Discharge Before Period vs. Early Pregnancy: Is There a Difference?

Key takeaways:

• The vagina and cervix secrete fluids that create what’s known as vaginal discharge.
• It’s normal for vaginal discharge to change along with your hormones throughout your cycle.
• Changes to discharge can also happen during early pregnancy, though these changes tend to stick around and don’t follow a cycle like those that occur before a period.

The vagina is composed of tissue that is sensitive to the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Throughout a person’s menstrual cycle, levels of these hormones in the body rise and fall, prompting changes that may include differences in the fluids the vagina secretes.

Changes in vaginal discharge that happen before your period are normal. However, pregnancy also causes hormonal changes that may affect your vaginal discharge. Understanding what other symptoms to watch for can help you understand whether the discharge you’re experiencing could be a sign of pregnancy or not.

Is a change in vaginal discharge a sign of early pregnancy?

Not necessarily. Changes in vaginal discharge can be normal and frequently happen as your hormones shift throughout your menstrual cycle. For example, follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones (FSH and LH, respectively) affect the cervical mucus and its receptiveness to sperm entry. Vaginal discharge may, as a result, feel thinner and take on a consistency similar to egg whites around the time you ovulate but thicken as you approach your period.

While the menstrual cycle and its characteristic changes are cyclic, the transition to early pregnancy ends the cyclic turnover of hormones. The vaginal discharge associated with pregnancy is the result of a phase of continuous, not cyclic, hormones. This means that changes in discharge are more likely to stick around for longer; once pregnancy occurs, progesterone and estrogen rise and remain elevated.

So, it isn’t really that a change in vaginal discharge is an early sign of pregnancy, but that the consistency (that is, the non-change) of differences in vaginal discharge could be an early indicator of hormonal changes caused by pregnancy.

Understanding vaginal discharge before your period

To understand how vaginal discharge may change before your period, it helps to understand how discharge tends to change in relation to the hormonal activity of the menstrual cycle.

• Days 1-10: Estrogen begins to rise, which increases the amount of vaginal secretions, including cervical mucus.
• Days 10-14: As ovulation approaches, the cervical mucus becomes elasticized, changing the vaginal discharge from smooth to more of a stringy consistency. FSH and LH make this happen to make it easier for sperm to successfully pass through the cervix and into the uterus.
• Days 14-28: Progesterone rises, thickening the cervical mucus and giving a vaginal discharge a thicker consistency. Then, when pregnancy doesn’t happen, the hormones crash, causing the uterine lining to break down and shed during a menstrual period.

Understanding vaginal discharge in early pregnancy

During early pregnancy, vaginal discharge may look or feel different than you’re used to due to elevated progesterone and rising estrogen levels.

These changes are likely to stay consistent over time. Elevated estrogen can affect the consistency of vaginal secretions, making the vagina susceptible to yeast infection. Yeast and other types of infections may also affect vaginal discharge, causing it to take on unusual colors – like yellow or green – and foul odors.

Comparing vaginal discharge before a period vs. early pregnancy

Whether due to early pregnancy or a period, changes in vaginal discharge, as in volume, color, and texture, depends on:

• Your hormones
• The volume of discharge
• Your state of hydration
• Your hormone status (pregnant or not)
• The presence of possible infection

Key differences in color

There may not necessarily be a distinguishable difference in vaginal discharge that comes before a period and that associated with pregnancy.

Normal discharge, also called leukorrhea, typically has a clear to white coloring without an unpleasant odor. Whether you’re pregnant or not, unusual colors like yellow or green may be a sign of infection. Read our guide on vaginal discharge colors for more.

Key differences in texture

The texture of a vaginal discharge depends on your hydration and the cervical mucus. As pregnancy progresses, the rising estrogen stimulates a consistent vaginal discharge that continues and even increases throughout pregnancy.

Progesterone thickens the cervical mucus as a barrier to infection during pregnancy. This mucus is continuously produced and loosened to fall away from the cervix, making vaginal discharge appear thicker.

When to expect these changes if you’re premenstrual or pregnant

After ovulation, the stretchy consistency of the cervical mucus converts into a more solidified gel, which can give premenstrual vaginal discharge a thicker consistency.

So, you can expect changes in discharge to occur throughout your cycle, but especially during and after ovulation. Changes in discharge caused by early pregnancy may come on within a few weeks and are likely to remain consistent over time.

Other symptoms to look for alongside premenstrual discharge or early pregnancy vaginal discharge

Of course, it’s not just the vagina and cervix that are affected by the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy. Other aspects of reproductive importance are at play, too, and may reveal the true cause behind changes in discharge.

Cramping

Cramping that occurs due to menstrual periods or ovulation is usually isolated and occurs on the right or left side of the body. The cramping of early pregnancy is usually related to growth inside the uterus, creating a midline discomfort that comes and goes.

Breast tenderness

Breast and nipple tenderness from rising estrogen is more common during early pregnancy than at the time before a period. As your period approaches, your hormones–and their influence on breast tenderness– actually decrease.

Change in bowel habits

Progesterone, which rises in the second half of the menstrual cycle and also when pregnancy begins, slows down the intestinal tract. This can cause constipation. If constipation lasts longer than 2 weeks, this is more consistent with an ongoing pregnancy and not the menstrual cycle.

Nausea and vomiting

Nausea in any part of the menstrual cycle is not considered normal, but nausea and vomiting can be common symptoms of early pregnancy.

When to see a doctor about your vaginal discharge or possible early pregnancy

You should seek medical attention if a vaginal discharge changes to something other than what you’re accustomed to. Normal vaginal discharge can change in color and texture, but sudden changes or changes that come with uncomfortable symptoms might warrant medical attention.

You should see a doctor if:

A change in your vaginal discharge indicates possible infection, such as:

• A change in color (to yellow or green)
• A foul or strong odor
• Itching, burning, or pain
• Bleeding

You should go to the emergency room if a change in your vaginal discharge is associated with:

• Fever
• Pain rising into your pelvis and abdomen
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Diarrhea or bloody stool
• Urinary symptoms (e.g., burning, bleeding)

Questions to ask your doctor about vaginal discharge or possible early pregnancy

• Does my discharge point to a possible pregnancy? If not, what’s causing it?
• Do I show signs of an infection?
• How do I distinguish normal discharge changes from possible early pregnancy?

Summary: Both you and your vaginal discharge are dynamic

Changes in your hormones through your menstrual cycle are normal and can change the look and feel of your vaginal discharge. However, changes in vaginal discharge may sometimes be due to early pregnancy, though these changes are more likely to last a long time and don’t follow a cycle. If you’re not sure what’s causing changes to your discharge or believe you may be pregnant, it’s best to speak with your doctor sooner rather than later.

General Medicine follows a strict editorial process, including using real experts to write our articles, vetted primary sources, fact-checking, a secondary medical review, and updates as necessary. This article was medically reviewed and fact checked by Dr. Lane Thaut, DO.

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