The Meaning of Vaginal Odor During Pregnancy by emma
The Meaning of Vaginal Odor During Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings about many changes inside a women’s body. Each trimester brings new changes that can cause the environment in the vagina to become unbalanced. This can lead to abnormal discharge and feminine odor. While a minimal amount of odor is typical if it becomes strong then it may indicate a bigger issue such as infection. Knowing your body and what is normal is vital to know whether there is a problem or not.
During your pregnancy there are times when your discharge can be affected. At the beginning discharge is more abundant because of the hormonal changes and increased blood flow to the area. This discharge should be white and thin. It is how your body rids the vagina of toxins that could harm the baby. As your pregnancy goes farther your discharge will become increasingly thicker until just before delivery when you may experience a large surge of discharge that can have the consistency of jelly. This is what is called your mucus plug and is a sign that labor may occur with in the next week or two. It comes out when the cervix dilates and releases it. If it has blood in it or is pinkish instead of white then you may be going into labor with in a couple days.
Of course this is all normal discharge for a pregnancy; it becomes abnormal if it is accompanied by a fowl odor. This can be a sign of infection and a doctor should be consulted. Also it may change in consistency and color. If your regular discharge suddenly becomes the consistency of cottage cheese, has blood in it or is another color beside clear or white, there may be a problem. Also there may be severe itching, inflammation and pain. Once again if any of this occurs, whether there is an odor or not, you should call your doctor right away. All of these may be signs of infections. There are two infections that are common to pregnant women, yeast and bacterial.
Yeast infections are when the fungus that is naturally in your vagina grows uncontrollably. The hormonal changes that are occurring in your body can cause this. Also your discharge contains more sugars when you are pregnant and sugar is yeast’s favorite fuel. Yeast infections can cause your discharge to smell of yeast, look like cottage cheese and cause severe itching. Bacterial infections are when the pH levels inside the vagina are thrown off. Usually also by the hormonal changes. These infections can lead to the pungent, fishy smell in your discharge. Not only will it cause severe itching but burning and pain during urination and sex are quite common too.
Fortunately these infections and their treatments may not put your baby at risk but should still be treated immediately. You will treat a yeast infection just as you would if not pregnant with creams that kill fungus and/or suppositories. You can still use over the counter medications as well but should consult your doctor first. Bacterial infections can have more serious complications if allowed to go untreated including having the baby early and babies that are underweight. Although it too is easily treated by the same methods as when you are not pregnant which usually consists of the prescription of a high dose antibiotic and creams for the external problems.
About the Author
Hello there,
I am a amateur writer and this is an effort to do some serious writing on some of the issues which we women face in our day to day lives. If I talk about pregnancy, I will also talk about fashion, about relationships and about parties. Hope I will do justice to the readers by providing some sensible reading material.
Cheers