You were just picking up laundry, and you noticed it, a strange white stain in her underwear. Women can be intriguing and mysterious. They also do some weird things, both intentionally and involuntarily. If you’re not an OBGYN, you may never fully understand how her body works. It’s alright to wonder if this is normal. Should you be worried about stains in her underwear? As a former adult sex educator, I’m not a doctor, but I can certainly help illuminate common causes of white stains in the panties.
My girlfriend’s underwear has white stains, is she cheating on me? The good news is that this is most likely a normal bit of female discharge that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with cheating. The bad news is that unprotected sex can also lead to white stains. There are several factors to look at here, so don’t get worried just yet.
Things May Not Be What They Seem
It may seem like an odd question, but are you sure that’s a white stain? There’s a difference between a smear of discharge on dirty underwear and a bleach spot. Maybe you’re thinking that you or your girl don’t use bleach on your underwear. Okay, so it’s not caused by Clorox. However, you may not know that women produce an acidic discharge that can bleach out the crotch of their underwear.
Don’t get too worried by this acidity. It’s nothing you need to be concerned about harming you or her. It’s fairly mild. However, over time, when you wear a favorite pair of underwear often, for example, the effect can be cumulative. Unlike human skin, which fortunately regrows all the time, underwear doesn’t regenerate.
The pH or acidity of a woman’s genitalia varies throughout her life. It also varies from person to person and can be slightly affected by things like diet and health. During the part of life when women are most sexually active, the reproductive years, the pH is at its highest, around 4.5. So from the time she has her first period until she hit menopause, a woman is pretty likely to bleach out some underwear. The exception is when she has too many or throws them out too often for this to apply.
Discharge, Moisture and Other Wetness
You know women produce a natural discharge from their genitalia. Not only is this normal, but not having it may be cause for concern. A healthy vulva has an inherent level of moisture, though it doesn’t necessarily always discharge. People have a great deal of variation, not just from one to the next, but also within their own body. The look and smell of various vaginal fluids can be unique. What constitutes an average amount or color can change over time, even within the same month. The type of fluid also varies.
Normal Moisture
The vulva is a mucous membrane. It is always damp when it is healthy. The natural dampness is not an indicator of any particular thing. It is a state of being. Though I hate to make the comparison, it is like the inside of your mouth in some ways. There should always be humid, damp tissue there. Without it, this is an indication of a problem.
It’s a common misconception that discharge only happens if a woman is turned on. This is not true. While it is typical for there to be arousal fluid, also known as female juice, when a woman is aroused, there are other similar fluids.
Cervical Fluid
Cervical fluid typically goes through several stages during each cycle for a woman. The color and texture changes and gives an indication of what stage they are at where fertility is concerned. Any or all of these variations can end up in underwear. Different stages indicate rising estrogen and higher water content in the cervical fluid.
Stages of Cervical Fluid
- Sticky or Pasty- While this may seem unusual or worrisome it’s actually an indication of the beginning of the fertile part of a woman’s monthly cycle.
- Creamy- This fluid is more fertile than the sticky stage. It merely indicates the cycle is progressing.
- Eggwhite or Watery- This stage is the point when a woman is most fertile. The water content and the slipperiness that makes intimacy enjoyable is a result of the body trying to produce the best pathway for sperm to travel.
Arousal Fluid
Learning to tell the difference between arousal fluid and regular cervical fluid can be a bit tricky. The easiest way to tell is with your fingers. Arousal fluid dries up fairly quickly while cervical fluid tends to last a bit longer. Both AF and CF are often clear and slippery. Also, both can stretch a bit between your fingers. An inch or a bit further is average before the strand breaks apart.
Naturally, this is fluid is produced during arousal. This can be physical, psychological, or both. It’s possible that this sort of fluid could be a sign of cheating, but there are many forms of arousal. For many women, simply seeing something sexy on tv or in an ad can cause this. Alternately a sexy thought could be the cause. Of course, fooling around will also work, but it’s not the only way arousal happens. Though it’s rare, even clothing rubbing the right (or wrong) way can cause arousal.
