How To Take Care Of Yourself (For Girls)
Your hormones go crazy while you're pregnant so it's
perfectly understandable to get confused especially when you're quite
unfamiliar with what's supposed to be normal or not. One of the things you have
to deal with is discharge during early pregnancy. If you notice your monthly
cycle and the changes in your discharge every month, you will see that it tends
to increase when you're pregnant. This is referred to as leucorrhea and it
should be normal. It is usually without odor or sometimes it comes with a mild
odor and has a milky white appearance.
What causes the increase of discharge during early
pregnancy?
Since the estrogen levels increase when you're
pregnant, the blood flow that will occur in the vagina will be greater of well.
These changes contribute to the increase of discharge. Some women treat vaginal
discharge as a sign of ovulation while some think about it as an indicator of
early pregnancy. The discharge is composed of secretions from the vagina, cervix,
typical bacteria flora from the vagina and the cells from the vagina walls as
well. You may also notice more vaginal discharge as you near labor. As the
cervix starts to thin out and dilate, it will expel this mucus and you will see
discharge that somehow looks like egg white. Don't panic if you see the mucus
with a bit of blood.
At times there are possibilities to notice some bloody discharge along with brown discharge during early pregnancy.
When you notice this brown and pink discharge a lot with cramping, then this
might be a sign of ectopic pregnancy. This ectopic pregnancy occurs when the
fertilized egg implants itself in a place other than the uterine lining. This
could lead to complications and put the health of the baby and mother at risk.
Though this condition is not a common occurrence, one must need to visit the
doctor even if you do not have heavy discharge but severe cramping.
To conclude: watery
discharge during early pregnancy is not a concern to worry, if it continues
heavy and dark accompanied by other said symptoms, then you need to go to the
doctor immediately and have your condition diagnosed for treatment.
When should you call your doctor when you notice
discharge during early pregnancy?
If you see a lot of thin, clear discharge on your
panties, this may be hard for you to confirm if it's just mucus or you're
already leaking amniotic fluid. If you are not certain, contact your health
care provider.
Also, if your discharge is whitish and is accompanied
by itching and burning or your vulva looks inflamed, you may have yeast
infection so go see your doctor immediately. If there's a strong smell to your
discharge (somewhat fishy) and the color is yellow, green or gray, this might
mean that you have a vaginal infection or a sexually transmitted infection even
if you don't itch.
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