Women always take care of themselves from head to toe, and one of the parts of the body that they give the most attention and care to is their vagina, because any slight change in it could be indicating that something is wrong; and to prevent and anticipate they attend to vaginal discharge, which is normal to a certain extent, but when it begins to change in color, smell and texture it is because the woman could be presenting an infection, or perhaps she is pregnant and does not know it.
If you are one of these women who takes care of her entire body, because her well-being and health comes first , you should pay attention to the variations that occur in your vaginal discharge , because it is the only way to know that everything is going well within you. If you do not know what are the symptoms and the changes that your vaginal discharge presents to alert you then I invite you to continue reading this article as I will tell you about pink vaginal discharge.
If you are worried because you are presenting a pink discharge in your vagina and you do not know the cause, take it easy , it can be due to many reasons that are not a cause for concern, and to be calm it is better to inform yourself of all these causes and the consequences of having this pink discharge.
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Index
What is pink discharge?
To know what pink discharge is, you must first know what vaginal discharge is, because the normal thing is that the discharge is transparent or of a pale color, and when it turns a different color it is for some reason that is considered out of the ordinary but it is not always indicative of a sexually transmitted infection.
That said, then the vaginal discharge is a semi-thick liquid, which is naturally produced by the glands that are located in the internal part of the vagina and cervix; This vaginal discharge helps keep that area lubricated and clean to protect it from infection and bacteria.
Its color and appearance is as I already mentioned, it must be transparent, or white and somewhat sticky, however this tone and consistency may vary from month to month, since one of the reasons why the appearance of the discharge varies is ovulation. , and also menstruation; This is why you will notice some minimal change in both the color and the texture.
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When the smell also changes this is a sign that you have an infection so you should be aware of the smell; This is a significant change that you cannot miss waiting for it to be removed by itself, as soon as you feel that your smell is similar to that of fish, you should go to the doctor quickly.
So what is pink discharge? This is the same vaginal fluid that I just described to you; When you notice when cleaning this intimate area, or you see that you have a little pink discharge in your underwear, it may be something completely normal, depending on when the discharge of the pink discharge occurred.
Because it could be after you had sexual intercourse , or it could be that you are ovulating , ending your menstruation or you are pregnant ; It can also be due to an abortion or ectopic pregnancy , in short, there are multiple causes of pink discharge and I want to talk to you about them below.
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Why is the discharge pink?
Vaginal discharge turns pink when there is a small presence of blood in the normal discharge of your discharge, these can appear discreetly on your intimate daily towel, or in your underwear and the reasons why a few drops of blood combine with the flow to turn pink are many.
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Symptoms of pink discharge
The symptoms that occur along with the presence of pink discharge will be different for each woman and will depend on what is causing it, because if it is due to some sexually transmitted infections you may have redness on your vulva, inflammation, burning, itching, discomfort when having sex.
But if it is a pink vaginal discharge due to ovulation or the end of the menstrual period, this pink discharge will not present any other symptoms, as well as if it is a pink discharge due to implantation of the embryo.
An alert symptom that can accompany the pink discharge is the bad smell, I mentioned it to you at the beginning and I reiterate it; When a change occurs in your vaginal discharge and the bad smell predominates then you may be suffering from a sexually transmitted infection that you should attend to as soon as possible.
If you are a woman aged 45 or over and have pink discharge away from the menstrual cycle, at any time in your life, it could be an indication of advanced cervical or endometrial cancer ; To prevent this disease it is good that you check yourself regularly annually.
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Causes and consequences of pink discharge
When you have a change in the color tone of your vaginal discharge, in this case that I’m talking about, pink discharge, you will notice it quickly and generally they create an alert and endless questions: is pink discharge normal? What is causing it? What are the consequences of this pink discharge? I’ll give you the answers right away:
The pink discharge may be being caused by hormones , a sign that menstruation is near, or when you are ovulating. Another cause could be that you are pregnant .
When the vaginal discharge is because you are pregnant it is due to implantation bleeding , the blood travels through the cervix and ends up mixing with the discharges of your normal discharge. But when the cause is due to sexually transmitted infections, whether in the vulva, the cervix, or in the uterus, they will cause the pinkish coloration in your usual discharge.
Other causes of vaginal discharge are due to postpartum , if you have just given birth due to the amount of tissues that come off the walls of the uterus you will have a few days postpartum bleeding, and then a pink discharge but I will talk about this topic later.
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Contraceptives such as implants and pills can cause slight bleeding because hormones interrupt the natural cycle and ends up causing your blood flow to stain and look pink in your underwear. Just as birth control is a cause, so are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, and some antibiotics .
