I am a week late on my period and I have been having cramps for about a week, but whenever I feel like my period is coming and I check myself it is actually white discharge. WHat is this???
Vaginal discharge is not only normal, but also important — both because it helps keep the vagina clean, and because it can give women important clues about their health. During the reproductive years, vaginal discharge changes throughout the menstrual cycle, additionally giving you the ability to "read" where in your cycle you are if you pay attention to it.
When something's out of the ordinary with your vaginal discharge, you're right to take notice, as one SteadyHealth member who was all out of answers and turned to the community for help did:
"I am a week late on my period and I have been having cramps for about a week, but whenever I feel like my period is coming and I check myself it is actually white discharge. What is this???"
Other discussion participants quickly suggested that this mix of delayed menstruation, cramps, and white discharge could mean she was pregnant — indeed a very plausible explanation. If you're also dealing with unusual vaginal discharge there are, however, also plenty of other possible causes.
Discussion Highlights
Questions
Questions came both from participants who asked why they were having white discharge, and from folks hoping to help them figure out what was going on:
- Is there any chance you could be pregnant?
- i don't know it is too early to tell if i am pregnant or not?
- Hi im 4weeks late i have loads of white discharge and have cramps ive took 4 pregnancy test nd they were negative whats wrong with me
- Could i still be pregnant?
- Could I be pregnant?
Symptoms
Besides discussing vaginal discharge in more detail, other symptoms also came up:
- my period is now 11 days late, i am cramping and getting white discharge.
- also i have been very tired and dizzy.
- Hi im 4weeks late i have loads of white discharge and have cramps ive took 4 pregnancy test nd they were negative whats wrong with me
- My period is due today and normally i would have had cramps and some light bleeding during the week before my period, but i have been having light cramping and a clear mucus discharge.
- Heavy white discharge is not a normal thing for me, before or after a period.
What could cause white discharge?
Pregnancy was the most commonly suggested explanation among SteadyHealth members — logical when you keep in mind that many women who joined the discussion had late periods. Other explanations, like ovarian cysts, changed discharge as a side effect of going off birth control, an infection, ovulation, and stress were also offered:
- If you are a week late and you have had sex recently then you could take a home pregnancy test - extra white/clear discharge and mild cramping is common in early pregnancy.
- Everyone is telling me to wait as long as I can (a week if I can wait that long) and take another test because sometimes hormone levels take longer to reach the "testing level" in some women.
- I'd wait a few days and test again and if you still get a negative, call your doctor if you are really worried.
- No i dont think you are pregnant.
- if your worried about your period being late then go to the doctor.
The SteadyHealth Team Reacts
Vaginal discharge, which female bodies start producing during puberty some time before a girl's first period arrives, is mostly composed of water. It's a potent self-cleaning mechanism (don't douche, ladies — your body already does that for you!) as well as an important source of information. You can expect your vaginal discharge to change, in texture, amount, and color, as you go through your menstrual cycle, when you're pregnant, when you're sexually aroused, and also when you have an infection of some kind.
How does your vaginal discharge change during your menstrual cycle?
Regularly examining your vaginal discharge will give you a good idea as to what's normal for you personally. As a rule, women will:
- Have traces of old blood in their discharge in the day or days after their menstrual flow stopped.
- Between this "tail-end" of your period and the run-up to ovulation, most women will have very little discharge. What they do see may be white and opaque.
- As ovulation approaches and arrives, your vaginal discharge will be more abundant, clear, and "stretchy" — a bit like a raw egg white.
- Discharge again decreases and becomes whiter as another period nears.
Some women can tell where in their cycle they are just by looking at their vaginal discharge, something that can help those who are trying to conceive determine whether they are in their "fertile window". There are even people who use the information they get from their vaginal discharge, in combination with keeping track of the date and taking their temperature, as a means of preventing pregnancy (also called "natural family planning" or the "rhythm method").
What is vaginal discharge like during pregnancy?
Vaginal discharge: When should I be worried?
Some kinds of vaginal discharge indicate a bacterial, viral, or yeast infection, while others point to a brush with chemical irritants like vaginal douches or a lotion that your vagina is trying to get rid of.
It's definitely time to seek medical attention if:
- Your vaginal discharge as a "fishy" smell and you experience itching around your vulva and vagina. This can point to bacterial vaginosis, which also sometimes leads to gray or green-ish discharge.
- Your discharge is very thick, white, and resembles cottage cheese — often alongside relentless itching. You may have a yeast infection.
- Your discharge is green, yellow, or "throthy" — signs that can indicate trichomoniasis.
- Other sexually transmitted disease, like chlamydia and gonhorrea, may cause bleeding between periods.
If you notice excessive discharge after using personal hygiene products, meanwhile, you can try to stop using the products and seeing whether your discharge returns to normal. Should your abnormal discharge not subside, see a doctor.
Also see your doctor if:
- You have missed your period — whether you've taken a pregnancy test or not, and if you have, whether or not it was positive.
- You think you may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease.
- You're simply worried about your discharge — even if nothing is wrong, it's perfectly OK to ask your doctor for reassurance.
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