days after implantation (which corresponds to the first days of the delay), a pregnant woman, even on the most inexpensive pharmacy test, should have two strips that are quite clearly distinguishable.

Discharge before the delay and in the first days after it continues to remain scarce, progesterone does not contribute to the production of abundant mucus or a large amount of vaginal secretion.

Norm

In the first trimester

Two stripes on the test are an occasion to begin to be more attentive to the changes taking place in the body. With each period of pregnancy, the discharge will change for various reasons.

This period is characterized by light, moderate, insignificant discharge that does not have any inclusions, impurities, and odorless. Acceptable color options are whitish, light yellow, transparent. Progesterone can give a slight yellowish tint to vaginal secretions in the early stages. He does not allow too much discharge.

Normal discharge does not leave smearing marks on the panty liner. They are not accompanied by itching, cutting, discomfort in the perineum. If such symptoms are not observed, we can safely say that everything is in order with the health of the pregnant woman.

At 7-8 weeks, the discharge normally becomes slightly thinner than before. This is due to hormonal changes in the body.

By the 10th week of pregnancy, the discharge may acquire a slight sourish odor. It resembles the smell of fresh kefir or sour milk. The smell should not be strong, strong. Moreover, the discharge should not cause any discomfort in the expectant mother.

In the second trimester

This period of pregnancy is characterized by a significant increase in the amount of discharge. As soon as the placenta is formed in a woman's body, and this happens by 12-14 weeks of pregnancy, she has another, additional circle of blood circulation - the uteroplacental.

The amount of blood circulating in a woman's body increases significantly, now it becomes more by about 40%. Therefore, a woman sweats more, her kidneys and heart work more intensively. Discharge from the genital tract also becomes much more.

Sometimes a woman is literally haunted by a feeling of constant moisture in the crotch area. Together with the rush of blood to the genitals, the expectant mother begins to experience a stronger sexual desire, her intimate life acquires new, previously unknown shades and nuances (unless sex, of course, is prohibited by a doctor for medical reasons!).

Normally, in the second half of pregnancy, the discharge remains light, light yellowish shades are acceptable. They are almost never transparent, usually normal discharge in the middle of the period of bearing a baby is in the nature of leucorrhoea. However, the discharge should remain uniform, without lumps, mucus, clots, streaks. They may be slightly more liquid than in the first trimester, but this is quite normal, as the body begins to prepare for the upcoming birth, clearing the genital tract.

By the end of the second trimester, a woman should be extremely careful. Any changes in the nature of vaginal secretions during these periods may indicate that a woman is threatened with premature birth. Only vigilance will help to respond in time, go to a medical institution and do everything to save the child and prolong the pregnancy.

In the third trimester

During this period, discharge is an important diagnostic indicator. They reflect most of the preparatory processes involved in prenatal care. So, due to the stretching of the ligaments that hold the uterus that has become large, a woman often has a stomach ache, moreover, most pregnant women already experience training contractions, which are also called false. The lower abdomen sometimes turns to stone with them, and then, after a few minutes, relaxes again.

The woman may begin to feel tingling sensations somewhere in the depths of the vagina. This means that the process of preparing the cervix for labor begins. Ripening of the cervix may be accompanied by an increase in the volume of vaginal secretions. The discharge becomes much more and now you definitely cannot do without a daily sanitary napkin.

In the third trimester, progesterone begins to give up its leading place to other hormones, thanks to which labor should soon begin. First of all, the content of estrogen increases, the concentration of oxytocin increases. Because of this, a softening and shortening cervix begins to produce more secretions.

The normal color of late discharge is light. Variants of white, whitish, yellow shades are acceptable. Discharge without lumps and impurities is still considered healthy, with a smell similar to the smell of fermented milk products. As the cervix matures, the cervical canal will expand, which has been tightly blocked by a mucous plug throughout the pregnancy. Its expansion will lead to discharge or partial withdrawal of the mucous plug.

