Vaginal Issues During Pregnancy

First Trimester

You try to take the physical changes of pregnancy in stride -- but even the most intrepid moms-to-be get anxious about what's happening south of the border. Most likely, though, these intimate adjustments are absolutely normal. "Pregnancy is meant to be a healthy time for your body," says Elizabeth G. Stewart, MD, coauthor of The V Book (Bantam). "You can expect a lot of little changes that are sometimes annoying, like skin tags, increased secretions, and itchiness. But they're not something to worry about." Calmer now? Here's the lowdown on what to expect down low.

Early in your pregnancy, everything from your body's blood volume to concentrations of hormones like estrogen is on the upswing, leading to some of the first subtle effects on your vaginal health.

Increased Discharge

Soon after you get pregnant, your body begins pumping out extra estrogen and progesterone, which trigger a heavier flow of vaginal secretions. Celeste Brophy, of Ottawa, Ontario, a mother of two, says that her pregnancy discharge was so abundant, "I actually had to change my underpants a couple of times on some days." Don't want to tote around extra undies? Wear a mini-pad to catch the flow.

Swollen Tissues

During pregnancy, your body's blood volume rises by about 50 percent, with much of that fluid routed to your uterus to nurture your growing fetus. As a result, vaginal tissue becomes engorged with blood, leaving some women feeling a bit swollen and tender.

Sexy Sensations

In happier news, the engorgement of your vagina and labia during pregnancy mimics what happens when you get aroused during sex, so you could end up feeling a tad turned on all the time. It's not a bad situation for your partner, either, says Robin Elise Weiss, author of The Joy of Pregnant Sex (Fair Winds Press). As the tissue in your vaginal walls fills with blood, your husband will get more stimulation during intercourse.

Ingrown Hairs

Though estrogen may thicken the mane on your head, different hormones dictate the growth of your pubic hair -- so it won't grow thicker. And you may not get the same results from waxing, shaving, or using depilatory creams. One reason is that you're more susceptible to ingrown hairs, which occur when sebaceous glands get clogged with sweat and dead skin cells, two things you're producing more of thanks to progesterone and your body's accelerated metabolism. Increased blood flow could also make your Brazilian wax more screamingly painful than normal, making pregnancy a nice time to go au naturel.

Changing Colors

With more blood flowing around your cervix, your vulva may turn a darker, bluish hue. This hyperpigmentation, sometimes called Chadwick's Sign, is an early sign of pregnancy and has also been attributed to the same whirl of hormones -- estrogen, progesterone, and a hormone that stimulates pigment-producing cells -- that give some moms-to-be a linea nigra (a dark line down the abdomen). Either way, it's harmless, and your regular coloring should return to normal after pregnancy.

Spotty Bleeding

Doctors aren't quite sure why up to 30 percent of women experience harmless vaginal bleeding during the first trimester, but increased blood supply to the cervix is one culprit. For some women, a Pap smear or intercourse can trigger some spotting. "We use a small brush and swab to take vaginal cultures at the first prenatal visit, and I see blood about 25 percent of the time," says Terry Hoffman, MD, the head of an all-female ob-gyn group at Mercy Hospital, in Baltimore. First-trimester bleeding is often innocuous; still, call your ob-gyn ASAP, if only to be reassured that everything's okay.