Another cause of pink discharge is that you may have cysts on your ovaries , a ruptured cyst will cause pink discharge. An ectopic pregnancy will also do it, because the ovum is installed outside the uterine cavity and this cause must be urgently attended by the doctor.
The consequences of pink discharge will depend on the pathology you are presenting , for example if it is due to an ectopic pregnancy your life could be in danger of death, or if it is due to sexually transmitted infections, not treating the infection in time could cause cancer .
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Fertility and infertility
Infertility is not caused directly by pink vaginal discharge, but it has a lot of influence due to the pH, this is the balance that exists within the vagina between acidity and alkalinity that remains between a self-regulating value, 3.8 and 4.5 for almost your entire menstrual cycle.
When you are ovulating, the acidic pH of the vagina increases its range from 7 to 14, it becomes more alkaline so that the sperm can survive 72 hours inside the vagina and conception is achieved, but when the pH is too acidic or too alkaline then sperm will not be able to survive and conceiving will not be an easy task.
Pink vaginal discharge is an indication that something is not normal, so it could be that your pH is too acidic and the vaginal flora is fighting an infection such as vaginosis or candidiasis or some pelvic inflammatory disease.
So that your fertility is not affected you must have a normal vaginal discharge, which during ovulation changes its appearance only a little but I want to delve into this later.
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Is it normal to have pink discharge? Why?
It is normal that as a woman you experience multiple changes in your vaginal discharge, from clear or white, pink or brown, to yellow or green, and each change in the color means something you should attend to but it is difficult to know when it is normal and when it is. matter of concern.
In the case of pink discharge, it can be said that it is normal as long as it occurs in the following stages: when you are ovulating, if you are pregnant or if your period has just ended. In these three reasons, the pink discharge is considered normal, although not all women present it in one of these stages.
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Pink discharge during pregnancy, why? How does it affect?
I have been mentioning to you that pink discharge during pregnancy is perfectly normal in the first weeks , but knowing if you have to worry when your pregnancy is advanced is what I want to talk to you about.
However, pink discharge secretions may be an urgent reason to visit the gynecologist if you are pregnant or if you suspect it, because it could be a warning of miscarriage and even more so if this pink discharge is accompanied by abdominal pain or cramps.
During pregnancy, you can also have pink discharge after intercourse because the vessels of the cervix are weak and can easily rupture causing minimal bleeding, enough to make normal discharge pink.
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First term
The main cause of pink discharge at the beginning of pregnancy is due to the implantation of the embryo, this occurs when the fertilized egg implants in the uterus , and the slight bleeding that this causes mixes with your intravaginal mucus, and therefore you will have a pink vaginal discharge around the fifth week of pregnancy.
In this first trimester you may not even know that you are pregnant and that is why your rhythm in sexual intercourse does not decrease and you do not limit your movements during the act, and as a consequence you will have a small hemorrhage that will paint your vaginal discharge and you will realize At the end of intercourse, this small hemorrhage is due to the fact that during pregnancy the cervix multiplies the blood vessels for the extra supply of blood and hormones and they are very sensitive and weak so they will break during sexual intercourse.
During the first trimester you should also be attentive to the presence of this pink discharge because 20% of women suffer a miscarriage and if along with the pink discharge you present pain in the lower abdomen then you should go quickly to the emergency room.
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Second trimester
At this stage of your beautiful pregnancy, you really shouldn’t have or present pink discharge until the beginning and end of the third trimester. If this happens before then you should contact your doctor to tell you why.
By the time you are six months old, your body begins to prepare for what labor will be like because in a week you will be in the third and last trimester where you will finally meet your baby and you will also have a pink vaginal discharge in month nine, let’s talk about that.
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Third trimester
In this trimester I cannot tell you exactly when, but you are going to expel a mucous plug which is composed of the secretions accumulated in the cervix, first you will notice the pink discharge and then you will see the plug possibly stained with blood.
This plug began to form from the fifth week of your pregnancy to prevent bacteria from entering your uterus . By the time of delivery you will expel it but it is not a reliable indication since you can expel it today and your delivery may be the following week.
If you expel it then call your doctor immediately because just as you can give birth the following week after you expel it, you could be in labor in a couple of hours and even more if you are already in the ninth month.
But if you are in the seventh or eighth month, and in addition to having pink vaginal discharge, symptoms of cramps and back pain accompany it, then immediately call the emergency room because your baby wants to be born before his nine months.
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During and after breastfeeding
If you finally have your little offspring in your arms, feeding him is a beautiful ritual that you must fulfill at the right time. Not all women are able to breastfeed their babies and opt for formulas.
If you are a mom who fortunately manages to feed your baby with your breasts then you may have a pink discharge already when your menstrual cycle is resuming .