Therefore, it is not surprising that a few days or hours before giving birth, stringy fragments of mucus appear in the discharge. If the plug comes off at the same time, then on the gasket lumps of mucus with streaks of blood or brown blotches are clearly visible. However, often the cork does not come off entirely, but in parts, and then mucous discharge will be observed in the expectant mother for several days. This discharge is also considered normal, especially at 36-40 weeks of gestation.

Closer to childbirth, a watery, colorless discharge may appear, more abundant than usual. The woman may feel that she was unable to hold a small amount of urine. This may be the beginning of the discharge of amniotic fluid, which, like the mucous plug, does not always leave at the same time in full, sometimes they leak little by little over several days.

Such discharge also conditionally refers to the norm at 36-40 weeks of gestation. The baby is completely viable at this time, he can be born at any time. Watery discharge at this time is a sign of the onset of labor.

The absence of the discharge described above at 39, 40, 41 weeks of pregnancy does not mean at all that a woman has to carry her baby. Vaginal secretion is a delicate, delicate and highly individual thing. Norms exist mainly only in the medical literature. In practice, things can be different. The secretion may not be abundant, and the cork and water will go away simultaneously with the onset of labor or in the midst of the first or second stage of labor.

If a woman is not worried about anything, she does not have acute pain, itching, bloody discharge, discharge with a pungent and unpleasant odor, we can assume that she is all right. A timely visit to the doctor, the delivery of tests, including smears from the vagina and scrapings from the cervix, will help not to miss deviations. A simple laboratory analysis will give comprehensive information about whether everything is in order with the secretion of the genital tract.

Pathological discharge

Normal discharge rarely raises a lot of questions from expectant mothers. But deviations from the norm may well make an impressionable and suspicious pregnant woman begin to get nervous and worried. Let's look at which pathological discharge most often occurs during pregnancy.

Bloody

This is the most dangerous discharge. Blood impurities in the vaginal secretion should not normally be present. The exception is small secretions immediately after intercourse in late pregnancy. The mucous membranes of the expectant mother are looser, it is not excluded that they can be easily injured when performing frictional movements.

Such discharge quickly ends, and after a couple of hours the daily liner is clean. In all other cases, blood in the secret of the genital tract is an alarming and sometimes urgent sign.

Immediately, we note that a wide range of colors belongs to bloody discharge. These are pink and brown discharge, as well as orange, scarlet, burgundy and others. All of them are considered bloody, since the color is given to them by the red blood cells trapped in the secret.

In the early stages, bloody daubs can be a sign of retrochorial hematoma - a partial detachment of the chorion from the uterine wall. The exact shade and intensity of the discharge is directly related to the degree of detachment. However, the stronger the daub, the more favorable the predictions - the blood accumulated between the chorion and the uterine wall must find a way out, otherwise the detachment can continue until the complete death of the embryo and miscarriage.

Bloody, pink, brown discharge in the early stages and in the second trimester is a sign of a threat of miscarriage, and in the third it is a sign of the risk of premature birth. The most dangerous are blood discharge of scarlet color, abundant, as well as blood with impurities of clots. Such discharge at almost any stage of pregnancy can indicate placental abruption.

The most at risk are women with low placenta, placenta previa, ischemic-cervical insufficiency, constantly or often increased tone of the uterine muscles.

Up to the 20th week of pregnancy, brown discharge with blood clots can indicate a miscarriage that has begun, about a pregnancy that has stopped a few weeks ago, which has just begun to be rejected. Up to 9-10 weeks, scarlet blood in large quantities, combined with a sharp unbearable pain in the lower abdomen, can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy and the resulting trauma (rupture) of the tube.

When bloody discharge of any intensity or shade appears, you should take a horizontal position in a comfortable position - on your side or back and call an ambulance.

In 95% of cases, pregnancy with timely treatment can be preserved, the threat is stopped, and the baby is given every chance of being born on time as a healthy and strong toddler.

