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Believe it or not, your vaginal discharge color can tell you a lot about your overall health.
Healthy vaginal discharge is typically white or clear. But the exact color, consistency, and amount can vary throughout your menstrual cycle.
Subtle changes in vaginal discharge color often don’t indicate a problem. The exception is if they’re accompanied by other unusual symptoms such as fever, odor, or pelvic pain. Those are grounds for checking in with your healthcare provider.
To better understand what’s normal down there and what’s a red flag, keep reading for our vaginal discharge color guide!
Key Takeaways
- Vaginal discharge includes any fluid that comes out of the vagina that isn’t menstrual blood. It includes cervical mucus, vaginal fluids, dead cells, and sometimes sperm.
- The color, consistency, and amount of discharge you notice varies from woman to woman. It also changes throughout your menstrual cycle, when you’re pregnant, or when you have an underlying health condition (like an infection).
- Normal, healthy vaginal discharge is usually:
- White, off-white, clear or very pale yellow
- Watery to creamy in texture
- Mild in scent
- About 1–4 ml in daily volume
- Normal vaginal discharge colors at a glance: white, brown, pink, pale yellow
- Abnormal vaginal discharge colors at a glance: gray, green, bright yellow, sometimes pink or brown (if seen at non-bleeding times of cycle)
- Check with your doctor if you have an unusual quantity of discharge, an abnormal color, a foul vaginal discharge smell, or other concerning symptoms like itching.
What Is Vaginal Discharge?
Before we color code healthy versus unhealthy, let’s get clear on what vaginal discharge actually is.
In simplest terms, vaginal discharge is any fluid that comes out of your vagina that isn’t from menstruation.
Here’s what vaginal discharge may include:
- Vaginal fluids and secretions
- Cervical mucus
- Dead cells from your vagina or cervix
- Sperm (if you’ve recently had sexual intercourse)
Just so you know! Sometimes people talk about vaginal discharge and cervical mucus interchangeably. But they’re actually not the same.
Cervical mucus (CM) is produced by your cervix and changes as your estrogen levels go up and down.
Vaginal discharge is what you see on your panties or when you wipe. As mentioned, it includes cervical mucus as well as other fluids and cells.
Because cervical mucus is a component of vaginal discharge, when you have changes to your CM, it may affect your vaginal discharge as well.
With all that in mind, how should your vaginal discharge look? More on this next!
What Does Normal Vaginal Discharge Look Like?
The exact color and consistency of vaginal discharge can vary slightly from woman to woman.
But here’s what “normal” aka “healthy” vaginal discharge generally looks like:
Color: White, off-white, clear
Consistency: Watery, creamy, sticky, thin, EWCM (egg white cervical mucus)
Scent: Not completely odorless; a mild scent that’s not floral or foul-smelling
Quantity: About 1-4 ml; the exact amount fluctuates if you’re pregnant or ovulation or if you have an infection
How Vaginal Discharge Changes Throughout Your Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle phase you’re in can play a big role in vaginal discharge changes.
Look at the table below to see what vaginal discharge looks like in various phases:
Phase your cycle | Consistency of discharge | Color of discharge |
Follicular phase (Post-menstruation) | Creamy-like texture | White, cloudy, or light yellow |
Approaching and during ovulation | Egg-white like consistency, almost slippery and wet | Clear or white |
Post-ovulation | Thicker and stickier | Cloudy or white |
What if your vaginal discharge looks like something other than what you see listed above? No need to worry quite yet! In the next section you’ll see what other vaginal discharge colors could mean.
Vaginal Discharge Color Guide
Some changes in discharge can be totally normal while others could be a sign of an infection or some other problem.
See the chart and scenarios below to understand what different colors of vaginal discharge may be telling you.
Color of discharge | Normal or abnormal? | Underlying cause |
Shades of white | Likely normal! But in some cases, it could be a sign of a yeast infection. | If you have white, cottage-cheese like discharge, it’s likely from a yeast infection. |
Brown or black | Normal if seen around your period, implantation, ovulation, or if on birth control. It’s caused by blood being exposed to oxygen. | If seen throughout the month, could indicate an underlying infection, or vaginal bruising |
Pink | Usually normal! Pink discharge means a little blood is mixed in with your cervical mucus. | If seen outside of times of cycle when bleeding is typical, it may indicate a bruised cervix due to deep penetration. |
Gray | Not normal! This means you have an unhealthy balance of vaginal bacteria. | This usually indicates bacterial vaginosis (BV). |
Green | Not normal! A sign of infection | Infections like trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia |
Yellow | Light yellow is usually normal! Bright yellow could be an infection or other health problem. | Yeast, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease |
White vaginal discharge
Various shades of white discharge are usually normal. However, if the white discharge resembles cottage cheese (in color and texture), it could mean you have a yeast infection.
Know more: Creamy White Discharge: Is it Normal?
Brown vaginal discharge
Vaginal discharge can take on a brownish or even blackish hue during times of your cycle that involve bleeding (like your period, implantation bleeding, ovulation bleeding, or from taking birth control).
