Vaginal Discharge After Sex

Sex is no doubt a pleasurable activity. However, things like abnormal vaginal discharge after sex can be a turn-off. The situation worsens if you don’t know the whys and how about vaginal discharge after sex.

Chronic vaginal discharge can be because of autoimmune disease such as Pemphigus Vulgaris 1. Watery discharge is a nuisance that drives you nuts near the period date.

What is a vaginal discharge?

Vaginal discharge is the fluid released from the glands present in the cervix and vagina. It gets rid of the bacteria and dead cells present in the reproductive tract.

It serves as a cleansing agent and also prevents infections. Vaginal discharge is healthy and can vary in its amount, texture, and color.

Vaginal yeast and bacteria constantly counter each other. It maintains fluids, pH, and odor of genitals. Sexual intercourse with partners with different flora alters vaginal health.

It is usually milky white to transparent in color. The discharge increases in amount during ovulation, breastfeeding, and while having a climax.

Your vaginal discharge is an excellent indicator of your fertile and highly fertile days. You will be able to tell something is different only when you know how a healthy version of it looks like.

What is abnormal discharge?

You might be having an abnormal discharge either due to some infection or physiologic causes.

Vaginal itching is a red flag you better not neglect. Along with pain vaginitis also causes itching. Discharge changes in color and texture.

Vaginal discharge after sex
Vaginal discharge after sex

Every woman above 21 years must visit their gynae clinic once every six months. Albeit you may be fine and your vagina happy, do let your doctor check you.

Some disorders don’t manifest until they’re at their last stage. Organs inside your underwear are more complex than you think.

Causes of abnormal vaginal discharge

  1. Taking antibiotics and corticosteroids and birth control pills
  2. Diabetes
  3. Sexually transmitted diseases
  4. Pelvic inflammatory diseases or pelvic infections
  5. Endometriosis – an invasion of other areas by the uterine tissues
  6. Usage of scented soaps
  7. Vulvovaginitis
  8. Cervical cancer
  9. Yeast infections or Thrush
  10. Allergies – You might be allergic to your partner’s fluid or other things like the lube you used.
  11. pH changes that occur after sex as male fluid has a different pH. On the other hand, the vagina is on a different scale of pH

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2 in their FAQs have written how vulvovaginitis causes discharge and painful sex. After coitus, the vaginal discharge increases in amount, and it is transparent.

But some women experience pink, yellow, brown vaginal discharge after sex. These all have different reasons associated with them. The different types of post-coital discharges are below.

Vaginal discharges after sex
Vaginal discharge after sex

Types of vaginal discharge after sex

S. R. Johnson MD in his study showed how the organisms (bacteria) in vaginal discharge change 3 in a menstrual cycle.

Postmenopausal women and adolescent have different kinds of discharge after sex. Checking the difference between normal and abnormal discharge after sex is key step. Your body is different.

Brown discharge after sex

Brown discharge, in any case, shows that the blood was not expelled from your vagina and has dried to give clots and lumps. The dried blood now appears to be brown because of degradations.

Read more: Brown Discharge

When does brown discharge appear?

1) Having sex on the second last day of the period

This is a common phenomenon that you expel period blood once after you feel that your period is over. If you happen to have sex on the penultimate day of periods, you might get a brown discharge. And this is nothing but menses, and you take it as brown gooey discharge.

2) Having sex when you are about to have implantation bleeding

Implantation bleeding is the spotting or moderate bleeding that occurs when your baby’s cells attach to your womb. If you have sex on this day, you might get a brown vaginal discharge after sex.

3) Ovulation can cause brown discharge

When you have sex on the day of ovulation, you will get a very distinctive brown discharge. It is rare, but it happens in the case of some women.

4) Stress

Stress is a significant cause of high blood pressure. It can lead to hemorrhages, and if the blood doesn’t come out of your vagina, then it will get dried and stay there. Then you get this same brown blood in your vaginal discharge.

5) Contraception

Some intrauterine devices IUDs can cause rubbing and scaling of uterine walls, and this causes blood clotting inside. Other birth control pills can cause the same, and this will give a brown discharge after sex.

White discharge after sex

White discharge is normal, and it also occurs on a day to day basis. It is also called normal discharge after sex.

When does white discharge appear?

1) Duringthe last days of the menstrual cycle

When your menstrual cycle nears the end, then you experience white discharge which is towards a yellowish tinge. It happens just before you get your periods.

2) Fluids exuded for vaginal lubrication

The famous epithet ‘getting wet’ is nothing but oozing white discharge. It is for the smooth sexual act and may continue even after that.

3) Early stages of Bacterial infections of the vagina

During the early stage of Bacterial vaginosis, the vagina has an elevated production of white discharge. Over the time it might become green or yellow.

4) Yeast infection or candidiasis

Yeast infection causes white discharge, and that further promotes the infection.

5) Early Pregnancy

Thick white discharge from the vagina is an early pregnancy symptom. It is known as leucorrhea and is an indication of conception.

6) Female Fluid

Though an unheard thing it is a fact ‘female squirt’ exists. When a female reaches her peak of sexual pleasure the ‘female climax’ even she ejects a tiny amount of fluid. It is the female fluid which is again a type of white discharge.

7) Cervical mucus

Even the cervical mucus that comes from your cervix is a white discharge and is customary. It is a typical physiological process, and its absence is rather a thing to worry and a reason for other problems.

