What It Means When You Don't Get Discharge Before Your Period

Before you get your period, you may begin to experience symptoms like cramping, bloating, acne, and changes in your mood (via Mayo Clinic). You may also associate fatigue, breast tenderness, food cravings, fluctuations in your weight, and increased emotional sensitivity with the start of your period. But what about your vaginal discharge? Do you look for cues that your period is about to start based on whether or not you experience vaginal discharge?

Officially called cervical mucus, the discharge you experience from your vagina can provide important information about your vaginal health, according to Cleveland Clinic. Knowing the variations in cervical mucus throughout your menstrual cycle can help you discern if something goes awry, or put your mind at ease by letting you know that everything's a-okay down there. Since hormones are responsible for causing vaginal discharge to shift in consistency, color, and amount throughout the menstrual cycle, it makes sense that you'll experience changes in your cervical mucus just before your period, given the influx of hormones during that time of the month. At times, you may experience significant vaginal discharge before your period — and at others, you may experience none at all. Here's why.

Throughout the month, you'll probably experience different types of cervical discharge, which comes from your cervix as your menstrual cycle progresses (per Cleveland Clinic). Everyone's discharge is unique, so don't panic if yours isn't the same as someone else's. Cervical mucus during the menstrual cycle can be sticky and yellow or white in color, creamy and smooth, slippery, watery, or clear. You may also experience no cervical mucus at all, or your discharge might be dry. That's all totally normal. Throughout your menstrual cycle, you'll probably experience thickening of cervical mucus around the ovulation phase, when your vaginal discharge will take on an appearance similar to egg whites, but at other times in your cycle, it's perfectly okay not to experience vaginal discharge at all.

According to Healthline, it's likely that you may experience a sticky, glue-like discharge leading up to the start of your period but then have a lack of discharge on the day just before your period begins. Immediately following your period, you may also notice a lack of discharge, which is common and completely normal. After a few dry days, you should start to experience thicker, creamier vaginal discharge. If you observe a sudden drastic change in the consistency, amount, smell, or color of your cervical mucus, consult with your doctor to make certain that you don't have an infection, like a urinary tract infection (UTI) or yeast infection.