It is safe to say that underwear is not known for its durability. It will only last you for a couple of months. The reason for this is usually vaginal discharge. This discharge bleaches fabric. But, how can you stop this discharge from bleaching your underwear?
That’s where it gets a little tricky. However, there are certain ways in which you can prevent your vaginal discharge from bleaching your favorite panties or underwear.
How To Avoid Discharge Bleaching Underwear?
The nature of vaginal discharge is acidic. Which is why it bleaches the underwear. Usually, it contains mucus, fluid from the vagina and cervix,(1) bacteria, vaginal skin cells, etc. The amount of discharge is different in different women. If you have noticed bleached patches in your underwear, it only means that you have a healthy vagina.
Why Is Your Vaginal Discharge Bleaching Your Underwear?
The vagina is one of the most interesting organs in the female body. It is self-cleaning and elastic. The vagina has acidic pH and it produces acidic discharge. However, this pH level might change according to hormonal variations, sex life, and periods.
There are many glands inside the vagina and cervix that produce small amounts of fluids. This vaginal fluid collects all the dead cells, bacteria, etc., and comes out as discharge.
Light-colored underwear might not be a good indicator of bleaching. However, when you wear dark-colored undies, you can see all the bleaching and faded patches in the crotch area of your underwear.
The vagina contains good bacteria which makes sure that the downstairs area is healthy and prevents the bad bacteria from causing infections. Some women have vaginal discharge every day, while others may experience it less frequently.
On average, the vagina produces about 4 ml of discharge every day. This is normal and healthy. This amount increases when you ovulate, or during pregnancy. When this discharge comes into contact with air, it oxidizes and leaves stains that are a light orange or yellow.
Kinds Of Vaginal Discharge
Every girl knows the feeling of running to the bathroom when you feel something coming out from down there, thinking it’s your period; only to find out that it was white discharge. As annoying as that can be, discharge is a sign of a healthy vagina.The glands inside the vagina and cervix produce fluids that flow out every day, collecting everything that needs to be expelled. It usually ranges from clear to milky white discharge. There are different types of discharge that bleaching your underwear can mean different things;
Milky or White Discharge
If you are having milky or white discharge without any odor, it means that you have nothing to worry about. This is completely normal and your vagina is healthy.
Thick White Discharge
A thick white discharge usually means something is wrong. If you are having vaginal discharges that look like cottage cheese, it might be an indication of yeast infection.
If you have other symptoms like vaginal itching, soreness, pain while having sex, or urinating, it might be a yeast infection. Talk to a health care professional and get treatment.
Yellow Discharge
If there is only a slight yellow hue to the discharge, then there is nothing to worry about. However, if it’s a darker yellow and has a chunky consistency, then you might have a problem.
It can indicate sexually transmitted infections. If the discharge has a fishy odor as well, then it’s not normal and you need to talk to your doctor and get yourself checked out as soon as possible.
Gray Discharge
Gray discharge is completely abnormal. It might be a symptom of bacterial vaginosis (2). If the discharge comes with other symptoms such as fishy odor, itching, swelling, etc. talk to your doctor.
Brown or Bloody discharge
You may see brown or bloody discharge before your period starts and after it ends. But if there are such discharges in between your periods and often, you need to get medical attention.
If you have gone through menopause and haven’t had a period for over a year and still find brown or bloody discharge, you need to go to a doctor as soon as possible. It could be an indication of something much more serious like endometrial or cervical cancer.
What Does Unhealthy Discharge Look Like?
Most women have vaginal discharges every day. Usually, vaginal discharges are a sign of a healthy vagina. Discharges ranging from clear to white color are a part of the vagina’s self-cleaning process. However, some discharges may be an indication that something is wrong.
- Yellow, green, and gray discharges are usually an indication of some infection or disease. If your discharge has a chunky and thick consistency, then it’s a bad sign.