Alternate Appearances
There are a couple of healthy variations on female fluids and a handful that can indicate infections or disease. Keeping an eye out for this can save you or your partner a lot of trouble. Keep in mind, some diseases and conditions can occur without coming in contact with another person sexually, but others could indicate cheating because they are sexually transmitted.
Colors and Textures
Please keep in mind that these are only a rough overview and I am not a gynecologist. Since you probably aren’t either if you’re asking about spots in panties let’s just assume you need to take this with a grain of salt. This is not medical advice. If you or your partner have unusual discharge in the underwear, please visit a doctor.
- Red, Burgundy or Nearly Black- That’s not what we mean by discharge or wetness. It is blood. If you don’t know about the menstrual cycle, then you may have slept through or missed sex ed in school. This is important, but since it’s not a sign of cheating, we’ll leave the details off. Just know that it’s totally normal and it looks brown when it dries, which is fine and as it should be. In very rare cases blood can be a sign of endometrial or cervical cancer, but that’s almost certainly not the case.
- Pink- This can happen at the end of a pregnancy after a woman has given birth. It’s also considered normal and not a cause for concern.
- Cloudy, Frothy, Yellowish, Yellow or Green- Gonnhorea and trichomoniasis fall into this category. A bad smell typically accompanies trichomoniasis. These are both STDs.
- White, Grey or Yellow With Fishy Smell- Bacterial Vaginosis (aka BV). Usually, this comes with swelling and itching or burning sensations. BV is an infection.
Semenial Fluid
Semenial fluid is not a female fluid. You may know it by other names like come, but it’s male fluid that houses sperm. While it can be very similar in color and even texture to some naturally occurring female fluids, it’s almost sure that finding man juice in panties means she cheated. (Unless it’s yours.)
The easiest way to tell male fluid from female is a microscope. If you don’t have one on hand and it’s very fresh, then you can try the finger test. Come doesn’t stretch as the female fluids do between the fingers. This is not exactly hard science, but it’s a good indication that you might want to search for additional signs of cheating.
Finding Other Evidence
When you’re worried about potential cheating, every little thing can make you feel paranoid. You may notice and unintentionally assign significance to things that you wouldn’t usually think about. The best way to protect yourself from cheating is to take a step back and make sure you’re looking at things in a clear and levelheaded way before jumping to conclusions. Make no mistake, cheating happens, but don’t ruin a good relationship over your insecurities.
Check for other signs of cheating. You may notice she is more distant and less attentive. Your girlfriend may be less interested in sex, or might not want to come over (or sleep together if you already cohabitate) at all. Be aware that if it’s ‘that time of the month,’ or if something else major is going on in her life that may affect this as well.
Something more concrete like sending dirty texts to someone else is a sure sign. If you happen across current dating profiles, then you’ve got a cheater. Likewise, look out for condom and contraceptive purchases for more than you’re using with her. You’ll find many excellent articles right here on Catch Cheaters Fast to help you spot the signs of cheating.
Final Thoughts
White in the underwear is normal. Plenty of people never notice. Some people are less likely to have this happen while others deal with it daily. Try to remember that what is normal for one person may be very different for another, especially where sex and genitalia is concerned. If you’ve been together years: your girlfriend always wears black underwear, you always do laundry, and this is a new problem then you have cause for concern. Otherwise, it’s not enough to cause concern on its own. This is normal.
Additional Questions
My boyfriend has white stains in his underwear, is he cheating? Typically white stains inside male underwear mean come. This can be bodily fluid from when he was turned on, or leftover from when he orgasmed. It’s existence isn’t proof. Men self stimulate and not all bodily fluid is from sex. Like women, men may be turned on without actually ‘doing stuff’ with another person.
What if I find stains in other colors? If you’re looking at purple, neon orange or some other very odd color in the crotch of someone’s underwear I don’t begin to know what to tell you. I might speculate that you’ve found an alien in disguise, or a prank gone awry. Beyond that, there is no explanation in nature for zany panty stains.