What is discharge?
So, you’ve got green discharge while pregnant or researching for someone who does? Well, you’ve come to the right place at Best For Mums as we have written an entire article exploring green discharge and pregnancy. Vaginal discharge is a normal occurrence for most women around the world. The purpose of discharge is to keep the vagina clean, moist and to help protect it (and you) from infection. Yes, it’s annoying and can sometimes lead to needing to constantly wash underwear but fear not, discharge is most definitely your friend…as long as..:
- Doesn’t have a strong or unpleasant/bad smell
- It’s clear/white/creamy
- It’s quite a thick/dense and sticky mucus
- It’s quite a slippery/wet material
With this in mind, it brings us to the topic of the post and the reason you’ve arrived on this website:
What does having green discharge while pregnant mean?
First and foremost the answer for this question is not straightforward, having green discharge may or may not mean a lot of things. What we should start off with is that green discharge as a symptom on its own with everything else being perfectly fine is probably normal and nothing at all to worry about. Heavier and ‘different’ discharge is also more common in later pregnancy so also consider that.
During your regular check ups with the midwife they will always check for any problems and they will spot anything that’s wrong. It’s also the perfect opportunity to bring it up there and then if you are still a little bit worried or if it’s carried on for longer than a couple of days.
However, you may still want to learn more or still have some concerns so let’s break it down to determine if it’s a problem by looking at:
- Does the green discharge have a strong or unpleasant smell?
- Is the green discharge particularly thick with a similar texture to muller rice?
If any of the above points above are true then we at Best For Mums implore you to contact your GP and/or Midwife as soon as is convenience. Normally green discharge is not serious during a pregnancy (or even when nor pregnant) but if your discharge is smelly or particularly thick then it is best practice to seek medical help.
Is green discharge an infection?
Occasionally, having green mucus discharge could be a sign of a vaginal infection, which can be unrelated to pregnancy other than the fact that you may be pregnant at the time.
Urinary tract infection
Greenish discharge can be a sign of an urinary tract infection (UTI), while normally this is nothing to worry about if you’re pregnant then an UTI should be dealt with swiftly. If you’ve got green discharge coming out of your vagina and you have pain when wee’ing, smelly wee, pain in your lower tummy (that’s different to your normal pregnancy discomfort) then you need to seek medical advice.
If you suspect you have an UTI and you also have:
- Pain your sides
- Pain in lower back
- High temperature
- Diarrhoea
Then you should seek urgent medical help as it could be a kidney issue.
However! If your issue is just a normal infection then your GP will prescribe you antibiotics which should clear the UTI and possibly the green discharge at the same time. Please remember, as we mentioned before green discharge can be a perfectly normal occurrence during pregnancy, especially later on. We aren’t trying to scare you only state the facts.
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted infection with symptoms that include yellow-green or lime green discharge. Usually, trichomoniasis presents itself around a month after infection. The significance of this infection while pregnant is that if left untreated can lead to premature birth and/or a low birth weight for the baby.
If you feel you may have this infection and you’re pregnant then you need to visit your GP and a sexual health clinic right away so that they can prescribe you antibiotics. Trichomoniasis is unlikely to treat itself so medical intervention is necessary to get rid of the infection and of course that nasty green discharge!
Group B strep
Green discharge is a symptom that can be caused by group B strep (Group B streptococcus). Group B strep is a very serious infection for a pregnant lady and along with the lime green discharge you may also have vaginal burning sensations. Strep is somewhat of a well known infection and as such is routinely tested for with your check ups. However, if you suspect you have strep and haven’t had a test in a while then we at Best For Mums implore you to seek medical attention at your next convenience.
Is green discharge a sign of miscarriage
We’ve been asked this question by a few worried mums and although the dreaded ‘M’ word is not one we like to talk about it’s still one that can’t be ignored. So, is green discharge a sign of miscarriage? Unfortunately, yes, green discharge can be a byproduct of a miscarriage. A miscarriage from any reason can lead to an infection (as we’ve mentioned above) which can then lead to green discharge which has a strong smell and very thick, almost unmistakable. We repeat, for the yellow-green discharge to be a sign of miscarriage it must almost certainly have a bad smell and be very thick, if you haven’t got either of those symptoms along with the discharge then please do not panic or worry!
If you have green discharge with a bad odour and it’s thick then please seek urgent medical attention as you could be suffering a septic miscarriage.
Green discharge – the low down
So, we’ve covered a lot of information here about green discharge and felt prudent to provide a summary. If your pregnant and you have green discharge and no other symptoms then the likelihood is that it’s normal and nothing to worry about, however if you’ve got green discharge and other symptoms while pregnant such as:
- Vaginal burning sensation
- Discharge has a bad odour
- Discharge is very thick
- Pain in the lower tummy or back
- Pain when urinating
- High temperature
- Diarrhoea
The we urge you to seek medical attention has soon as is convenient.
