Vaginal Discharge This is a thin, clear, transparent, or whitish fluid that your child may notice in the lining of her underwear. This comes from the reproductive system and vagina and helps to prevent infection, and keep the vagina moisturized and healthy. This is completely normal and natural during puberty.
The vagina is designed to be moist, so discharge at every age is normal. Typically you will see only small amounts in infants and young children, and it is usually clear, white, or slightly yellow and odorless. Persistent vaginal discharge in children can be a sign of infection.
Vaginitis is a bacterial infection of the vagina. The main symptom is a yellow discharge. The most common cause in young girls is Strep, the same one that causes bad sore throats. Vaginal discharge from STIs (sexually transmitted infections) is rare before the teen years.
About 6 months to 1 year before a girl gets her first period, her body may start to make vaginal discharge. This is normal and due to changing hormone levels. The discharge helps keep the vagina healthy. Normal vaginal discharge can have a texture that's anywhere from thin and slightly sticky to thick and gooey.
A normal discharge usually begins in girls when they start breast development and puberty. It is due to increased estrogen (hormone) levels. The discharge is clear or whitish, thin and small in amount.
When your daughter starts to go through puberty, her gonads (ovaries) and adrenal glands (glands that sit on top of the kidneys) release hormones. These hormones cause the first signs of puberty, which are breast development, body odor, underarm hair, pubic hair and acne (pimples).
For some girls, it's normal to have a lot of vaginal discharge. They may even need to wear a pantiliner to keep their underwear dry. Other girls may not have much vaginal discharge at all. Vaginal fluids should be clear, white, or off-white in color.
According to the National Institutes of Health, puberty usually begins in girls between 8 and 13 years of age, and in boys between 9 and 14 years of age. Puberty is considered to be early in boys before age 8 and girls before 9 years old. This is sometimes called “precocious puberty.”
Typically, a girl gets her period about 2 years after her breasts start to develop. Another sign is vaginal discharge fluid (sort of like mucus) that a girl might see or feel on her underwear. This discharge usually begins about 6 months to a year before a girl gets her first period.
Discharge before a period tends to be cloudy or white, due to the increased presence of progesterone, a hormone involved in both the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. In other phases of the cycle, when the body has higher levels of estrogen, vaginal discharge tends to be clear and watery.
Don't use vaginal deodorants or douches. They can upset the natural chemical balance of your baby's vagina and increase the risk of infection. Sometimes your baby might have a thick milky discharge – this doesn't need to be cleaned away.
Yeast infections in the vagina or anus can be treated with medicated suppositories. Thrush may be treated with a medicated mouthwash or lozenges. Severe infection or infection in a child with a weak immune system may be treated with oral anti-yeast medicines.
Yeast infections are not an STD (sexually transmitted disease). Young girls who haven't gone through puberty yet are less likely to get yeast infections, but they can happen. So if your young daughter complains of itching or discomfort in her vaginal area, it's important to talk with her doctor.
What does vulvovaginitis look like? With vulvitis or vulvovaginitis, your genitals may look red or swollen. Your skin may look scaly, white and patchy and you may have blisters. In more severe cases, your skin may be so irritated that it sticks together.
She may get cramps. She may also feel bloated or "puffy." Breast tenderness and swelling, headaches, back and leg aches, acne breakouts and nausea are also common symptoms for many young women before and during their periods. These symptoms usually stop or become less severe a day or two after the bleeding starts.
The first period typically occurs after a female first ovulates. This happens when the ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube. When this happens, the womb lining thickens in preparation for the egg to be fertilized. If fertilization does not occur, the lining sheds, as the body no longer needs it.
Pubic hair – Once her pubic hair starts growing, you can expect her period to develop in one to two years. It may begin soft and thin but it will become courser and thicker towards the end of puberty.
Stress and lifestyle
Sexual abuse in early childhood has been linked to earlier puberty onset. Causal arrows are difficult to draw, however. Stress and trauma could prompt earlier development, or, as Dr. Herman-Giddens hypothesized decades ago, girls who physically develop earlier could be more vulnerable to abuse.
Girls who show clear signs of puberty and its progression before age 8 and boys before age 9 are considered precocious. It affects about 1 out of 5,000 children.
Some women have discharge every day, while others experience it less frequently. Normal vaginal discharge is usually clear or milky and may have a subtle scent that is not unpleasant or foul smelling. It's also important to know that vaginal discharge changes over the course of a woman's menstrual cycle.
Milky white discharge is a typical part of the menstrual cycle. According to Planned Parenthood, before ovulation occurs, a female's discharge can be white and cloudy. At this time, it can also feel sticky or tacky. However, white discharge may also signal a vaginal infection or pregnancy.