Vaginal Discharge Color Chart
Discharge changes colour and texture across your cycle — and most of the time that’s completely normal. Here’s what each type means, which are healthy, and which are worth a check. Tap a type for the full explanation.
- White DischargeCreamy or milky white — one of the most common, usually normal.
- Clear & Watery DischargeThin, clear or watery — usually a healthy, normal sign.
- Egg White DischargeClear, stretchy and slippery — your most fertile sign.
- Yellow DischargePale yellow can be normal; darker yellow with odour needs a check.
- Green DischargeNot typical — usually a sign of infection. Get it checked.
- Brown DischargeOld blood mixed with discharge — usually harmless.
- Pink DischargeDischarge tinged with a little fresh blood — often light spotting.
How discharge changes across your cycle
Vaginal discharge is fluid made by the cervix and vagina to keep them clean, moist, and healthy. The amount, colour, and texture shift through the month as your hormones change. After your period it’s often light or sticky; as oestrogen rises toward ovulation it becomes clearer, wetter, and stretchier — the fertile egg-white stage; and in the luteal phase before your next period it usually turns thicker and creamier. A range of pale shades and textures across the month is normal and healthy. For the stage-by-stage detail, see our cervical mucus guide.
The colour alone rarely tells the whole story — what comes with it matters more. A strong or fishy smell, itching, burning, soreness, or pelvic pain are the signals worth acting on, and they point to an infection (most of which are common and easily treated) rather than a normal cycle change. When in doubt, a quick visit to a provider settles it.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the colour of vaginal discharge mean?
- Discharge colour and texture change naturally across your cycle as hormones shift — light after your period, clear and stretchy around ovulation, thicker and creamier before your next period. White, clear, and egg-white discharge are usually normal. Yellow, green, or grey discharge — especially with a smell, itching, or irritation — can signal an infection and is worth a check.
- What discharge colour is not normal?
- Green discharge, and bright or dark yellow discharge with a foul smell or itching, are the shades most likely to point to an infection such as bacterial vaginosis or an STI. Grey discharge with a fishy odour is another. These are common and easily treated, so see a provider rather than waiting. White, clear, and egg-white discharge are normal parts of a healthy cycle.
- Is white discharge a sign of pregnancy?
- It can be — many people notice more creamy white discharge in early pregnancy — but white discharge is also completely normal across much of an ordinary cycle, especially before a period. On its own it can't confirm pregnancy; only a test can do that.
- Why does my discharge change through the month?
- Your hormones drive it. Rising oestrogen in the first half of the cycle makes discharge clearer, wetter, and stretchier, peaking as fertile egg-white mucus around ovulation. After ovulation, progesterone makes it thicker and creamier until your period. This monthly shift is a normal, healthy sign your cycle is working.