The short explanation
Some discharge is normal and changes through the cycle — clearer and stretchier around ovulation, thicker afterwards. What is worth checking: a change in smell, colour or amount, itching or soreness, pain passing urine, pain during sex, or bleeding between periods. The two most common causes are thrush and bacterial vaginosis, which need different treatments, which is why guessing at the pharmacy often fails.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- A fishy smell, especially after sex, points more to bacterial vaginosis; itching with thick white discharge points more to thrush. Neither is sexually transmitted, though a sexually transmitted infection can look similar and is worth testing for if there is any chance of one.
- Repeated episodes are worth investigating rather than repeatedly self-treating.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you what you have. Discharge cannot be diagnosed from a description, and treating the wrong thing is how it keeps coming back.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Should this be swabbed rather than treated on the description?
- Do I need testing for sexually transmitted infections too?
- Why does it keep coming back, and what would stop that?
- Does my partner need anything?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
- Go sooner for fever with pelvic pain, pain deep during sex with fever, or discharge with bleeding — those can mean pelvic inflammatory disease, which is treated urgently to protect fertility.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
No sources recorded yet.
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off. That is what the “Editorially reviewed” badge means, and why it does not say “Clinically reviewed”. It was written and checked by AskHer’s editorial team, and it is queued for a clinician who works in this area. No sources are recorded against it yet.
- Review status
- Editorially reviewed
- Last reviewed
- Last reviewed 25 September 2026
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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