Purulent

The presence of pus can be indicated not only by a characteristic sweetish smell, but also by color - usually it is greenish or yellow-green discharge. This group also includes green, gray, and gray-brown discharge. Most often they are associated with additional symptoms - pain, cramps when urinating, burning sensation and an unpleasant odor that resembles the smell of rotten fish.

Such discharge can appear at any stage of pregnancy.They most often talk about the presence of a serious infection - from a sexually transmitted disease to bacterial infection. Regardless of the term, it is required to undergo an examination as soon as possible, to establish the causative agent of the infection and to urgently begin treatment.

In the first and second trimester of pregnancy, the appearance of green discharge often indicates the presence of colpitis or cervicitis. Sometimes the cause is bacterial vaginosis. In the third trimester of pregnancy, green discharge of a dirty tint may indicate the development of chorioamnionitis, an inflammatory process that has captured the membranes. This is very dangerous for a baby who may be infected while still in the womb. From intrauterine infection, the baby may die.

Infectious diseases of the genitourinary system represent several risk factors at once. The baby can be infected in utero, and he can also become infected while passing through the genital tract during childbirth. For an immature, weak immunity of a child, bacterial infection can even be fatal, since the innate passive immunity inherited by the baby from the mother does not protect him from bacteria.

It is imperative to be treated, most likely, even with the use of antibiotics. You should not worry about the effect of drugs on the baby. Doctors will select drugs that are acceptable in the treatment of pregnant women. Untreated venereal and bacterial infections can harm the baby much more.

White

As we have already found out, white and whitish discharge during pregnancy is the norm. But there are deviations, while the woman will suffer from abundant or meager leucorrhoea and the unpleasant sensations associated with them. Most often, white chalk discharge, in which a small plaque appears on the external genitals, is associated with a fungal infection. Women experience dryness in the perineum, sometimes slight itching, burning.

White discharge that curls up like coarse-grained cottage cheese and has a pronounced yeast odor is a well-known thrush for most women. Fungi such as "Candida" most often affect the genital tract of pregnant women. Thrush proceeds against the background of unbearable and constant itching, burning. It easily starts against the background of reduced immunity, which is characteristic of all expectant mothers.

Any light or other itchy discharge is a reason to consult a doctor. The reason may be a banal violation of the rules of personal hygiene and the occurrence of vulvitis, which is easily and quickly treated with the beginning of proper hygiene procedures. However, it can also lie in a more dangerous fungal infection of the genital tract, which will require specialized treatment.

Yellow

Yellow discharge may well be a variant of the norm, because progesterone gives such an unusual color to the vaginal secretion. However, normal yellow discharge should be clearly distinguished from pathological. Painful yellow discharge is always accompanied by additional discomfort - pain, pulling and aching sensations in the lower back in the early stages, as well as itching in the external genital area.

The causes of yellow discharge can lie in a banal allergic reaction to intimate cosmetics or soap. This often happens in women who abuse washing with soap. The alkaline medium of the soap destroys the protective film of the mucous membranes and dries it out. An allergic reaction gradually begins.

It is important not to allow a bacterial infection to join it, because the dried shells are a fertile environment for penetration of the same intestinal bacteria into microcracks.

Yellow discharge sometimes accompanies the pathology of the cervix, as well as the threat of miscarriage or premature birth. In the later stages, yellowish discharge of a watery character may indicate leakage of amniotic fluid. That is why it is important to be examined and find out the real reason.

Watery

Above, watery discharge in late pregnancy, indicating the onset of labor, was considered normal. However, a watery, rather abundant discharge may appear earlier. Then they will not fit into the norm. Almost always, watery discharge is associated with the presence of amniotic fluid in the vaginal discharge, a violation of the integrity of the membranes.

Usually, the appearance of such discharge is combined with other pathologies: intrauterine infections that made the membranes vulnerable, the threat of premature birth or miscarriage.