This is because when blood is exposed to air, the heme protein gets oxidized. (Think of when you leave a fruit like a banana or avocado out, and it begins to turn brownish.)
What if you notice brown discharge at other non-bleeding times of your cycle though? That could be a potential indicator of vaginal bruising or an underlying infection.
Know more: Why Am I Having Black Discharge?: 7 Reasons
Pink vaginal discharge
Often, pink spotting or pink discharge is not a cause for concern. It just means there’s a small amount of blood mixed with your cervical mucus.
Similarly to brown discharge, this is likely to happen at times in your cycle when bleeding is involved (i.e. ovulation, menstruation, implantation). It could also be instigated by taking birth control.
If you’ve experienced very deep penetration, in some cases it could signal bruising to your cervix. So think back to any recent sexual encounters to see if that is aligning with the time you notice the pink.
Know more: Pink Discharge: Causes, Timing, and What It Means
Gray vaginal discharge
Gray is not a color you want your vaginal discharge to be! If you notice discharge of this color, check in with your doctor.
It could be a sign of bacterial vaginosis, which is when you have an imbalance of vaginal bacteria. Along with the gray discharge, you may also notice a fishy odor as well as itching or burning.
Green vaginal discharge
Green is another color you don’t want to see down there. Green discharge can indicate sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, or trichomoniasis.
Again, if you see this color, be sure to tell your doctor so you can go in for an exam.
Know more: What Does Green Vaginal Discharge Indicate?
Yellow vaginal discharge
If you notice vaginal discharge with a yellowish tint, it could be good or bad. If it’s more like a pale yellow or off-white, it could mean your period is coming soon and trace amounts of blood are present.
If it’s a much brighter yellow or is joined by other symptoms, it could indicate an issue. Potential culprits could be a yeast infection, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), or sexually transmitted infections (STI).
Know more: Yellow Discharge Before Your Period: What Does It Mean For You?
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the possible discharge colors and their meaning? You’re not alone, but try not to panic.
If you have immediate concerns, do contact your doctor. Also keep in mind that changes in vaginal discharge range from subtle to very noticeable.
So to really stay on top of your health and easily spot changes, it can help to keep track of your discharge at various times of your cycle. The Inito app, which syncs with the Inito Fertility Monitor is a great tool for this!
When to Worry About Vaginal Discharge
Without going down too deep a rabbit hole of vaginal discharge color discrepancies, here’s a simplified way to gauge whether or not you should worry.
On top of any changes in discharge color, the following characteristics may be signs that something needs attention:
- Changes in the quantity of discharge you’re noticing
- Discharge that has a foul smell
- Symptoms like pelvic pain, itching, irritation, lesions, fever, etc.
If you experience any of the above, it’s a good idea to connect with your doctor sooner than later.
Concerns aside, let’s say you’re simply annoyed at having to deal with vaginal discharge. We completely get that, too. Keep reading for some tips on finding more comfort in the face of whatever discharge you’re dealing with down there.
How to Deal With Vaginal Discharge?
While discharge may sometimes feel annoying and disruptive, it’s also a sign that your body is doing its job to keep you healthy.
If your discharge is causing you any discomfort, then here are some simple ways you can better manage it:
- Wear underwear that’s somewhat absorbent and that doesn’t make you sweat (like cotton).
- Wear pads or pantyliners to keep your undies dry.
- When you’re not on your period, avoid using tampons, menstrual cups, or anything else that goes inside your vagina.
- Don’t douche or use vaginal wipes. These can disrupt your vaginal pH and make you more prone to getting an infection.
- Consider taking probiotics to encourage the growth of good vaginal bacteria (lactobacillus). Of course, talk to your healthcare provider or nutritionist before making any major changes to your diet.
- Stay adequately hydrated. Dehydration can affect the quality of your cervical mucus and also lead to vaginal dryness.
Know more: Hydration and Fertility
FAQs
Different shades of white vaginal discharge are usually normal and healthy. This is especially true if you don’t have any other symptoms like a foul odor or irritation.
That said, you are likely to notice changes in the amount and consistency of your discharge as you progress through your cycle.
Know more: Creamy White Discharge: Is it Normal?
Pale or off-white vaginal discharge is likely normal. This yellow tint could mean normal discharge is mixing with a tiny amount of blood, usually before your period. But if you notice a much brighter yellow hue, then it could be a sign of a problem like a yeast infection, STI, or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
For many pregnant women, early pregnancy discharge is wet, thin, and increased in volume due to rising estrogen levels. However, note that it’s possible to have increased discharge due to non-pregnancy related causes as well. Conversely, absence of discharge doesn’t rule out pregnancy.
Being “wet” generally means that you are sexually aroused. The wetness is caused by your vaginal glands and cervix releasing extra fluids in preparation for sex. These naturally lubricating fluids become part of your vaginal discharge. But vaginal discharge refers to any non-menstrual fluids that come out through the vagina.
Vaginal discharge before Aunt Flo arrives is usually thicker and decreased in volume. As far as color goes, it’s usually a cloudy, whitish color. Though as your period draws closer, it could take on a slightly yellow tint.
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