- Yellow or green discharges that are chunky and have a foul odor are definitely not normal. They might be an indication of sexually transmitted diseases. One of the most common STIs that causes thick yellow or green discharge is trichomoniasis. (3)
- Bloody or brown discharges might not particularly be unhealthy. If they happen closely before and after your period’s start and end, it’s probably nothing to worry about. However, if they occur often or if you haven’t gotten your period in a while and still get a brown or bloody discharge, then it might be a sign of cervical cancer, fibroids, etc.
- Discharges that are not clear or white, which don’t have watery or slightly sticky, or stretchy consistency can generally be considered unhealthy discharges.
Make sure you take a peek at what’s happening down there and see if everything is okay. If you feel like something is off with your vaginal discharges, don’t hesitate to get medical help.
Is discharge bleaching underwear normal?
It is absolutely normal for your vaginal discharge to bleach your underwear. The acidic pH of the vagina is the reason for this bleaching.
You might not be able to notice visible discoloration if you are wearing light-colored underwear. However, the bleaching will be very obvious in darker linens.
It can be pretty annoying to see that your own vagina betrayed you by ruining your favorite panties. However, bleached underwear is a sign of a healthy vagina. The nature and pH of the vagina will differ from person to person.
Some women might never see any discoloration in their underwear ever and some women may have very acidic discharge that bleach their undies every single time.
How Can I Prevent discharge bleaching underwear?
If you are super tired of letting your vaginal discharge ruin a perfectly cute pair of panties, there are a couple of things you can do to prevent that. As you already know, the stain happens when the fabric of your panties gets drenched with the discharge and comes into contact with air. This causes the stains to oxidize, leaving yellow or light orange colored patches in the crotch area of your underwear. If you can prevent the stains from oxidizing you can save your underwear from bleaching.
An effective method is to change your underwear every couple of hours. You can also give them a quick rinse after taking them off. This way the stains will not get oxidized. You can also soak your underwear after you take them off and then wash them later.
You can wear pantiliners inside your panties as well. That way, the discharge will not touch the fabric of your undies and it won’t get bleached. However, pantiliners aren’t really an eco-friendly alternative.
Even though your vaginal discharges might bleach your underwear, they don’t spoil it. So, you can wear them for as long as you normally would if you are willing to overlook a little discoloration in your crotch area.
FAQ
Vaginal discharges smelling like bleach are not entirely common. However, it might be an indication of bacterial vaginosis, use of condoms and lubes, changes that happen in the diet, prenatal vitamins, etc. Go see a doctor if your vaginal discharge has a strong odor.
Yellow discharges with foul odor might be an indication of sexually transmitted infections. You might need to get it checked out by a doctor.
White discharge is a normal part of life. It just means that your vagina is healthy. Unless there is a change in color, consistency, or odor, you don’t have to worry about vaginal discharges.
The best way is to just rinse the underwear in cold water. You can wash it off quickly after the blood gets on the underwear. You can also soak the underwear in cold water overnight and then wash it to get the blood out.
You will have more discharges when you are pregnant. You can wear pantiliners to avoid the discharge staining your underwear. Rinsing the underwear quickly after taking them off, so that the stain won’t oxidize is also a good idea.
The acidic pH level is different for different women. Some women never experience bleaching.
Final Verdict
Vaginal discharge is something that most women experience every single day. It is completely normal to have a white discharge. The vagina and cervix have glands that secrete fluids, this fluid comes out every day.
The amount of discharge expelled from the vagina will vary from one woman to another. On average, the vagina secretes about 4 ml of discharge. This discharge has the power to bleach your underwear. The faded patches on your dark underwear are the results of this bleaching.
It is perfectly normal for you to have vaginal discharges. If it is bleaching your underwear, then it means that your vagina is happy and healthy. Unless there is a color change, foul odor, or thicker consistency in your vaginal discharge, you don’t have to worry about it at all.
Actually, it is really cool that your vagina can produce discharge strong enough to change the color of the fabric. So don’t feel embarrassed about those bleached patches. Just think of it as your vagina’s attempt at tie-dyeing!
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