White discharge during pregnancy: curdled, abundant, thick. Heavy discharge in pregnant women: is it normal or not?

26.08.2019

Heavy discharge during pregnancy causes many women to worry about the condition of the unborn child. Like many other changes in the body, this symptom appears due to hormonal changes. The walls of the uterus soften, the microflora of the vagina changes, the amount of lubrication increases - all this will contribute to the process of giving birth to a baby in the future.

Their character should be of concern: color, consistency, smell. Heavy discharge during pregnancy is normal. But if it is colored, smells unpleasant, causes burning or itching, you need to see a gynecologist.

Such a symptom may be a sign of an infectious disease or disorders in the uterus.

In addition, progesterone provokes very thick, glassy, transparent or whitish discharge that resembles lumps of mucus. They are odorless and do not cause discomfort; they accompany any pregnancy.

At the end of the 1st trimester of pregnancy, the placenta is almost completely mature, and the fetus is securely attached to the uterine cavity. Hormonal changes are expressed in an increase in the amount of estrogen.

The uterus develops and increases in size, and new tissue and ducts form in the mammary glands. These changes are accompanied by the appearance of copious colorless or whitish discharge.

Just as in the first trimester, they can be considered a sign of normality if they are odorless, homogeneous, and do not cause discomfort, itching or burning.

White discharge

White, copious discharge during pregnancy should alert you, as it may be a sign of an infectious disease. A cheesy consistency and sour smell indicate thrush. The reproduction of its pathogens, Candida fungi, occurs especially actively against the background of reduced immunity.

White liquid discharge with fragments of mucus and blood is characteristic of erosive lesions of the cervix, cervicitis.

Peeling off in pieces of film with a rotten fishy smell is a symptom (of a bacterial infection of the vagina). If the white color gradually becomes yellowish or greenish, then most likely there is pus in them. In all these cases, you need to seek help from a gynecologist so as not to harm the health of the unborn child.

Copious whitish discharge at the end of pregnancy may be waste water containing plug particles. If they are observed for several hours in a row, you need to go to the maternity hospital.

Yellow discharge

Yellow, light discharge, odorless, not abundant and not causing discomfort, may be normal. But if they are accompanied by unpleasant symptoms, cause anxiety, or have a dark tint, then you should definitely see a doctor.

They can be a sign of several problems:

inflammatory processes (reduced immunity leads to the development of pathogenic microflora in the vagina);
spontaneous abortion;
dark yellow – allergic reaction to underwear fabric or intimate hygiene products;
yellow-green, accompanied by itching, burning, pain when urinating - the presence of purulent inflammation, sexually transmitted diseases;
bright yellow – inflammatory processes in the fallopian tubes or ovaries, bacterial infection.

In most cases, yellow discharge in a pregnant woman is a sign of worsened infectious and inflammatory diseases that were not cured before conception. Therefore, at the planning stage, it is important to undergo a full examination, which can identify all existing problems.

Brown discharge

Brown, heavy discharge during pregnancy occurs suddenly and signals the following problems:

. The symptom appears in the early stages, when the woman may not even know that she is pregnant. Egg rejection is accompanied by brown discharge and sometimes bleeding.
Risk of miscarriage. The symptom gradually becomes more pronounced. It appears in the 1st trimester and requires immediate medical attention.
Incomplete miscarriage. Significant, red-brown in color, sometimes with clots. Accompanied by infrequent intense pain in the lower abdomen. In this condition, immediate surgery is necessary to remove any remaining fertilized egg.
Disruption of the placenta. Small brown discharge late in pregnancy may indicate placental separation.
Inflammatory processes, erosive lesions of the cervix.
Beginning labor. Brown discharge at the end of pregnancy may appear due to the onset of labor or uterine rupture, especially if there is scarring.

Brown discharge during pregnancy is a sign of complications or diseases. Therefore, if they are detected, you should immediately go to the doctor.

Bloody discharge

Bloody discharge appears especially often in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, when the fertilized egg is not yet well established in the uterine cavity. There are many reasons for this symptom.

With active blood supply to the genital organs and high sensitivity, it may appear after an ultrasound using a transvaginal sensor, after examination with a gynecological speculum. For the same reason, bleeding is observed after sexual intercourse.

Minor bleeding may appear early on in the days that marked the beginning of menstruation before pregnancy. A woman feels a nagging pain in the lower abdomen and lower back. The symptom occurs due to hormonal changes.

Discharge with blood in the first weeks of pregnancy, which is caused by an ectopic pregnancy or spontaneous miscarriage, can be dangerous. Such conditions may require surgery.

