Why Do I Have So Much Discharge Everyday All Of A sudden? Am I Pregnant?

Question: Why do I have so much discharge everyday all of a sudden? Am I pregnant?

If you’ve not noticed the regular changes that occur from time to time during your menstrual cycle, a heavy vaginal discharge may cause you to think something is wrong.

Like most women, if your vaginal discharge is whitish in color and you do not experience any symptoms of irritation or burning, then there is usually no reason you should worry. Normal vaginal discharge is generally clear to white, mild in smell, and can change in amount through the month. ACOG+1

The truth is a whitish discharge that becomes excessive all of a sudden does not always mean something is seriously wrong with you, but it can be uncomfortable and sometimes needs checking if it comes with other symptoms.

In fact, your body hormones, especially estrogen, will work to make glands in your cervix and vagina secrete a lot of white colored discharge during your menstrual cycle. AAP Publications+1

Another reason some women will notice a lot of vaginal discharge for days is pregnancy. If you’ve had intercourse and you are expecting a baby, increased vaginal discharge before your next period can be one of many early changes, but it is not a reliable way on its own to know you are pregnant. Only a pregnancy test can confirm pregnancy.

However, if you’ve not had intercourse at all, or consistently used a contraceptive method, it’s still not abnormal to feel an increased discharge during your menstrual cycle.

During your menstrual cycle, and about a week after the end of menstruation, your body is preparing for ovulation, and it’s normal that you will feel wet during this time.

This article explains why you suddenly have so much discharge every day, reasons for a lot of discharge before period, when you should worry and when an excessive discharge is due to a medical problem.

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Can discharge be excessive and still be normal?

Every woman has hormones that help regulate their menstrual cycle as well as menstrual periods. These hormones will sometimes rise and fall at the beginning or end of your menstrual cycle. These changes in your hormone levels are responsible for the change in your discharge. Healthdirect+1

A woman’s vaginal discharge is made up of different kinds of cells, with the cervix producing clear watery fluid that moves through your vagina, picking up dead cells and eventually making your vagina clean. MedlinePlus+1

Therefore, vaginal discharge is a good thing and a way your vagina is kept clean, healthy and safe from infections.

It is normal for your discharge to be much more than normal at some times in your cycle (for example around ovulation or in pregnancy), and you don’t have to see a doctor right away if the discharge is clear or white, does not smell strong, and there is no itching, burning, pain or bleeding. nhs.uk+1

However, if the discharge suddenly becomes very heavy compared to your usual pattern, has a strong or unpleasant smell, changes color, or comes with itching, burning, pelvic pain, pain during sex or bleeding, you should see a doctor or clinic for a check.

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Why do I have so much discharge everyday all of a sudden?

If you’ve suddenly noticed a heavy discharge or your discharge is much more for days or weeks, here are the common reasons.

1. During pregnancy

After sexual intercourse, there is a possibility that you will get pregnant. If you do, and you notice an excessive vaginal discharge that is milky or watery, with no bad smell or irritation, it’s usually not something you should worry about.

If you are expecting a baby, having a lot of discharge before your period may happen because of early pregnancy hormones, but it is not an “easy test” for pregnancy. Many women who are not pregnant also have more discharge before their period, so always use a pregnancy test if your period is late.

Most women will have a creamy sticky mucus from the vagina within a week or days before their menstruation starts; and this occurs because of your body hormones, especially progesterone.

One or two days before your period will begin, your vagina may feel drier in some cycles. In other cycles, you may still notice some discharge. A sudden lot more discharge that is clear or watery could happen in early pregnancy, but it can also be normal cycle variation or related to stress, sexual activity, or infection, so do not rely on this alone.