You can be giving breast milk to your baby, that is, even during lactation and after this you may have a pink discharge, which indicates that you have already begun to ovulate because your hormonal levels are returning to normal.
If you have sex and you start to believe your grandmother who tells you that while you are breastfeeding there are no risks of getting pregnant, you should know that the grandmother, who surely has five children or more, is wrong. Just by witnessing this pink discharge you are already ovulating and your menstruation does not take long to return to normal so you can remain in a state if you do not use protection.
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Does pink discharge occur after delivery? Why?
The pink discharge once you give birth is due to the expulsion of the lining of the uterus that is known as lochia and it happens from the stage known as the puerperium so that the uterus returns to its normality.
Then you will produce pink vaginal discharge, because in the time that is commonly known as quarantine you will expel vaginal fluid composed of mucosa and membranes of the uterus, cervix and vagina, and also composed of leukocytes.
You will last about 15 days expelling these lochia, although the amount and duration may vary in each woman and there are some factors that can influence the increase of this fluid, such as: multiple pregnancy or if you have already had a baby before; Another factor could be macrosomic babies or if your amniotic fluid was abundant during pregnancy ; for these reasons the pink discharge may last a little longer.
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Ovulation and pink discharge, what happens?
A couple of weeks before your menstrual period begins, you can find a pink discharge in your underwear, this is part of the natural ovulation process and is normal because the release of the ovule occurs and it moves from the ruptured follicle, through the tubes of Fallopian to uterus; and it is very likely that there will be a very slight bleeding, enough to make your normal discharge a pinkish discharge.
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Pink discharge after intercourse, why?
When you have sexual intercourse, your vagina secretes an auxiliary amount of lubrication, this is semi-fluid and light or transparent in color and after intercourse they mix with your partner’s fluids and turn white. But when you notice that it is pink, it is because there is a small amount of blood in your discharge that mixes and changes color.
This small amount of blood could be due to a minor cervical trauma, which occurs during intercourse, depending on the intensity of the sexual act, it can damage some blood vessels of the cervix and this is the reason why you will have a pink discharge after sexual intercourse. .
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Before and after menstruation the pink discharge, why?
Before your menstruation there is light bleeding, it is like a warning before the discharge of blood as such and it is something normal, just like at the end of your period, because your vaginal discharge is returning to normal when you finish menstruating but You still have traces of blood that mix with the discharge and make it appear pink.
If you are waiting for your menstruation to drop and you have this pink discharge but without a subsequent discharge of blood, then you may be pregnant and the discharge of this color is due to implantation bleeding that I told you about earlier; Another cause between your menstrual cycle of this pink discharge could be a strong infection so if other symptoms such as burning or itching accompany it, go to your gynecologist as soon as possible.
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Pink discharge in babies and girls, is it normal? Why?
It is normal for some babies and all girls to have pink discharge, first I will explain about the pink discharge in babies: when they are born they may have a white , transparent or pink discharge due to the maternal hormones that passed to your baby during pregnancy It is called physiological leucorrhea but you do not have to worry because it will disappear in a few days.
However, while your baby has it, do not try to remove it completely, because if this is the case, you would be eliminating a protection against bacteria that approach it, just clean a little because leaving everything can also cause infection due to lack of hygiene.
As for girls, vaginal discharge will appear at a certain stage of their life, it usually happens around ten years of age due to puberty , in this case the discharge must be transparent or whitish, and is produced by the female hormones known as estrogens and will last through adolescence and adulthood.
So pink, white or transparent vaginal discharge is considered normal when your baby is born and also when he enters puberty, outside of those moments it cannot be considered normal, and even less if the discharge is brown, yellow or green, and has an unpleasant odor. Just as you take care of yourself, it is important that you take care of your daughter’s changes, she may not know what is happening to her and she may not participate in it.
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Pink discharge pathologies
When something is happening inside you, generally vaginal infections you will notice it in the change of your discharge, it can be yellow or green, you can also present a pink discharge as a symptom of a disease or sexually transmitted infection and I will talk about these pathologies below :
Transparent
If the flow that you are presenting is transparent but with a pink thread it can be normal, because it is indicative of ovulation or that menstruation is approaching , if it is a flow free of bad odors then you have nothing to worry about because the flow It is necessary to keep your intimate area clean and free of bacteria.
Smelling and odorless
As I mentioned, if your discharge does not present any unpleasant odor then there is nothing to be alarmed about; However, if you are presenting a pink discharge accompanied by a bad smell, itching and burning both when urinating and having intercourse, you may be suffering from a sexually transmitted infection.
A pinkish discharge with an odor may be a sign of cervical erosion ; and this can be confirmed by your doctor through a colposcopy; It could also be cervical cancer , especially if you are already over 45 years old. This pink discharge can also be due to hormonal imbalances, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and other pathologies related to the endocrine and reproductive system.
