Yellow discharge before menstruation

Gynecological diseases are an unpleasant phenomenon for any woman, since they are fraught with multiple complications, including infertility. However, many of them do not make themselves felt until a certain point; obvious symptoms arise when the disease is far from at the initial stage of development. However, gynecologists often assess the patient’s health status, focusing on the menstrual cycle, its regularity, and the woman’s condition during menstruation. One of the indicators of the state of the reproductive system is vaginal discharge before menstruation, during this period and after it.

According to gynecologists, discharge during menstruation should be regular, constant intensity, and there should be no bleeding before the onset of menstruation.

What is yellow discharge?

Discharge before menstruation is not uncommon. Clear fluid sometimes protrudes from the vagina, sometimes on an unnoticeable scale, and sometimes in very significant quantities. Closer to the second phase of the menstrual cycle, the discharge thickens and may change in color and volume. If thick yellow discharge appears 3 days before your period, then it is normal. They can go 1 day and one week before menstruation.

Discharge immediately before the start of a new cycle can be considered normal only if it is not accompanied by pain symptoms and no other side effects are observed. If the mucus has a slight odor, then this is also considered normal.

An increase in the intensity of vaginal discharge before menstruation is normal, as is its yellow tint..

The second phase of the cycle - secretion features

To understand whether discharge can inform a woman about the onset of an “interesting situation” long before the delay, one should understand what discharge in the second half of the menstrual cycle should be like. A representative of the fair sex can conceive a child not on any day of the cycle, but only during the period of ovulation. Only after the release of a mature egg from the vesicle-follicle on the surface of the gonad (right or left ovary), the necessary conditions for possible fertilization are met.

The process of follicle maturation, its rupture and the subsequent second half of the cycle after ovulation are directly dependent on hormonal levels and are controlled precisely by hormones. Changes in hormonal levels characteristic of one or another phase of the cycle immediately affect the state of vaginal and cervical secretion. And it is on the cyclical nature of these changes that the Billings method is based - a method of planning conception and contraception based on the nature of vaginal discharge.

Before ovulation occurs, the nature of a woman’s discharge changes, indicating that the period most favorable for procreation is approaching. The concentration of estrogen in the blood increases, and a day before ovulation there is a sharp rise in the LH hormone.

During this period, discharge with such a hormonal background is mucous, transparent, abundant, and its quantity is almost twice as high as the amount of discharge in the first half of the cycle. If you stretch the discharge between your fingers, it stretches like raw chicken protein. Cervical mucus is secreted in an enhanced manner to facilitate the passage of sperm through the genital tract. Its alkaline environment reduces the acidity of the aggressive vaginal environment, and this increases the survival of male germ cells. This is how nature itself ensures that the chances of conception are increased.

The female reproductive cell cannot exist for long. Its viability is limited to 24-36 hours. It is during this period of time that conception can occur, but then it is impossible. After the follicle ruptures, a corpus luteum begins to form in its place. This temporary secretory gland produces progesterone necessary for the second half of the cycle. And under its influence, already the next day after ovulation, the discharge changes, becomes thicker, its quantity decreases, the color changes to white, milky, yellowish. All of these are normal options for the luteal phase.

Normally, vaginal discharge is odorless or has a faint sour-milk odor, and there are no additional unpleasant sensations in the perineum. In a normal cycle, when there is no pregnancy, the corpus luteum regresses 10-12 days after ovulation, the concentration of progesterone in the blood decreases, and estrogen increases. After a couple of days, menstruation begins. It is preceded by a slight (reasonable) increase in the amount of discharge, its moderate dilution, and then menstruation begins.

It is almost impossible to determine pregnancy in the early stages before a missed period only by secretions, because the nature of secretion at this time, as we have found out, is influenced by progesterone. And the discharge for at least 7-10 days after ovulation will not be different in women who have and have not conceived a baby. But then, after a week, there may be some “tips” and “hints” from the body, which, if desired and attentive to one’s health, are quite possible to notice.

