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Discharge, decoded

What your knickers are telling you, from sticky to stretchy.

Body literacy5 min read

Written by the Splash teamSources checked

On this page 5 sections
  1. Quick answer
  2. What normal looks like
  3. Changes that might mean an infection
  4. Looking after things
  5. Sources

Quick answer

  • Discharge keeps your vagina healthy and changes through your cycle.
  • Clear, stretchy discharge is a common sign of approaching ovulation.
  • Changes in colour, smell or texture, or itching, are worth checking, but do not self-diagnose.
  • Skip douching and perfumed products.

Discharge is not gross: it is your vagina's cleaning crew. The NHS describes it as fluid or mucus that keeps the vagina clean and moist and protects it from infection. Most women and girls get it.

What normal looks like

The NHS says discharge is not usually a worry if it does not have a strong or unpleasant smell, is clear or white, and is thick and sticky or slippery and wet. The amount varies. It is usually heavier in pregnancy, when you are sexually active or if you use birth control, and it is clearer, wetter and more noticeable around ovulation.

  1. Period

    Mixed with period blood, so hard to see.

  2. Follicular

    Often dry or sticky to start, then creamier as oestrogen rises.

  3. Ovulation

    Clear, wet, slippery and stretchy, like raw egg white.

  4. Luteal

    Thicker, stickier and less noticeable as progesterone takes over.

Changes that might mean an infection

The NHS says a change in smell, colour or texture might be a sign of infection, but not to self-diagnose. This is its guide to the usual suspects:

  • Fishy smell: possibly bacterial vaginosis. About half of people with BV have no symptoms at all, and it does not usually cause itching.
  • Thick, white, like cottage cheese (often itchy or sore): possibly thrush. It usually does not smell.
  • Green, yellow or frothy: possibly trichomoniasis (an STI).
  • With pelvic pain or bleeding: possibly chlamydia or gonorrhoea.
  • With blisters or sores: possibly genital herpes.

BV is not classed as an STI, but sex can trigger it or pass it on, and it often comes back. Thrush is not an STI either. If you have had thrush diagnosed before and recognise the symptoms, a pharmacist can recommend treatment. The NHS says to see a GP if it is your first time, you are under 16 or over 60, it keeps coming back (more than 4 times in 12 months), or you are pregnant. Antifungal creams can damage condoms.

Looking after things

  • Wash the skin around your vagina gently with warm water and mild, non-perfumed soap.
  • Do not use perfumed soaps or gels, deodorants or scented wipes, and do not wash inside your vagina (douche).
  • Cotton underwear is the NHS tip for thrush-prone skin.
MythDischarge means you are not clean.
Fact

It is the opposite. The NHS says discharge keeps the vagina clean and protects it from infection. No discharge at all is less usual than some.

Quick quizClear, stretchy, egg-white discharge usually means…
  1. An infection
  2. You are near ovulation
  3. Your period is about to start
Show the answer

B. You are near ovulation

Rising oestrogen around ovulation makes mucus clearer, wetter and stretchier.

Quick quizThick, white, itchy discharge with no real smell is most likely…
  1. Thrush
  2. BV
  3. Ovulation
Show the answer

A. Thrush

The NHS links this pattern to thrush. A fishy smell points more towards BV. But do not self-diagnose: if it is your first time, see a GP or pharmacist.

Sources

  1. NHS: Vaginal discharge
  2. NHS: Bacterial vaginosis
  3. NHS: Thrush in men and women
  4. Cleveland Clinic: Cervical mucus

Written by the Splash teamSources checked

This is general information, not medical advice. Splash can’t diagnose. If you’re worried, talk to a GP, pharmacist or sexual health clinic. In an emergency call 999 (UK) or 911 (US). How we write and check articles.

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