Vaginal discharge: what’s normal and when to worry

Vaginal discharge is a fluid that keeps the vagina clean and moist and protects it from infection. Most women and girls have it, and the amount varies. The NHS says discharge isn’t usually anything to worry about if it:

• doesn’t have a strong or unpleasant smell
• is clear or white
• is thick and sticky, or slippery and wet

It’s normal for the amount of discharge to change. You’re likely to have more of it during pregnancy, if you’re sexually active or if you’re using contraception.

Your discharge changes through your menstrual cycle. Around the time you ovulate, it becomes clearer, wetter and stretchy, a bit like raw egg white. In a regular 28-day cycle, this is usually around day 14.

Clear, stretchy discharge in the middle of your cycle is a normal sign of ovulation. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, the menopause and some medicines, such as hormonal contraceptives, can also change how much discharge you have.

If your discharge changes in smell, colour or texture, it might be a sign of an infection. The NHS lists these possible causes:

Don’t try to diagnose yourself from colour or smell alone. The same change can have more than one cause, and some STIs cause no change at all. Read more in “Why do I have green discharge coming out of my genitals?”

Some of the most common reasons for a change in discharge aren’t STIs at all.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV)

BV is caused by an imbalance of the bacteria in the vagina. It can cause a thin, watery, greyish-white discharge with a strong fishy smell, particularly after sex, but it doesn’t usually cause itching or soreness, and half of women with BV have no symptoms. BV isn’t classed as an STI, but sex can trigger it, and having BV makes you more likely to get an STI. It’s treated with antibiotic tablets, gels or creams, and it often comes back within a few months.

Thrush

Thrush is a yeast infection. It causes white discharge, often like cottage cheese, which doesn’t usually smell, along with itching and soreness around the vagina and stinging during sex or when you pee. It isn’t classed as an STI, but sex can trigger it, and it’s more likely if you’re taking antibiotics, you’re pregnant or you have diabetes that isn’t well controlled.

Other causes

Soaps and perfumed products, a forgotten tampon or the hormone changes of the menopause can all affect your discharge. The NHS advises against washing inside your vagina (douching).

BV and thrush are common, and neither is an STI. Read more in “What is douching and should I stop doing it?”

Some STIs can change your discharge, although many people with an STI have no symptoms at all:

• Trichomonas: yellow-green discharge that may be frothy or smell fishy, with itching or soreness and pain when you pee or have sex
• Chlamydia: discharge that isn’t normal for you, bleeding after sex or between periods, a burning feeling when you pee or pain in your lower tummy
• Gonorrhoea: yellow or greenish discharge, burning pain when you pee or pain in your lower tummy
• Herpes: unusual discharge alongside blisters or sores

Normal-looking discharge doesn’t rule out an STI. Most people with Chlamydia have no symptoms, so testing is the only way to know.

UK guidelines don’t link Mycoplasma genitalium with discharge on its own, and they don’t recommend testing for Ureaplasma, which many women carry without any problems. Read more in “The truth about Trichomoniasis: symptoms, testing and treatment”

Get urgent medical help if you have unusual discharge and:

• pain low in your tummy, or between your tummy and thighs
• heavy bleeding, or you’re pregnant and notice any bleeding

Call 999 if the pain is severe or getting worse, you have pain and heavy bleeding, you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you feel faint or very unwell. These can be signs of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), an infection of the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries that’s usually caused by STIs such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea.

Changes in discharge and unusual bleeding, such as bleeding after sex or between periods, can also be symptoms of cervical cancer. These symptoms are very common and can have many other causes, but they’re always worth getting checked.

It’s worth getting tested if your discharge has changed and:

• you’ve had sex with a new partner or without a condom
• a partner has symptoms or has been diagnosed with an STI
• you have other symptoms, such as pain when you pee or bleeding after sex

If there’s any chance you’ve caught an STI, a test is the only way to know. For women, UK guidelines recommend a vaginal swab for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Trichomonas. If you test within 2 weeks of sex, a negative result may need repeating.