During the first 3 days after conception, the egg, which has become a zygote, slowly moves along the fallopian tube, pushed by the villi of the inner layer of the fallopian tube. On the fourth day, it enters the uterus, but even there it remains in a state of free swimming for 1-2 days. The endometrium enlarges, becomes looser and thicker under the influence of progesterone, and usually on the 7th day after ovulation (but it is possible that a little earlier or a little later) implantation of the embryo occurs.

First, the fertilized egg adheres to the wall of the uterus, and then the gradual process of its immersion begins deeper into the endometrial layer. The villi of the outer layer produce special enzymes that dissolve endometrial cells, which allows the embryo to sink deeper. This lasts about 40 hours. Implantation ends with the chorionic villi intertwining with the small blood vessels of the mother’s body. The baby begins to receive nutrients from the mother’s blood, and a special hormone, hCG, begins to enter the woman’s blood. Its amount increases approximately 2 times every 2 days.

In a “non-pregnant” cycle, a week after ovulation, the concentration of progesterone begins to decrease. This happens gradually, smoothly. And when pregnancy occurs, the level of this hormone remains stably high and gradually increases.

Before the delay, the discharge may be white, lemon, or milky in color, but it is not abundant or liquid. Watery discharge occurs only in the first couple of days after ovulation, and this is due to the process of liquefaction of sperm that enters the genital tract during sexual intercourse. Then secretion becomes scarce.

A little later, closer to the delay, a dense mucus plug is formed in the cervical canal under the influence of progesterone, clogging the canal connecting the vagina and the uterine cavity. This measure is protective. The plug prevents viruses, bacteria, fungi and anything that can harm the small organism from entering the uterine cavity, where the child develops.

2-3 days before the next menstruation, if pregnancy has occurred, the discharge does not increase quantitatively and almost does not change its character, as is usually the case. And, naturally, the next menstrual bleeding does not occur under the action of progesterone.

Sign of pregnancy

The opinion has long been established that yellow discharge before menstruation is a sign of pregnancy. In fact, this is true, although we are talking about one of the signs, which does not mean 100% pregnancy. Quite often, pregnant women have a yellow secretion a week before their expected menstruation. During this period, the discharge is usually thick.

The hormonal changes in the female body due to conception are to blame. The amount of progesterone and estrogen changes once again, but this time dramatically. However, you should not be happy or upset about this, because unprotected sexual intercourse also affects the color of the discharge.

If you do not use condoms, the sperm will enter the vagina, where it will begin to interact with the local environment. This can lead to the appearance of yellowish discharge, regardless of whether conception occurs or not. However, such discharge ends very quickly, and in the case of pregnancy it lasts longer. Although you always need to take into account the individual characteristics of the body.

Even using an internal coil can cause yellow discharge.

Thick yellow vaginal discharge

Thick, yellow, odorless vaginal discharge can also be a sign of menstruation, but sometimes it indicates pregnancy. A yellow tint indicates the presence of new or old blood in the mucus. The yellow color can also result from implantation bleeding in the very early stages of pregnancy. Therefore, in such situations, a woman should take a pregnancy test, especially if she has not had her period.

In fact, many women are unaware that bleeding occurs during implantation, which often appears as small spots rather than full-blown bleeding.

Other signs of early pregnancy include the following:

fatigue;
changes in appetite, which can include both aversion to food and strong cravings;
nausea;
slight dizziness;
constipation;
bloating;
abdominal cramps;
mood swings.

Non-pathological reasons

There are several reasons not related to illness in the body that may cause yellow discharge before menstruation:

pregnancy. We wrote about it in detail above;
getting sperm into the vagina or using a uterine device;
yellow discharge in women before menstruation may occur due to the influence of some allergen. Perhaps it is an allergy to new underwear, condoms, intimate hygiene products and everything else that comes into contact with the genitals;
the use of drugs that lead to hormonal imbalance. This also includes birth control pills;
severe stress also sometimes leads to the appearance of yellow secretion;
Recently there was an artificial termination of pregnancy.

Usually there is no talk of pathology if the liquid does not have an unpleasant odor and its color is yellow or light yellow.

