Go to Content Go to Navigation Go to Navigation Go to Site Search Homepage

Is it normal for discharge to smell kinda funny? its white & kinda thick…is this normal?!

Yes, this is normal. Like most of the human body, the vulva can be a little bit messy. During puberty, the vagina starts to produce a discharge that can be white or clear. It’s called leukorrhea. This is the self-cleaning feature of your vagina. Discharge carries germs and other unwanted stuff out of the body. And when we’re ovulating or turned on, our vaginas produce a different discharge that is slippery and clear. It’s also a natural lubricant. The cervix also secretes a mucus that changes color and texture at various times in a woman’s cycle.

The vulva has a characteristic scent, and if it’s healthy the smell is not unpleasant. Some people really like the smell of vulvas. If your vulva smells really bad, fishy, or yeasty, or has any other strong, unpleasant odor, see a health care provider. An unpleasantly smelly discharge can be a sign of an infection that should be treated right away.

Tags: vagina, vulva, discharge, leukorrhea

Explore more on

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors use cookies and other tools to collect, store, monitor, and analyze information about your interaction with our site to improve performance, analyze your use of our sites and assist in our marketing efforts. You may opt out of the use of these cookies and other tools at any time by visiting Cookie Settings. By clicking “Allow All Cookies” you consent to our collection and use of such data, and our Terms of Use. For more information, see our Privacy Notice.

Cookie Settings

Planned Parenthood cares about your data privacy. We and our third-party vendors, use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect, store, monitor, and process certain information about you when you access and use our services, read our emails, or otherwise engage with us. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences, or your device. We use that information to make the site work, analyze performance and traffic on our website, to provide a more personalized web experience, and assist in our marketing efforts. We also share information with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners. You can change your default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of required cookies when utilizing our site; this includes necessary cookies that help our site to function (such as remembering your cookie preference settings). For more information, please see our Privacy Notice.

Marketing

On

We use online advertising to promote our mission and help constituents find our services. Marketing pixels help us measure the success of our campaigns.

Performance

On

We use qualitative data, including session replay, to learn about your user experience and improve our products and services.

Analytics

On

We use web analytics to help us understand user engagement with our website, trends, and overall reach of our products.