Is it normal to have a lot of discharge and sweat in your underwear?

Yes, having both discharge and sweat in your underwear is completely normal during puberty. Your body starts producing more sweat all over, and your vagina makes fluid to keep itself healthy and clean.

Why it happens

Puberty kicks your sweat glands and your hormones into high gear at the exact same time. The area around your groin has lots of sweat glands, so walking around, sports, or just sitting in class can make it feel damp down there. At the same time, your cervix and vagina naturally make fluid made of cells and healthy bacteria to sweep out old cells and protect against germs. That fluid is vaginal discharge, and it's totally healthy.

How to feel comfortable

To keep things feeling fresh without upsetting your skin, a few simple daily habits help a lot:

• Wear breathable cotton underwear and avoid super tight clothes that trap moisture.
• Wash the outside gently once a day, never inside, with no soap, shower gel, perfumed products, bubble bath or douches (a grown-up can help pick something gentle to wash with).
• Change your underwear if it feels damp after PE or sports.
• You can use a thin, unperfumed panty liner if you want to protect your clothes, but make sure to change it during the day.

When to tell a grown-up

Clear, white or off-white discharge is normal in puberty and can start some months before a first period, and it can look a bit yellow once it dries on your underwear. Tell a grown-up if it comes out a different colour (like deep yellow, green or grey), smells strong or bad, changes texture, suddenly gets much heavier, or comes with itching, soreness, pain when peeing or tummy pain.