Hello Prasanna,

Thank you for your question.

You are describing the presence of white vaginal discharge in between periods. Unfortunately, the information you provide is too sparse for me to say with any certainty what is going on.

White discharge is usually completely normal. The quality of the discharge –whether it is thick or thin, varies with the woman’s menstrual cycle. Discharge that has changed colour (greyish, greenish) or that becomes curdy can indicate infection, especially if is associated with pelvic pain (pain at the lower part of your abdomen) or itchiness in the genital area. Some of the questions and answers on our site provide more information regarding different types of genital infections.

Pregnancy is usually suspected if a woman who usually has regular periods, misses a period.

I understand that this may be a stressful time, since you may not know what to expect now that you are married. I suggest that you peruse our site and some of the other questions and answers that have been posted in order to have a better idea of some of the symptoms and signs of pregnancy (as well as infection). You can also speak with a nurse, doctor, or midwife at a local clinic.

If you think you may be pregnant, the only way to know for sure is to do a urine or blood test, preferably at a clinic.

Since you are recently married, perhaps you have not had the chance to discuss family planning with your husband. The idea of being pregnant may fill you with joy, but it may also fill you with fear. Do you want children now? Would you rather wait a few years? This choice is up to you, but of course your husband (and perhaps even your family and his family) have opinions on the issue. In Canada, we say that the decision is between a woman and her partner and that in the end it is up to the woman to make the final decision, because she is the boss of her own body. I do not know if it is different in India — do your extended family members (your parents, his parents, others…) play a role in the decision?

Once you decide whether you want children right away or later, how many, and how often, you should go to see a health professional who should discuss with you (as well as your husband) various contraceptive options. There are many very good options available (for example: condoms, contraceptive pills, the patch, the ring, the intrauterine device, the cervical cap…). The health professional should discuss which is the option that will be a best fit with you, both in terms of safety and efficacy.

In summary — I do not have much detail about your problem. However, if you are concerned about pregnancy, I would strongly urge you to see a health professional (1) in order to find out whether you are pregnant and most importantly (2) to discuss which is the best contraceptive method for you (either now, or after your first child)!

Please do write back if you have any other questions or if you want to give more detail about your current situation.

Rimma, for Alterheros.