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Spotting, Cramps and Discharge in Pregnancy: What Is Normal

Light spotting, mild cramps and more discharge are common in pregnancy. Learn what is usually harmless and which signs need a call to your doctor or midwife.

Before you use this guide: This is general educational information, not an individual medical assessment. We do not identify a clinician reviewer on this page, so please confirm personal health decisions with your doctor, midwife or paediatrician.

Pregnancy changes how your body feels, and it is natural to worry about every twinge or bit of discharge. Many of these changes are normal. A few need to be checked quickly. This guide helps you tell them apart, but it cannot replace advice from your own care team. If something worries you, call.

Vaginal discharge

More discharge than usual is one of the most common changes in pregnancy. Higher hormone levels and more blood flow to the area make it increase, and it often becomes heavier as pregnancy goes on. Normal pregnancy discharge is thin, milky white or clear, and has only a mild smell, if any.

Tell your doctor or midwife if your discharge:

• Is itchy, sore or burns when you pass urine, which can be a sign of thrush or another infection
• Smells strong or fishy, or is green, yellow or frothy
• Is pink, brown or bloody
• Comes as a sudden gush or a constant trickle of clear fluid, which could mean your waters have broken. Call your maternity unit straight away.

In late pregnancy, you may pass a thick, jelly-like mucus, sometimes streaked with blood. This is often the mucus plug from the cervix and can be an early sign that your body is preparing for labour.

Spotting and bleeding

Light bleeding is common in the first trimester, and about 1 in 4 people notice some. It can be caused by the egg implanting, by a cervix that is easily irritated after sex or an internal examination, or by an infection. It can also be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, so any bleeding in pregnancy should be reported to your midwife, doctor or early pregnancy unit.

• Call the same day for bleeding that is more than light spotting, is bright red, comes with clots or tissue, or comes with pain or dizziness.
• Call straight away for any bleeding in the second or third trimester, and go to the emergency department if it is heavy or you feel faint.
• Tell your midwife about spotting even if it stops quickly.

Cramps and pains

Mild period-like cramps or twinges are common in early pregnancy as your womb begins to stretch. Later on, you may feel sharp, short pains low down at the sides as the ligaments that support your womb stretch (round ligament pain), especially when you stand up or turn over. Braxton Hicks tightenings are also common from the second half of pregnancy.

Get checked quickly if you have:

• Severe or constant pain, or pain that is getting worse
• Pain on one side of your tummy or at the tip of your shoulder, particularly in early pregnancy, which can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy
• Pain with bleeding
• Pain with fever, shivering or burning when you pass urine, which can be a urine infection
• Regular tightenings before 37 weeks
• Pain in the upper tummy with a bad headache or changes in your vision, which can be a sign of pre-eclampsia

While you wait for advice

• Wear a pad, not a tampon, so you can see how much bleeding or discharge there is and what it looks like
• Rest and drink plenty of water
• Write down when it started, the colour and amount, and any pain
• Avoid having sex or putting anything in your vagina until you have been checked

What to expect when you are checked

A midwife or doctor will usually ask about your symptoms, check your blood pressure and a urine sample, and may offer an examination or ultrasound scan. In many cases the cause is harmless and you are reassured. If it is not, being seen early gives you the best care.

This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every baby is different. Always talk to your doctor, midwife or paediatrician about your own situation, and seek urgent care if you are worried.