Discharge in Puberty: What Is Normal and What a Change Means

Discharge is normal: it is the clear or white fluid that comes from the vagina, and it is a normal part of puberty. It can be thick and sticky or slippery and wet, and what is worth paying attention to is not having discharge but a change in it, like a new color, a strong smell or itching.

This guide covers what discharge is, what normal looks like, what brown or pink means, and which changes are worth mentioning. Below it are the questions readers have asked about discharge, each with its answer.

What discharge is and why it starts

Discharge is fluid made inside the vagina. It keeps the vagina moist and healthy, and it is part of how the vagina keeps itself clean. It is not dirt, and having it does not mean you are doing anything wrong.

It starts because hormone levels change in puberty. The body may start making discharge some months before a first period, so finding a mark in your underwear for the first time is a normal sign that your body is changing. It is not a countdown, though: discharge cannot tell you when your period will come.

What normal discharge looks like

The NHS, the UK's health service, describes normal discharge as:

• Clear or white.
• Thick and sticky, or slippery and wet. It is normal for it to switch between the two on different days, because hormone levels shift across the month.
• Without a strong or unpleasant smell.

Two things often surprise people. Clear or white discharge often dries to a pale yellowish mark on underwear, which is normal. And the amount differs from person to person and from day to day, so having more on some days is ordinary. There is more on the different textures in this guide to identifying discharge, and on discharge that looks lumpy in this roundup of readers' questions.

Brown or pink: usually a little blood

Brown discharge is usually a small amount of older blood. Iron in blood reacts with air, so blood that leaves the body slowly turns brown or rust colored. Flow is slowest at the very start and the very end of a period, which is why brown shows up most on those days.

Pink usually means a little blood mixed with clear or white discharge, and it tends to appear on very light days.

If you have not had a first period yet, a brownish stain may be one starting. The NHS says a first period is not a sudden gush and can be just a reddish-brown stain that might not last very long. It can also be red and heavier, and that is normal too. The bleeding that needs an adult's help is the very heavy kind: needing a new pad every 1 to 2 hours, clots larger than about 2.5 cm, bleeding through to your clothes or bedding, or a period that lasts more than 7 days.

Changes worth telling an adult about

Discharge shifts a little all the time, so what counts is a clear change from what is usual for you. Tell an adult you trust if you notice:

• a change in color, especially to gray or green, or to brown when it is not a period
• a strong or unpleasant smell
• a change in texture
• much more discharge than usual
• itching or soreness
• pain when you pee
• pain low down in your belly, between your hips

These changes are common, and a doctor can check them. You do not need to know what is causing one before you say something.

Everyday care

The vagina cleans itself, so discharge does not need washing away, and washing inside can upset it. Rinse the outside, your vulva, with warm water; perfumed soaps, sprays and scented wipes can irritate the skin there. Cotton underwear lets the area breathe. You do not need a panty liner for everyday discharge, though one can help on days when there is more. There is more on washing down there and on itching in this roundup.

The checked facts this guide relies on are listed below, each linked to its card on our medical sources, where you can also read what each source does not show.