Sometimes bleeding accompanies genital injuries. For a normal pregnancy, if such a symptom appears, you need to be examined by a doctor.

Discharge in 1st trimester

During the normal course of pregnancy, discharge in the 1st trimester is insignificant, transparent, viscous, and odorless. They occur against the background of an increase in the amount of progesterone, change by the 2nd trimester and do not bring discomfort to the woman. Sometimes almost invisible.

White, copious discharge is common in early pregnancy. As a rule, they look like cottage cheese with a sour smell and bring unpleasant sensations in the form of itching and burning. This is thrush, an infectious disease caused by excessive spread of fungus against the background of reduced immunity and changes in vaginal acidity.

Discharge with blood and brown color is safe in cases where it is not abundant and appears on the days on which menstruation occurred before pregnancy. Additionally, pain occurs in the lower abdomen and lower back (as during menstruation).

In other cases, this color indicates diseases, complications of pregnancy (threat of miscarriage, ectopic attachment of the fertilized egg, incomplete miscarriage, etc.) and require medical intervention.

Yellow discharge in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy indicates an exacerbation of inflammation, and its unpleasant odor indicates an infection. If this condition is not treated, it can lead to spontaneous miscarriage because inflammation damages the uterine lining to which the fertilized egg is attached.

Discharge in 2nd and 3rd trimesters

Liquid transparent abundant discharge in the 2nd trimester appears due to the predominance of estrogens. They affect the permeability of blood vessels in the vaginal mucosa. Because of this, the volume of secretions increases and their viscosity decreases. The symptom is more pronounced in women who use sanitary pads.

But if the discharge in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters is opaque, medical attention is needed.

The color of the discharge can suggest the presence of a disease or pregnancy complication: white, cottage cheese-like, with itching and burning – candidiasis;

bright red – detachment or placenta previa;
watery, colorless, with an unpleasant odor - bacterial vaginosis, which provokes premature birth;
dark red, brown, not mucous – exacerbation of inflammatory diseases, complications (placental abruption, etc.);
yellow-green, foamy - exacerbation of infection.

Heavy liquid discharge during pregnancy in the 3rd trimester towards the end of the term may be a sign of water breaking. In this case, you need to go to the maternity hospital, where a doctor can consult if necessary.

Shortly before the expected date of birth, red mucous masses may appear - the release of a plug that protects the uterus during pregnancy.

White discharge is often found in women during pregnancy. Many consider them to be harbingers of complications, but in most cases they are physiologically normal. Every expectant mother should know the mechanism of occurrence of such discharge, its types, and the possibility of changing its consistency depending on the duration of pregnancy.

Discharge within normal limits

White mucous discharge from the vagina has a special medical term “leukorrhea”. It can be physiological and pathological in nature.

The secretions include:

mucus - the secretion of epithelial cells of the uterus, cervix (cervical canal), vagina;
dead epithelial cells of the mucous membranes of the female reproductive system;
vaginal microorganisms.

Discharge with the following characteristics is considered normal:

milky, cream, white, light yellow;
the volume of discharge during pregnancy is no more than 5 ml per day;
have a uniform structure without flakes and lumps;
without smell;
the composition does not contain microorganisms unusual for the normal flora of the vagina;
consistency changes during pregnancy under the influence of physiological reasons.

White discharge in early pregnancy

With the onset of pregnancy, a serious hormonal change occurs in the woman’s body - the endocrine system begins to secrete large amounts of progesterone. Trivially, it is called the “pregnancy hormone”, because it provides:

attachment of a fertilized egg to the wall of the uterus;
further preservation of the fetus;
the formation of a plug of thick mucus in a woman’s cervical canal, which is necessary to protect the uterus and fetus from various infections.

In most women, the entire secretion of the uterus, cervix, and vagina is involved in the formation of a mucus plug. Therefore, in the first month after fertilization of the egg and the onset of pregnancy, there is practically no discharge or it can be very scanty.

From 4 to 12 weeks of pregnancy, progesterone levels remain high, active regeneration of epithelial cells of the female genital organs begins, due to which the amount of discharge increases. They are translucent and have a thick consistency.

In the second trimester of pregnancy, the level of progesterone in the pregnant woman's blood begins to decrease and the hormone estrogen increases. The discharge thins out and becomes milky or slightly yellow in color.

What does discharge at the end of pregnancy indicate?

At the end of pregnancy, liquid milky discharge interspersed with mucus is characteristic. Typically, the female body begins to prepare for childbirth from 37-38 weeks of pregnancy, when estrogen levels reach their maximum. Under its influence, the cervix opens slightly and the mucous plug begins to come off.

