Vaginal discharge during pregnancy

In the life of any woman, pregnancy is a critical time. It comes with a lot of physical changes to accommodate the new being that is developing in the womb. Some of the changes are beautiful to experience while some might be disturbing. Upon reaching puberty, most women will often experience vaginal discharge at one point or another.  The spotting, bleeding, and period should be carefully looked into during pregnancy. In pregnancy nature of the discharge might change due to various reasons.

Causes

Vaginal discharge

During pregnancy, there a lot of hormonal changes as well as bodily changes. The cervix will become softer than it was hence the discharge would increase. In the last trimester of pregnancy, the baby’s head pressing on the cervix will also cause discharge. In your last week, the discharge will change and might have some blood plus thick mucus. All of these are normal discharges that somehow only show the wellbeing of your pregnancy. However, there might be abnormal discharges that would need treatment.

Abnormal discharges

Since one is pregnant, the body might also become vulnerable to diseases. This means that an abnormal vaginal bleeding will only be a sign of an infection. Abnormal vaginal discharge may have a different color other than the white discharge. A yellowish or greenish disagree with a very bad smell indicates that one has an infection. A cheesy kind of discharge also implies that you need to see your practitioner as soon as possible.

Causes of abnormal discharges

The most obvious cause of abnormal vaginal discharge is an infection. Infection during pregnancy can be mild and easily treated by a gynecologist. There are common infections like thrush and Urinary tract infections that should not cause alarm to the mother. As long as you are not having heavy bleeding, the discharge is most likely going to be dealt with accordingly.

What should you do?

As a woman, you probably have ways to make yourself feel comfortable whenever you have discharged. In pregnancy, some of this ways might be harmful to you. It is advisable to wear pads and panty liners but never to use tampons. Pads and liners are enough to leave you feeling clean down there. Douches are strongly advised against as they can cause vaginal infections. Wipes and washes are also not advised for they can change the PH in your urinary tract thereby increasing chances of infection.

Conclusion

Discharges are a normal part of pregnancy. Instead of having periods you will now have discharges for the whole of nine months. However, you must always look out for any abnormal changes. Having a physician to advice you about the changes in the discharge, will be very helpful.