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“Is this normal?” That’s what women who have vaginal discharge typically ask their gynecologists. The surprise: Discharge usually is normal and healthy. The trick is learning what’s your normal, so if something new comes along you can get help, says women’s health expert Marie Savard, MD, author of How to Save Your Own Life. Here’s a quick guide.

It’s normal
How to tell: In the first half of your menstrual cycle, discharge is thick and sticky and its color is white, clear, or yellow. A few days before ovulation, the amount increases and it becomes more watery, clear, and elastic (what docs refer to as “egg-white discharge”). After ovulation, discharge decreases until the next menstrual cycle begins. You probably won’t notice any odor (although you might), especially anything that’s bad. “Everyone’s discharge has its own personality,” says Katharine O’Connell, MD, assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University.

What causes it: Normal discharge is just skin cells; fluid from glands in the vulva, vagina, and cervix; and even bacteria and yeast. “The vagina is a great self-cleaning organ, and discharge is its way of getting rid of dirt and impurities and anything that winds up in there that doesn’t belong,” Dr. O’Connell explains.

What to do: Nothing! Avoid the impulse to clean what’s already clean with perfumed soaps and douches; they increase the risk for developing an infection. “Except for sex, toys, and tampons, stay out,” Dr. O’Connell says.

Next page: It’s yeast