Better2Know offers:

• Comfort Screen: a urine test for anyone with discomfort or unusual discharge. It tests for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Trichomonas, Gardnerella, Herpes 1, Herpes 2, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma, from 14 days after sex, with results in 2 days (3 days for the home test). You can book it at one of our clinics or order a Comfort Screen home test.
• Bacterial Vaginosis: a vaginal swab test for BV at our clinics, with results in 4 days.
• Platinum Screen: tests for 12 infections, including HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C as well as the 8 infections in the Comfort Screen, from 28 days after sex, with results in 3 days.

These tests don’t check for thrush. If you test before 45 days, a negative HIV result needs a repeat test. A Syphilis test in the first 3 months after sex can miss the infection, so you may need a repeat test. Not sure which test you need? Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Is it normal to have discharge every day?

Yes. Most women and girls have discharge, and the amount varies through the month. It’s only worth checking if it changes in smell, colour or texture, or comes with other symptoms such as itching or pain.

Does my partner need treatment for BV or thrush?

If your partner has a vagina, they may need treatment for BV too. UK guidelines don’t recommend treating male partners for BV, or treating male partners without symptoms for thrush.

Is more discharge in pregnancy normal?

Yes. You’ll usually have more discharge in pregnancy, and it should be thin, clear or milky white without an unpleasant smell. Tell your midwife if it smells unpleasant, turns green or yellow, or comes with itching, soreness or pain when you pee.

Vaginal discharge is normal, and it changes naturally through your cycle. A change in smell, colour or texture is worth getting checked, and the cause is often BV or thrush rather than an STI. If there’s a chance you’ve caught an STI, a test is the only way to know.

Book a Comfort Screen at a clinic near you or order a home test kit. Our Patient Care Team is available 24/7 on 020 7099 0955.

Not in the UK? Choose your country from the selector at the top of the page for local tests and prices.

This article originally appeared on 27 December 2019 and was last updated on 1 October 2026.

This article is general information and not a substitute for personal medical advice.

Sources

1. NHS, Vaginal discharge, reviewed 15 February 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/vaginal-discharge/
2. NHS, Periods and fertility in the menstrual cycle, reviewed 5 January 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/fertility-in-the-menstrual-cycle/
3. NHS, Vaginal dryness, reviewed 24 July 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/vaginal-dryness/
4. NHS, Vaginal discharge in pregnancy, reviewed 17 April 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/common-symptoms/vaginal-discharge/
5. NHS, Bacterial vaginosis, reviewed 19 June 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bacterial-vaginosis/
6. NHS, Thrush in men and women, reviewed 28 July 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/thrush-in-men-and-women/
7. NHS, Vaginitis, reviewed 27 February 2023. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaginitis/
8. NHS, Trichomoniasis, reviewed 16 July 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/trichomoniasis/
9. NHS, Chlamydia, reviewed 24 October 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chlamydia/
10. NHS, Gonorrhoea, reviewed 16 December 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gonorrhoea/
11. NHS, Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), reviewed 17 December 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pelvic-inflammatory-disease-pid/
12. NHS, Cervical cancer: symptoms, reviewed 4 September 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-cancer/symptoms/
13. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, UK national guideline for the management of bacterial vaginosis, 2012. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/bv_2012.pdf
14. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, National guideline for the management of vulvovaginal candidiasis, 2019. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/vvc_ijsa_pdf.pdf
15. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, National guideline for the management of infection with Mycoplasma genitalium, 2025. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/sonietal2025britishassociationofsexualhealthandhivnationalguidelineforthemanagementofinfectionwith.pdf
16. British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, Summary guidance on testing for sexually transmitted infections, 2023. https://www.bashh.org/_userfiles/pages/files/resources/bashh_summary_guidance_on_stis_testing_2023.pdf
17. Horner P et al., Should we be testing for urogenital Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma parvum and Ureaplasma urealyticum in men and women? A position statement from the European STI Guidelines Editorial Board, 2018. https://iusti.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/UrogenitalMycoplasmas.pdf