When you have pink discharge there are other pathologies that you can present, such as diseases associated with other organs: rectovaginal or vesicovaginal, liver diseases. Also an ectopic pregnancy produces pink vaginal discharge.
Lumpy
When the pink discharge is of a lumpy consistency then the problem is serious and it is better that you treat it in time, because you could have a fungal infection , caused by the abundant growth of yeast is known as vaginal yeast infection which generally has burning symptoms Itching and swelling in the vulva and its appearance is like cottage cheese but when it is pink, the vaginal mucosa may be very irritated and for this reason it produces a slight bleeding .
Others
Pink discharge can also be a symptom of other sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, cervicitis, gonorrhea, vaginosis, among other sexually transmitted infections that, in addition to a significant change in vaginal discharge, are also accompanied by other symptoms.
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Can men have pink discharge?
The discharge of pink discharge is only normal in women , men cannot have pink discharge, however when they have gonorrhea it can expel pus through the urethra but it has nothing to do with this vaginal discharge that I have told you about throughout the article. .
Although a woman’s vaginal discharge is a mechanism to keep the vulva clean and lubricated, the presence of any liquid in a man’s penis is due to a symptom of a sexually transmitted infection that may be accompanied by discomfort to the urinating and swelling in the testicles.
Menopause and pink discharge
When you are near menopause you will go through many changes in your body, hormonal fluctuations are the reason ; and this will lead to a vaginal discharge that can be pink and it is an uncomfortable change because the amount increases but it is normal.
The discharge of discharge occurs for multiple reasons, as I have already told you, during ovulation to give the sperm a conducive environment for three days, also a product of sexual arousal to lubricate the genital area or before and after menstruation.
This same flow during menopause is affected by the hormonal change that you will begin to have, as well as your menstrual cycles will be altered, so will the vaginal discharge and you must be very attentive because at this stage of your life you may be more prone to get a vaginal infection.
Pink discharge after an abortion
After you have an abortion, there may be residues of the tissue of your belly and your body will discard them through bleeding as if it were menstruation, for when there are few of these remains, your normal flow will begin to be secreted but it will come out pinkish color to then turn white or transparent.
Is there a relationship between pink discharge and urinary infection?
When you have a urinary infection, the first symptoms you will notice is pain when urinating, it is also accompanied by burning or burning , and a feeling of urge to urinate that never goes away even if you have urination.
It can be cystitis, which could irritate you so much that it could cause bleeding, this will mix with the flow but not internally but when both liquids are in your underwear and for this you will notice that your discharge is pink when you have an infection urinary.
When the urinary infection has its origin in the kidneys, you will present the same symptoms but in addition to them you will have a fever. The relationship between pink discharge and UTI is only because the irritation occurs in the vulva and the bleeding mixes with the discharge and becomes stained.
Treatments and home remedies for pink discharge
There are some home remedies that control vaginal discharge a little, such as natural yogurt, it is excellent for fighting fungi and bacteria that cause your discharge to be pink. How should you take it?
You can have half a glass of natural yogurt daily , no matter the time, be it in the morning or afternoon, on an empty stomach or after breakfast; The important thing is that you include natural yogurt in your daily diet so you can see that your pink discharge will decrease and return to its normal appearance.
Another way to use yogurt is to apply it directly to your vaginal area about three times a day, with a cotton ball spread around the vulva and let it act for ten minutes, the fungal infection will disappear after a few months.
To avoid some infections that produce a change in your flow, such as making it abundant and also pink, then you should follow the following tips: use cotton underwear, use neutral toilet paper, that is, without odors to dry yourself, avoid using showers vaginal, and always keep your vaginal area clean and free of moisture.
Reader resources other types of flows
Types of Flow WITHOUT pregnancy
- Gelatinous Flow: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Sticky Flow: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Greenish Flow: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Yellow Flow: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- White Flow: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Transparent Flow: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Brown discharge: causes, consequences, symptoms and cases
Types of discharge WITH pregnancy
- Brown discharge in pregnancy: causes, consequences, symptoms and cases
- Transparent flow in pregnancy: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Yellow discharge during pregnancy: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Pink discharge in pregnancy: causes, consequences, symptoms and cases
- White discharge in pregnancy: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
- Green discharge in pregnancy: Causes, Consequences, Symptoms and Cases
Kathie Sand always saw the world of beauty as the terrain on which to build her professional career, a goal that was clear to her when she was only 15 years old. Her great concern to expand knowledge led her to settle in Paris where she studied hand in hand with the best beauty professionals and with the most advanced techniques for skin care.