If white discharge gets on your panties, over time they will turn yellow due to the proliferation of various microorganisms. Do not ignore the basic rules of intimate hygiene.

In addition to safe reasons, there are also dangerous situations that require consultation with a gynecologist.

Special situations

There are specific signs that can usually occur very early in pregnancy. But it should immediately be noted that they are not characteristic of everyone and not always. These first of all include the discharge that sometimes accompanies the period of implantation of the fertilized egg.

There is a reasonable explanation for this phenomenon, but it is not very clear why this happens for some women and not for others. According to statistics, about 32% of women report some changes in discharge during the implantation period. When the fertilized egg immerses, the small blood vessels of the endometrium are destroyed, and therefore the blood that comes out of them may well come out through natural routes - through the vagina. Implantation bleeding is pink, brown spotting that appears for no apparent reason approximately 7-9 days after ovulation.

These discharges are not always noticed by a woman, since their amount is insignificant - no more than 5 ml. Such discharge may be ordinary - white or yellow, and only upon careful examination will it be possible to detect small inclusions of blood streaks in it.

Those who see such discharge often think that there has been a menstrual irregularity, and that their period simply came a week earlier. And they are quite surprised that after just a day there is no trace left of the discharge. The discharge does not increase in intensity, does not contain blood clots, and is not represented by pure scarlet blood.

Implantation secretion is not dangerous for either the woman or the baby, it cannot harm pregnancy in its first days, does not increase the likelihood of pathologies or complications, and does not indicate the threat of miscarriage. It’s simple—either it exists or it doesn’t. Additionally, during the implantation period, a woman may experience slight dizziness, the taste of a metal coin in her mouth, a slight increase in body temperature to 37 degrees or slightly higher, fatigue and a desire to do nothing.

Thrush

Many ladies who managed to conceive a child in the current cycle, according to reviews, claim that they developed thrush after ovulation. Vaginal candidiasis should not be considered a sign of pregnancy. Rather, it is a sign of decreased immunity. This is another of the wide range of actions of the hormone progesterone. If a woman has previously been treated at least once for infection with Candida fungi, then with a high level of progesterone and an associated decrease in immune defense, thrush simply manifests itself.

Vaginal secretion becomes white, thick, has a curd-like character and a yeasty smell, all this occurs against the background of severe itching in the area of the external genitalia. Thrush can appear both during the beginning of pregnancy and against the background of its absence, and therefore it cannot be considered even an approximately significant sign of an “interesting situation”.

If bleeding appears before implantation should occur, then you should think about a comprehensive examination by a gynecologist - the reason may lie in tumors, neoplasms, endocrine disorders, as well as diseases of the hematopoietic system. The appearance of blood smear after 10 days from the release of the oocyte is a sign of progesterone deficiency. If implantation went through problems, or a woman’s fertilized egg is implanted not in the uterus, but in the tube (ectopic pregnancy), spotting may appear before the delay, or maybe after.

The reason for the reduced amount of progesterone may be abnormalities of the corpus luteum or too thin endometrium, but in any case, the pregnancy is in danger of being terminated. Immediately after the fact of the “interesting situation” is confirmed by the test, you should consult a doctor, donate blood for hCG, progesterone, and do an ultrasound. After this, a decision will be made on further actions. It is impossible to determine the cause on your own.

The discharge is watery, foamy with particles of “suspension”, with an unpleasant odor, greenish or gray, brown or orange cannot be considered normal in any case. This may be a sign of infection, inflammation, or pathologies of the reproductive system. You should immediately consult a doctor, since such secretion is in no way related to the “interesting situation”.

Pathological causes

Often, some kind of pathology is indicated by an unpleasant odor, as well as pain that accompanies yellow discharge.