Department of Health Government Of Western Australia mentions previous abortion or any surgical procedure as a cause of pelvic inflammatory disease 4. Infections such as Chlamydia aslo cause PID. The symptoms of PID occur after vaginal sex with the infected partner.

Pink discharge after sex

Pink here doesn’t mean the candy floss pink. Color pink can be anything unusual other red. If your post-coital discharge was pink, there is nothing to worry about.

It is pink because of the presence of blood in it. Pink discharges are not indicative of any severe disorders other than cervical polyps.

When does pink discharge appear?

There are many other causes of pink vaginal discharge after sex and even otherwise:

1) Rough sex

A rough sexual act can rupture the vaginal walls, and thus blood will ooze out. This will mix with you white discharge and give a pink color. It may also happen that you got a regular red discharge, but after some time it reacted with air and became a different pink shade.

2) When your vagina is dry while having sex

Your vaginal walls are more prone to rubbing and scratches if the walls are dry. It will lead to blood leaking from the walls which will mix with discharge and give it a look like pink vaginal discharge after sex.

3) Having sex during pregnancy

For the same reasons of exuding blood due to rupture of vaginal wall blood veins, you can experience pink discharge after having sex during pregnancy

4) Use of birth control pills

Though birth control pills have their pros, they have many side effects.  One of them is pink discharge after sex. They alter hormonal control and may also give a pink color discharge for other reasons beyond the scope of this text.

5) Cervical polyps

This is the only problematic cause of pink discharge after sex. Cervical polyps are like tumors that can also cause rupture of blood vessels hence the pink discharge after coitus. There are other symptoms like cramps and other things that indicate that pink discharge is due to cervical polyps.

Yellow discharge after sex

One needs to worry if they exude yellow discharge from genitals. It indicates sexually transmitted diseases. So if your discharge was yellow, visit your doctor.

Some of the reasons associated with yellow discharge are below:

Causes of yellow discharge after sex

Diseases characterized by vaginal discharge 5 by CDC, US Department of Health and Human Services also back its significance for diagnosis.

1) Chlamydiosis

Chlamydia causes Chlamydiasis which is the reason for yellow discharge after sex. Other symptoms include yellow pus, cervical inflammation. There is swelling of the rectum with bleeding and mucus discharges from it. The Fallopian Tubes also have inflammation (painful swelling), and thus it can potentially make you infertile if left untreated.

2) Genital Herpes

It is a viral STD. Herpes simplex virus causes Genital Herpes. It causes yellow discharge after sex. The other symptoms such as a headache, pain, itching, cervical infections, swelling of lymph nodes and fever accompany yellow discharge after sex.

3) Trichomoniasis

Protozoan Trichomonas vaginalis causes STD Trichomoniasis. The most evident symptom is foul-smelling yellow discharge after sex and vaginitis. It also produces burning sensations in the region. A prescription for metronidazole is conventional treatment. Both partners undergo Trichomoniasis treatment simultaneously.

4) Gonorrhea

Yellow discharge after sex could also spell Gonorrhea. One gets Gonorrhea after having unprotected intercourse by coming into contact with the fluids of a patient. Symptoms include pain, burning sensation, pain in the lower abdomen, swelling of the outer part of the female private part. Gonorrhea needs treatment urgently else your fallopian tubes will get damaged resulting in infertility or ectopic pregnancy.

How sex affects my discharge?

Adriane Martin Hilber 6 of Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Switzerland, points out dry sex to be a cause for getting HIV. Vaginal discharge after intercourse bothers you. Until the end of coitus and achieving climax the secretions do a lot for your pleasure.

Dry sex is a practice in regions of Africa and Costa Rica where the vagina is made dry using stones, chemicals, toilet paper etc. Tightening of the vagina using such reprehensible methods for dry sex is a cause of HIV 7. Symptoms at an early stage include weird chronic vaginal discharge.

Footnotes

  1. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2133.1999.02832.x
  2. https://m.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/When-Sex-Is-Painful#kinds
  3. Qualitative and Quantitative Changes of the Vaginal Microbial Flora During the Menstrual Cycle, S.R. JOHNSON MD  C.R. PETZOLD  R.P. GALASK https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0897.1985.tb00331.x
  4. https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/N_R/Pelvic-inflammatory-disease-PID
  5. https://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/vaginal-discharge.htm
  6. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118896877.wbiehs124
  7. https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/ipsrh/1998/06/vaginal-drying-agents-and-hiv-transmission

9 COMMENTS

  1. Please help me…i had my last period on 9september nd i had protected sex on 19september nd then we checked nd find that condom was not broken..all gone perfect bt now from 29september m haiving some blood stain spotting little bit till 1 october it come nd goes..what does it mean..nd on 2octobr i have seen some colr dischrge typ like light black …m getting vry much tensed..my period will be coming on 8 or 9 octobr bt i have blood typ spotting little on 29 septembr…what does it mean…what should i do now…i dont want to get pregnant..i have protected sex nd checked also..

  2. Hi!I had a dark brown discharge in a less quantity after having sex and also the second day but in a less quantity…i have taken two birth control pill several years back and now took one more a week ago…is it because of it?..or is it because I had a hard penetration that gave me a pain inside like in my abdomen?

    • After years of taking birth control pills, the effects won’t last that long. Brown discharge can happen at any stage in life. Just make sure you don’t have any infections.

  3. there was a time i had a very thick yellowish discharge pumping out from my vaginal but i took metronidazole for it and it stopped coming out,how do i know that am free and how sure am i that it will not affect my womb,pls throw more light on this

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