• Love & Relationships

What’s the white stuff in my pants?!

By Chris Hart on

I find some white, sticky, mucus-like stuff in my pants whenever I think of him. What’s that? Am I sick?

It sounds like you have a very nice boyfriend, and that he treats you well. And that you love him a lot. So whenever you start thinking about him, your body will start to become gently turned on. Especially if you start imagining your boyfriend being kind to you, touching you, cuddling or making love. In other words, your body begins to become sexually aroused.

In fact, even though you may not actually be thinking about anything directly to do with sex at all, your body may start to get ready to make love as soon as you start thinking about your boyfriend – just in case. Amongst other things, this will make the blood vessels in your genitals widen, which increases the blood flow to the walls of your vagina. This causes fluid to start passing through the walls, making them wet and lubricated: ready for sex.

All of this is completely normal. Surprisingly few women notice it happening at the time, unless their attention is drawn to it. Often some of this fluid will escape from the vagina, and it’s this what you’ve noticed in your pants.

Actually, a small amount of vaginal discharge occurs almost all the time.

It has an important housekeeping job, carrying away dead cells and bacteria, keeping your vagina clean, and helping to prevent infection.

Again, you may not notice it, especially if you wash frequently.

A normal vaginal discharge is slightly cloudy. The amount is usually fairly small. It varies during your monthly cycle, and for other reasons. For example, there will be more discharge when you are ovulating or breastfeeding. The texture, odour and colour also varies across your cycle due to hormonal changes, and may range from almost clear, to milky white, watery, sticky, creamy and yellowish.

Anything that changes your vagina’s normal balance will also affect the smell, colour or texture of your discharge. Like taking antibiotics or birth control pills. Bacterial or yeast infections will also affect it. So if your discharge changed, or its colour is unusual, you should see a doctor. Especially if you are also feeling pain in your lower abdomen, discomfort during sex or urination, or you can feel burning, itching, irritation or inflammation in your vulval area. Infections are often easy to treat, but can cause a lot of trouble if left untreated.


Do you have questions about discharge? Check in with us below or on Facebook. And of course, our moderators can always help out, as well.