Sexually transmitted diseases (chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, etc.). Depending on the specific disease, there will be different symptoms. The main cause for concern is a strong, unpleasant odor. Most often, the disease is accompanied by itching and the release of pus.
Cervical erosion may be accompanied by yellow discharge before menstruation. Associated symptoms include irregular cycles and pain during urination. The discharge can be not only yellow (festering has begun due to infection), but also brown.
Inflammation of the vaginal mucosa is accompanied by a burning sensation in the intimate area, an unpleasant odor and pain in the abdominal area. In this case, the mucus comes out thick. If the disease was advanced, then yellow daub will appear regularly.
Inflammation of the fallopian tubes. Associated symptoms are burning and swelling in the intimate area, unpleasant odor, temperature, general weakness and body pain.

There are a large number of different diseases (adnexitis, colpitis, trichomoniasis, etc.) that can provoke an unusual color of discharge. There are a huge number of the same sexually transmitted diseases. If alarming symptoms appear, you need to contact a gynecologist and have a smear test . Yellow-green discharge before menstruation is also an alarming sign. A greenish tint indicates problems that cannot be solved without a gynecologist.

When you need a doctor's help

Seek help from a doctor if yellow discharge before menstruation and subsequent menstruation are accompanied by:

nagging or sharp pain in the lower abdomen;

If itching is present, this is an alarming symptom

itching and burning in the vaginal area, vulva;
unpleasant smell.

The fact is that bleeding, to one degree or another, is accompanied by uterine fibroids, polyps and malignant neoplasms, and inflammation of the endometrium.

When you urgently need a doctor

It is difficult to try to guess what disease led to yellow discharge in the last days of the cycle. Perhaps this is not a disease at all. How do you know if you need to see a doctor, and in what situations is it urgent?

With a high degree of probability, the body is in perfect order and examination by a gynecologist is not required if:

discharge appeared 1-7 days before menstruation;
there is no burning or other pain symptoms;
a shade of yellow without any admixture of other colors. Sometimes drops of blood may be added, making the color closer to burgundy;
the smell is absent or weak;
there is no failure in the cycle.

If yellowish discharge before menstruation is accompanied by a bad odor, pain, itching or weakness, then this is a reason to think about a doctor. Pain during intimacy or going to the toilet may be a sign of a genitourinary infection, which requires the intervention of a gynecologist.

A change in shade from yellow to another may indicate a bacterial infection or erosion of the cervix, as a result of which blood began to be added to the discharge and change its color.

Yellow discharge is not a reason to urgently call an ambulance. Whatever the reason for this reaction of the body, the problem does not require an immediate solution. So you can safely make an appointment with a gynecologist on your next free day.

Yellowish mucus after menstruation

Yellow, odorless discharge after menstruation means almost nothing. They can arise both as a result of pathology and normally. It is necessary to take into account such a symptom as burning or itching. This is usually a symptom of a genital infection. If there are no unpleasant sensations, then the woman’s health is fine. But to make sure of this, you need to consult a gynecologist.

Yellow, odorless discharge in women after menstruation is not a cause for concern. But if the latter is present, we can talk about pathology. We list the main clues that remind you of the development of diseases:

sour smell and cheesy consistency are signs of thrush;
a putrid odor occurs with trichomoniasis;
the smell of pus is a symptom of cervicitis;
bacterial vaginitis is characterized by the smell of rotting fish;
Gonorrhea and chlamydia are accompanied by a strong unpleasant odor

Even if a woman is sure that she knows her diagnosis accurately, she needs to go to a gynecologist.

What you can do on your own

You can’t sit idly by if you have yellow discharge before your period. There is a certain algorithm of actions that any girl in this situation can use.

In the first phase of the menstrual cycle, yellow discharge is a signal to consult a doctor.
If the second phase of the menstrual cycle occurs without dangerous symptoms, then you just need to wait for the start of menstruation.
At this time, you can think about your sex life in recent months. Perhaps the incubation period of a sexually transmitted disease has just ended. We also check for itching and pain when urinating.
If dangerous symptoms are present, you should make an appointment with a gynecologist.
If there is a delay, pregnancy should be considered. If you experience other symptoms of pregnancy, it is worth taking a test.
If the situation occurs again, you should think about a possible allergic reaction or hygiene problems. Underwear and gel are changed, and the washing procedure is performed regularly.

You can solve the problem yourself only if it is an allergic reaction.