During this period, it is important to monitor the intensity and nature of the discharge. The discovery by the expectant mother of too much mucus released at one time, especially in the presence of severe nagging pain in the lower abdomen, may indicate the passage of the entire mucus plug and the imminent onset of labor. Too much liquid discharge may be due to leakage of amniotic fluid and may be grounds for hospitalization.

Pathological white discharge

A pregnant woman should pay attention to the following changes in the nature of white vaginal discharge:

Changing their color.
A sharp change in the consistency of the discharge, lack of homogeneity in it.
The appearance of an unpleasant odor.
Preservation of the usual volumes, color of discharge, absence of odor when pain, redness, swelling of the genital organs appears.

A pregnant woman's immunity is reduced, so the likelihood of an inflammatory and/or infectious disease is high. White discharge is a kind of indicator of complications during pregnancy, so the occurrence of these changes should alert the woman.

Thus, the appearance of flakes and an unpleasant sour odor in the discharge allows one to suspect a fungal disease (better known as “thrush”).

Discoloration of the discharge yellow or light yellow, accompanied by nagging pain in the lower abdomen, indicates the development of an inflammatory-infectious disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Some microorganisms - pathogens, multiplying uncontrollably can cause miscarriage. Others will “allow” the woman’s body to bear a child, but there is a high probability that they will infect the fetus during childbirth.

The appearance of a greenish tint in the usual white discharge, coupled with a burning sensation in the genital area, indicates either the development of inflammatory processes inside the woman’s genital organs, or the development of a sexually transmitted disease.

The detection of blood inclusions in white discharge indicates the development of cervical inflammation.

A sharp increase in the number of white discharge, often without a change in consistency, but with the appearance of an odor, is most often the result of an imbalance in the vaginal microflora.

Self-diagnosis and treatment are unacceptable! The appearance of such pathological white discharge should serve as a signal for a pregnant woman to urgently seek medical help.

Prevention of pathological discharge during pregnancy

Prevention of pathological discharge during pregnancy consists of following the rules of hygiene and monitoring any changes in the nature of leukorrhea:

it is necessary to wash yourself or use wet wipes after defecation so that intestinal flora does not enter the vagina;
You should thoroughly wipe your genitals after water procedures, since bacteria develop faster in a warm and humid environment;
you cannot use scented soaps, deodorants, vaginal aerosols - they can upset the balance of vaginal microflora and lead to allergic reactions;
You should use daily sanitary pads and change them promptly;
you need to wear only cotton underwear, which absorbs and evaporates moisture well;
you should avoid tight trousers, jeans, tights;
Underwear and clothes need to be selected according to size.

Throughout pregnancy, a woman needs to closely monitor her health. The most important physiological phenomenon, by the nature of which one can judge the degree of success of pregnancy, is white discharge. In themselves they are harmless and useful. The only danger is the occurrence of pathological changes in them, so do not neglect compliance with preventive recommendations. Be attentive to yourself!

Vaginal discharge accompanies the daily life of every woman. Normally, they regularly change their consistency, which depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle. In the first half, vaginal secretion is usually scanty or absent; during the period of ovulation, its quantity increases noticeably, it thins out (to facilitate the movement of sperm and a fertilized egg through the fallopian tubes), and at the end of the cycle it thickens (to protect the potential fertilized egg from penetration of pathogenic microorganisms). ).

Vaginal discharge, also called leucorrhoea, also performs a number of other functions. That is, their presence is not only quite normal, but also extremely necessary.

Leucorrhoea also changes its character with the onset of pregnancy. Probably every woman knows that clear or whitish vaginal discharge is normal, but with blood (pink, red, brown discharge during pregnancy) indicates a threat and requires immediate medical attention.

What to do if yellow discharge appears during pregnancy?

With yellow discharge during pregnancy, not everything is so simple. Firstly, their color and color intensity can vary greatly, and this greatly affects preliminary medical reports. Secondly, whether they are accompanied by any discomfort or pain plays a big role. Thirdly, in different cases, yellow discharge during pregnancy can be both a variant of the norm and a sign of the development of infection in the genital tract.

Therefore, it is best not to guess by color, but to immediately contact a gynecologist: already during the examination of the woman on the chair, he will be able to guess the reason for the appearance of yellow discharge. And after taking a smear from the vagina and receiving the results of this analysis, make an accurate diagnosis.

Most often, in the early stages of pregnancy, women experience abundant transparent watery vaginal discharge: they become so under the influence of the hormone progesterone, which is now produced in increased quantities.

