Planning a Baby  Discussion Forum

Dear Archie,

I have a query in my mind and I would very much appreciate it if you can provide some explanation for this- we are trying for a baby now. I am in my late twenties and my cycles are fairly regular...mostly 28-29 days apart.

I always notice a good amount of vaginal discharge 3-4 days before my menses are due...and this is white and odorless. Due to this I always feel wet a few days before my period. (I notice the same kind of discharge around ovulation as well...but I know that is \";fertile mucus\";). So my question is- what is causing this vaginal discharge just before my menses ? Is it due to an increased level of progesterone ? If yes, then why I don't see it during the entire luteal phase ?

Also I have heard when a woman conceives, this vaginal discharge CAN be a pregnancy symptom - is it true ? If yes, and suppose I conceive, will I be able to tell the difference between normal vaginal discharge( which happens in my case before period) and the discharge that occurs due to pregnancy (assuming there are no other noticeable symptoms) ?

Eagerly waiting for your expert comments !!

archie replied. Dear AP,
I liked your message in many regards. It's crystal clear and queries are very appropriate.
Please find my comments below:
You are in late 20s, still there are pretty good chances to conceive within 6 months when you start ttc, but it can take as long as 1 year.

Discharge during ovulation must not be white rather a clear and string like appearance, if your discharge around ovulation does not fit what I wrote then you would need to varify combining BBT and OPK methods.

Vaginal discharge prior to menses is due to progesterone. No you don't expect to see the progesterone effect throughout the Luteal phase. Progesterone is not produced in adequate amounts in the beginning of Luteal phase and may increase as it near the menses, say from 7th or 9th dpo. This is why you don't notice vaginal discharge throughout the luteal phase.

There are many symptoms one can look for early pregnancy and unfortunately they are mainly due to progesterone. Therefore in any case it's always difficult to swear based on symptoms to judge if this is PMS or pregnancy. Since you get vaginal discharge normally you would not regard this as a pregnancy symptom in your case. Look for other symptoms such as breast tenderness, nausea, tirdness, breathlessness, feeling tighness in breast, lower abdominal cramps and most importantly increased urination frequency and giddiness. Please not only one or two symptoms seen does not assure pregnancy. One must have number of symptoms coming together to suspect a pregnancy before missing period. Of course with or without facing any of the above symptoms once missed period if they were regular like in your case one is qualified to take hpt and reveal truth.

Archie