If you already tested and confirmed you’re pregnant, you usually don’t have to worry about your increased vaginal discharge if it is clear or white, mild in smell, and not causing itching or pain. In pregnancy, more discharge (called leukorrhea) is common and helps reduce the chance of infections moving up into the womb and affecting the baby. nhs.uk+1

During pregnancy, an increased vaginal discharge is expected and is due to pregnancy hormones (progesterone and estrogen). Still, if it becomes yellow, green, gray, has a strong smell, looks like cottage cheese, or comes with itching, burning, pain, or bleeding, you should see your doctor or midwife. nhs.uk+1

What steps to take?

Generally, a lot of girls and women will suddenly experience a lot more discharge than normal, and they are yet to confirm if they are pregnant or not.

First of all, you should observe if you feel pregnancy symptoms. If your breast hurts now and is slightly bigger than normal, it could be pregnancy. Other symptoms are fatigue, weakness, mood changes, increasing or decreasing appetite, vomiting, and nausea.

These symptoms can be caused by pregnancy but also by other conditions, so the best way to know is to take a pregnancy test. Do a urine pregnancy test from the first day your period is late, or at least 3 weeks after unprotected sex, for more reliable results.

For more details, you can check NHS: Vaginal discharge in pregnancy or MedlinePlus: Vaginal discharge. nhs.uk+1

2. During ovulation

Apart from pregnancy, there are other times during your menstrual cycle you will have so much vaginal discharge for days. Ovulation causes women to have heavy discharge that is watery, slippery, or jelly-like (often described as “egg-white” discharge). BEST+1

Ovulation is the release of an egg from one of your ovaries and it’s normal during your menstrual cycle.

During ovulation, which happens around the middle of your cycle (about 2 weeks before your next period in a typical 28-day cycle), an excessive watery discharge is not uncommon.

Other symptoms that you may experience are an increased sense of smell and taste, mild abdominal cramps just around when you notice increased watery discharge, brown discharge, urge for sexual intercourse and feeling like your abdomen is bloated and swollen.

What to do?

So much vaginal discharge during ovulation is normal and in a few days, you can expect to see your discharge looking thick again.

3. Sexual intercourse

If you’ve seen much vaginal discharge suddenly after sex, there is no reason to panic too.

Your body helps to protect your vagina from tear and bleeding by increasing discharge to reduce friction. Also, semen and your own natural lubrication can leak out afterwards and look like extra discharge. This is normal and does not mean you have a problem, as long as there is no bad smell, pain or itching.

4. You are stressed

When you get stressed for days and weeks, it could affect the normal balance of your hormones.

If your hormones become unstable, you can have excessive discharge from your vagina. It’s important to take some time off physical or emotional stress, sleep well, eat properly and see a doctor if the discharge change continues or you have other symptoms.

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Can so much discharge mean I have an infection?

While a lot of girls will have excessive discharge if they are pregnant, ovulating or during sexual intercourse, it could also be a sign of vaginal infection or another health problem.

These are some questions you should ask yourself to determine if your vaginal discharge is normal or not:

• Is your vaginal discharge thick and clumpy, like cottage cheese? (A thick and clumpy white discharge is often due to yeast infection / thrush.)

• Any vaginal itching that is getting worse? (Vaginal itching is a sign something is wrong; get tested for infections including STIs.)

• Is the color of your vaginal discharge greenish, yellowish or gray? (Yellow and green color is likely because of an infection, such as trichomoniasis or some STIs.) nhs.uk+1

• Is there a strong fishy smell, especially after sex? (This can suggest bacterial vaginosis.)

• Is there blood in the discharge when it is not time for your period, or does it look brown or almost black? (This can be old blood, but if it is new, persistent or comes with pain, it needs to be checked.)

You should see a doctor or clinic urgently if:

• You have discharge with lower tummy/pelvic pain, fever, or feel very unwell.

• You are pregnant and have discharge with pain, bleeding, or a bad smell.

• You have sores, blisters, or burning when you pass urine. MedlinePlus+1

For more reading, you can look at:

• Mayo Clinic: Vaginal discharge

• Cleveland Clinic: Vaginal discharge

• NHS: Vaginal discharge

Still feel something is wrong with your discharge? Let us know or see your doctor for an examination and proper tests.