Here's What That Light Pink Discharge After Pregnancy Sex Is All About

Decoding discharge comes with the territory when you have a vagina. When you're pregnant, your vaginal secretions continue to tell you a lot about your overall health and your pregnancy. So what does light pink discharge after pregnancy sex mean? What's going on down there?

Pregnancy is wrought with myriad side effects that can leave a stream of questions running through your brain, like, what exactly is pressing on my bladder? (That's would be your baby's foot.) If we're talking discharge though, your doctor should always hear about any changes. While pink discharge can be completely normal, Dr. Neetu Sodhi, D.O., who specializes in obstetrics at Bloom Obstetrics and Gynecology in Southern California, tells Romper that only an obstetrician's evaluation can make that call. Thankfully light pink discharge after pregnancy sex is one pregnancy symptom that can usually be easily explained.

That light pink color you see comes from a small amount of blood mixing with your typical discharge. The word "blood" during pregnancy is scary for even the most laid back of expectant mothers, but labor doula and childbirth expert Megan Davidson, author of Your Birth Plan: A Guide to Navigating All of Your Choices in Childbirth, explains it's common for anything introduced into the cervix, whether via cervical exam or sex, to produce a small amount of bleeding.

Light pink discharge has other possible explanations too. According to both Dr. Sodhi and Davidson, it's all about the timing. Spotting in early pregnancy, which can cause the appearance of light pink discharge, is usually completely normal. However, if light pink discharge appears with pain or cramping, however, Dr. Sodhi cautions this can indicate ectopic pregnancy or impending miscarriage.

During the second trimester, light pink discharge might suggest something more serious. While it could still simply be from trauma to the cervix after sex, Dr. Sodhi says it could also be caused by common second-trimester complications such as hemorrhage or low placental placement, also known as placenta previa. Bright red blood — as opposed to lightly bloodied discharge — should always be reported to your doctor.

At the end of your pregnancy, light pink discharge could also be a sign of impending labor — likely welcome news for any mamas pushing the 40-week mark. "Towards the end of pregnancy it can also be normal to pass mucous, including mucous mixed with small amounts of brown, pink, or red blood," Davidson tells Romper. "This is the mucous plug and it can be a sign that labor is coming." Davidson adds that you can pass mucous for days or weeks before labor and that pink discharge in the last weeks of pregnancy is "fairly normal."

As with any medical issue, if you are concerned with what is happening to your body during pregnancy, contacting your doctor is the best route. Even if you think your symptoms are minimal, weird, or awkward to talk about, health-care professionals have heard it all and want you to ask.

"Checking in with a care provider is always a good idea if you have bleeding prior to labor — they are there to support you and answer questions like this," Davidson says. As for enjoying sex while you're pregnant, Mayo Clinic says sexual activity won't affect your baby as long as you don't have complications such as preterm labor or placenta problems.

Experts:

Dr. Neetu Sodhi, D.O., obstetrician-gynecologist at Bloom Obstetrics and Gynecology

Megan Davidson, Ph.D, labor doula, lactation counselor, and author of Your Birth Plan: A Guide to Navigating All of Your Choices in Childbirth