What Causes White Creamy Discharge Before And After Period?

Dr. Dunn A. (M.B.B.S) - Written or Reviewed on December 25th, 2016 in Pregnancy, Women Discharge, Women Health

Last updated on July 28th, 2018 at 05:06 am

Do you have white creamy discharge before or after your period? Are you worried it might be abnormal? Then this guide will explain the normal causes of creamy discharge and when it can be abnormal.

Just before your first period, you will notice white vaginal discharge out of your vagina. Should i be worried? No you shouldn’t. This is normal and the most common type of discharge women experience. Vaginal discharge is a natural method every woman prevents infection and keeps the vaginal clean. Your vagina discharge can be dark colored or yellowish colored and still be normal

Creamy discharge is common in a lot of women and is usually caused by ovulation, pregnancy, sexual arousal and stress. Nevertheless, there are infectious causes of white creamy discharge. They include:

Candida infection or yeast infection
Trichomoniasis
Bacterial vaginoisis(BV)

What causes of creamy white discharge in women?

If you are worried about your white creamy discharge then you shouldn’t. Most women will have this kind of discharge either at the beginning or the ending of their menstrual cycle.

You can learn more about the menstrual cycle

It can be thick or clear watery discharge. Watery creamy and stretchy discharge is common in between your cycle. These are some causes of normal creamy discharge in women:

White discharge during Ovulation

Ovulation occurs in every normal menstrual cycle. Your ovary produces an egg every month or in each cycle. The process of expelling this egg form the most mature follicle in the ovary is called ovulation. During ovulation, some women complain of white creamy discharge ant its watery and clear. In a normal ovulation discharge, you will not experience any vaginal itching or burning sensation when urinating. However, if your experience smelling discharge with a fish odor it could be due to an infection.

White discharge During Pregnancy

If perhaps you are expecting, white creamy discharge can be a sign of pregnancy. Clear discharge that is watery after a missed period is likely because you are pregnant. Most pregnant women with experience excessive discharge due to rise of estrogen. This will make the cervix produce more clear mucus discharge. This is certainly vital to stop any ascending infection thereby protecting your baby. You should not worry about your excessive cervical mucus during pregnancy. It is natural and would not require any kind of treatment

When Stressed

Stress can cause white creamy discharge with odor. It stimulates the apocrine gland to increase the production of sweat. If your discharge mixes with sweat it produces a foul smelling discharge. However, if you reduce your overall stress level and improve hygiene, you will be okay

When sexually aroused

If you’re stimulated or sexually aroused, there is an increased secretion of of creamy white discharge from the bartholin gland. This is important to improve your sexual experience as your creamy discharge will lubricate your vagina. White creamy discharge due to sexual intercourse is without odor and does not itch the vagina. An abnormal smelly discharge during intercourse is as a result of an infection. Make sure you inform your doctor.of your discharge and possibly other symptoms.

What are the abnormal causes of white creamy discharge?

If your creamy discharge is not smelly and you do not have any itching or soreness of the vulva, then its normal. However, some women may develop itchy vagina with foul smelling discharge. This is due to an infection and your should inform your doctor about it. Some of the abnormal causes of creamy discharge are

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) in women

BV is an infection caused by Gardnerella vaginalis. It is common in women who use vaginal douche or take broad spectrum antibiotic without doctors prescription.

The lactobacillus in the vagina is important to keep your vagina acidic. Vaginal douching can disrupt the vaginal flora by causing an imbalance between the good (lactobacillus) and bad bacteria. This will cause the good bacteria to be killed with an increase in bad bacteria – Gardnerella vaginalis.

Creamy white discharge in BV has a foul smelling fishy odor that is offensive. You may not experience vaginal itching or pain during intercourse, however, you will still need to be treated. This is because women with bacterial vaginosis can develop Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) if not treated.

Trichomoniasis (trich)

Trich is transmitted through sexual intercorse and if not treated can cause PID in women. It is caused by trichomonas vaginalis and not every infected woman will show symptoms of the infection. Only 30 percent of all women infected with trich show any symptoms. However, some of the symptoms you may experience are

Painful urination with burning sensation (dyuria)
Foul smelling creamy white discharge or frothy yellowish green discharge
Painful sexual intercourse

If trich is not treated early in women, it can cause PID. PID can result to damage of your fallopian tubes with resultant sub-fertility or tubal pregnancy.

Therefore, early treatment of this infection is necessary to avert complications.

Yeast infection

Yeast infection or candidiasis is caused by the fungi, candida albicans. Women that experience cottage cheese like discharge with itching probably have yeast infection.

You can learn more about yeast infection discharge

However, if you’re not sure about the white stuff in your vagina, then you can inform your doctor. The good new is that abnormal creamy white discharge due to yeast infection can be treated and cured.

What other discharge should i be concern about?

If you have creamy white discharge, then its okay and do not need to be concerned about it. On the other hand, if you experience any change of discharge to these colors, its likely due to an infection.

Green discharge. Some women will complain of greenish discharge that is associated with vaginal scratching or itching with a burning sensation while urinating. This type of discharge is due to PID caused by gonorrhea or chlamydia infections.

Learn about gonorrhea symptoms

Learn about chlamydia symptoms

Yellow discharge. This can be normal, however, it is due to an infection in most women. Yellow vaginal discharge with fever and odor is due to an infection. You should also treat early to prevent PID complications.

Frequently asked questions

Let’s know your concerns below.

White creamy discharge after period, is it normal?

If you have creamy discharge after your period then its normal. Immediately after your period you will have thick white discharge that is creamy without odor. However, presence of vaginal smell or itching is likely because of an infection.

What causes white creamy discharge before period?

Just before your period, your discharge is thick and creamy. It is normal and due to elevated progesterone level in the second half of your menstrual cycle.

What causes white creamy discharge after ovulation?

Just before ovulation most women will experience egg white creamy and stretchy discharge. However, after ovulation your discharge with change to thick creamy discharge. This is normal and you need not worry about it.

What causes creamy discharge during intercourse?

During intercourse, the bartholin gland is stimulated to produce a lot of creamy discharge. This is important to lubricate the vagina and prevent vaginal tear. However, it does not smell or itch.

Now let us know if you’ve had any creamy discharge either during intercourse or your menstrual cycle. You think it’s abnormal?

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