Such discharge can also appear after invasive diagnostics, in which the integrity of the membranes is violated by a puncture with a long needle to collect material for genetic analysis.

If a watery discharge appears, a woman should definitely inform her doctor as soon as possible. She will undergo an ultrasound scan with the mandatory measurement of the amniotic fluid index in order to establish whether the amount of water is sufficient for the further development of the baby. The vaginal secretion will be taken for analysis to determine if there is amniotic fluid in it. Only after that an informed decision is made about the possibility of maintaining the pregnancy.

Mucous

Mucus in the discharge can be present normally only as a manifestation of the discharge of the mucous plug. All other options for the appearance of mucous clots are an unambiguous and indisputable pathology.

Mucus with a slight pink tinge can be accompanied by various inflammatory diseases of the uterus and its appendages, as well as pathologies of the cervix and cervical canal. All these diseases pose a serious threat to the bearing of a baby, and therefore should be examined and treated as soon as possible.

Transparent mucus that appears after intercourse and a few hours after it does not speak of pathology. Such discharge should be attributed to a variant of the norm - dead sperm and seminal fluid leave the woman's genital tract, there is nothing alarming about this.

After a doctor's examination

Small pinkish or brownish discharge after examination by a gynecologist is quite common and normal during pregnancy. You should not think that the doctor has hurt and doubt his qualifications. The fact is that the inner surface of the vagina already in the early stages becomes looser under the influence of progesterone, the blood vessels are easily injured. A vaginal examination, especially if it was carried out with the use of obstetric instruments, may well cause subsequent bloody or bloody discharge (daub).

Such discharge does not last long, after a day no trace remains of them. In later stages of pregnancy, when the doctor may need to examine the cervix for maturity, the examination can provoke a mucous plug to drain, and then mucus clots with blood streaks will appear in the discharge.

If the discharge after the examination lasts more than a day, you should inform the doctor about this, perhaps they have nothing to do with the examination, and the abnormal nature of the vaginal secretion is associated with the development of the threat of termination of pregnancy.

Useful Tips

To maintain the health of the genitourinary system while carrying a child, as well as to exclude the development of pregnancy pathologies, a woman should remember about simple safety measures.

Don't change your sex partner during your pregnancy... With a long intimate life, the organisms of partners tune in to each other. With a new partner, a conflict may arise at the level of microflora of the genital tract, which will make itself felt as a manifestation of an inflammatory disease. In addition, a new partner can infect a pregnant woman with sexually transmitted or sexually transmitted infections.
During sex, do not use intimate gels and lubricants, they adversely affect the balance of microflora, which can lead to the development of vaginosis. Masturbate with great care: keep your hands clean, injuring the genital tract of a pregnant woman and bringing in pathogenic bacteria there is easy.

Maintain intimate hygiene... It should be daily and mandatory, especially during periods when an increase in vaginal secretion is the norm. Avoid contamination of the genitals. But when performing water procedures, try to avoid using any soap, even the most "harmless" one - for children.
Do not experiment with intimate cosmeticsto exclude any manifestations of allergies. If you feel dryness, use sunflower or peach oil slightly warmed to your body temperature. Such withdrawal will not harm.

Swimming during pregnancy in open natural reservoirs (which is very useful for all expectant mothers), use a swimsuit with special antiseptic liners in the area of the external genital organs, in order to additionally protect yourself from the penetration of pathogens into the genital tract.
If you experience abnormal discharge, do not have sex, do not lift heavy objects, do not take any medications on your own, even if they previously helped you well in case of anxious discharge. The pathological secretion of the vagina may have a completely different reason, and self-medication can only harm. Be sure to see a doctor.

If you experience discharge atypical for your period, be sure to try to remember everything that preceded their appearance - stress, sexual intercourse, a hot bath or going to the bathhouse, long shopping, catching a cold, etc. This will help the doctor quickly find the true cause of pathological changes ...