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?
- Does anyone know what is going on with my body?
- Does anyone have advice?
- Does anyone know of what else could up up?
- what can it be?
- Should I be worried?
- Advice?
- I was wondering if the symptoms you have described were in fact pregnancy symptoms?
- How long is your cycle normally (typically 28 days)?
- On which days have you had sex since your last period?
- Have you used any method of birth control?
- Has anyone experienced this and got pregnant?
- What do you guys think?
- What were your actual symptoms ("I did get every PMS symptom")?
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.
- we are TTC now for 6 months, most months I am having copious amounts of white discharge, early period cramping, spotting and then early periods.
- The cramping seems to be getting worse each month and this month I have had pain since day 25, now day 28.
- I don't have any cramping today but still lots of white discharge.
- I also have very sore breasts and nipples and often feel light headed.
- I hv cramps n discharge one in a while.
- been 8 days late to my period.
- but still have no period.
- I actually had spotting almost 2 weeks ago and my period was due this past wednesday and still nothing.
- i usually have a normal 28 day cycle but now im like 2 days late and starting worry!
- ive had a few mild cramps but other than that i feel just fine.
- okay so i was on depo for one shot i didn't go back in march to get the second one and i was due on June 9th 2011 for the 3rd one but on June 23 i had unprotected sex and 6 days later i had extremely-light brownish red blood for a few days and now i am noticing a white creamy discharge and cramps.
- My boyfriend and I have been using the pull out method and we have sex A LOT , I'm 6 days late on my period I've been havin clear discarge and light cramping, about 5 days ago I was at the doctors and they did a pee test and it was negative.
- I am late on my period and having clear white boogery discharge with cramping and back pain.
- My boobs were numb and I felt tired and naueas a few times last week.
- now im having nausea when i smoke so i quit.
- so tired all day.
- peeing up to 4 times before 12pm.
- now alot of discharge, i think im starting and when i check its just clear with a little white and very abundant.
- i have been having brown discharge almost 2 weeks now.
- My husband and I have been trying for the past month and this is the longest that i did not have my period and i i have a tolerable left abdominal pain all the time.
- little bit of cramps, excessive discharge and period is over two weeks late.
- I am scared that i might have an infection or somthing.
- no swollen boobs, having cramps and white discharge, my body doesn't feel right.
- but when it feels like I might be getting my period, i have light cramps And a small bit of white discharge
- Well when i wiped it was super slippery so i looked and my toilet paper was filled with boogery clear thick discharge with no smell to it.
- I have white discharge and I am 9 days late for my period!
- I am having cramps that feel like I am coming on but still no sign!
- I feel stuff come out and think its my period but I check and its a milky substance.
- Im having cramping like im about to come on but i wipe (tmi) and its lots and i mean lots of watery discharge and when i check my cervix theres lots of watery egg white mucus :/ im 4 days late im not having sore boobs or anything just the cm and cramping n lateness :/ am i pregnant?
- Hi yes in having the same symptoms no sore breast but my period is 5 days late I have discharge and cramps could I be pregnant
- Hi I am 5 weeks and I had to get it confined b a doctor that I was pregnant because digital test said I was not pregnant but I had white discharge, cramps back pains and all the symptoms but a pregnancy test wouldn't pick it up so I found out today I'm five weeks but a test couldn't tell me
- but my cramps have been constant.
- I have been noticing and increase amount of white discharge and I have been super tired and sluggish and my appetite has increased.
- Hi I am almost 13 and on my should be fourth period I got my other one when I was sick and had lost weight but now I have wet underwear from discharge help
- Other tnan being absolutely emotionaly imbalanced I haven't had any signs.
- I am 4 days late light cramping, at work I noticed I had discharge when I went to bathroom.
- Sooo I have weird symptoms my nipples feel sore && cold I cramp my leg as well && yesterday I was cramping and I thought it was my period but it was white discharge im late on my period I have it on December 15 which is last year
- As I am having the same and feeling ill with no sickness though.
- Am almost a month late but i really cant eat and cant sleep and feel depressed
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.
- If you dont want to become pregnant and your gonna have sex the use protection.
- I think you might be pregnant.
- get a home pregnancy test :)
- I have been told to wait a week and re take the test but i dont know if i can wait that long.
- maybe your pregnant?
- My best bet is to take a pregnancy test to make sure your not pregnant - if the results come out negative , i suggest you go see your gyn to make sure everything is okay down there.
- I don't have any of the symptoms and il been told it could just be because of my new job, and the hours as I am both use to it, .
- If your late and have taken tests that are all negative you could have ovarian cysts, they block the eggs from being released hence no period, talk to your doctor asap
- My doctor said that this is normal whether or not I am preggo.
- it could be cysts on or in ovaries due to PCOS.
- Your HCG levels are more concentrated in the morning so it's best to take the home tests right when you wake up.
- You can't be pregnant if you're a virgin.
- You haven't said how many days since your last period started, Clear discharge is sometimes a sign of ovulation, and sometimes, if with itchiness, a sign of infection.
- Could be a bacterial infection go to the gyn that happend to me when I was 14 god a bacterial infection because their was ameba in our water system but you never know I Almoest went septic
- It could be that you ovulated late, and you have misinterpreted your symptoms.
- It could be that your periods have not settled down (you haven't stated your age, or how long you have had periods).
- It could be that stress has delayed your period.
- If you have not had a period for 3 months, it is advisable to see your doctor.
- It might be due to stress (but you haven't indicated that) or it might be something like PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
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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