These are normal leucorrhoea, but they can also be not only colorless, but also slightly white and even yellow. Light yellow transparent discharge that does not cause irritation in the perineum, has no odor and is not accompanied by signs of infection, should not cause any concern to the expectant mother.

All that is required of you during this period is simply to maintain the hygiene of your intimate areas, change your underwear to clean and dry ones as needed, and minimize the risk of an allergic reaction in the genital area, that is, give up synthetic cosmetics and washing powders. It is also better not to use panty liners during pregnancy, since very often they lead to the development of thrush. As for underwear, it should be natural and comfortable (it’s better to avoid thongs for now).

Dangerous yellow discharge during pregnancy: dark yellow, yellow-green, with odor and itching

Despite the fact that yellow discharge during pregnancy may be a variant of the norm, more often they indicate the course of pathological processes in the organs of the genitourinary system. That is why the nature of such leucorrhoea must be determined by a doctor.

Yellow discharge and itching, burning, unpleasant or pungent odor, pus, pain in the lower abdomen, painful urination or increased body temperature should be a reason for an urgent visit to a gynecologist. Dark yellow and yellow-green discharge also indicates the development of the pathological process. Typically, such vaginal mucus in combination with one or more of the listed symptoms indicates inflammation or infection, which must be treated. Among them may be:

Thrush (candidiasis) is a frequent companion of pregnancy. Usually during this period it worsens, but it can also occur for the first time, often due to an allergic reaction to linen, powder, toilet paper, pads or soap. Vaginal mucus with thrush is usually white, cheesy, with a sour odor, but can also be yellowish. They often cause severe burning and itching, swelling of the genitals.
Bacterial vaginosis (vaginal dysbiosis) develops as a result of disruption of the normal microflora in the vagina and is accompanied by abundant white-gray discharge with a fishy odor, which, as the disease progresses, can change its color to yellow-green and becomes sticky, viscous, and thick.
Colpitis (or vaginitis) - inflammation of the vaginal mucosa, accompanied by irritation and itching in the perineum and pain during sexual intercourse.
Cervicitis - inflammation of the cervix. Very often it is asymptomatic, but as the disease progresses, pain and burning occurs when urinating, and an increased urge to urinate. Vaginal secretions with cervicitis can have different colors (yellow, green, gray, white) and consistency depending on the pathogen.
Salpingitis - inflammation of the fallopian tubes. In this case, the discharge has a bright yellow color and is usually accompanied by an increase in body temperature and pain in the lower abdomen.
STD (sexually transmitted diseases). Dark yellow discharge often contains impurities of pus with a characteristic odor, has a green or brown tint, bubbles, is accompanied by an increase in body temperature and other unpleasant signs.

The detected diseases did not necessarily arise during pregnancy. It is likely that the microorganisms that cause their development were simply “dormant”, and now, against the backdrop of weakening immune defenses, they woke up and began to act.

Yellow discharge in late pregnancy

All of the above reasons for the appearance of yellow leucorrhoea during pregnancy in the early stages remain relevant in the third trimester. However, shortly before childbirth, when the expectant mother’s body begins to undergo restructuring and preparation for the upcoming birth of the baby, yellow discharge of a different nature may appear. We are talking about a mucous plug that closes the entrance to the cervix throughout the entire period of gestation. 2-3 weeks before the expected date of birth, this mucus will begin to thin out, the cervix will shorten and soften, pushing the mucus plug out. It can come off in parts, small fragments, or all at once in the form of a large clot, reminiscent of jelly or silicone - this is what a mucus plug looks like. Cervical mucus has a beige, transparent or yellowish tint, sometimes containing streaks of blood. You should not be afraid of such discharge: they only indicate that childbirth is just around the corner. It is impossible to say exactly when the mucus plug comes off before childbirth: for some women this happens 2 weeks before the onset of contractions, for others - a few hours.

Sometimes liquid yellow discharge in late pregnancy, reminiscent of urine, but without its characteristic odor, may be a sign of amniotic fluid leakage. You can check your suspicions using a special test purchased at a pharmacy. However, pregnant women often encounter urinary incontinence: in this case, liquid yellow discharge may smell like urine.

The most important thing that a woman who has this problem should understand is that she definitely needs to see a gynecologist. If the doctor decides that such a phenomenon is a variant of the norm, and if a vaginal smear confirms the absence of pathogenic microflora, then there is nothing to worry about. Otherwise, the expectant mother will be prescribed treatment in accordance with the diagnosis and the duration of pregnancy. It is impossible to use any means without the doctor’s knowledge, since during pregnancy the list of drugs and traditional medicine approved for treatment is very limited.