A quarter of women won't talk to their GP about vaginal health

There are some conversations that still feel surprisingly hard to have — even in a GP’s office, even when something feels off, even when you know deep down you should probably say something. New research from women’s health brand Daye has put some numbers on that silence, and they’re worth sitting with.

The study found that 1 in 4 women don’t feel comfortable talking to their GP about vaginal health. Almost half wouldn’t raise the subject with a pharmacist either. And 4 in 10 women feel too embarrassed to specifically mention vaginal discharge — even when it’s changed in a way that’s worrying them.

For a lot of us, that probably isn’t entirely surprising. But it’s still a fairly sobering thing to see written down.

The knowledge gap is real — and it has consequences

The same research found that 1 in 3 women can’t identify the warning signs of a gynaecological issue, including signs of infection. Health experts say that delaying conversations about changes in vaginal discharge can mean infections and other conditions take longer to be diagnosed — which in many cases is entirely avoidable.

Valentina Milanova, gynaecological expert and founder and CEO of Daye, puts it plainly: “Vaginal discharge is a normal, healthy part of the body’s natural defence system, yet generations of women have grown up believing it’s something to hide. Schools hardly educated us on it, doctors rarely bring it up unprompted, and a lack of funding into women’s health research has only widened the gap.”

She’s right, of course. Most of us weren’t taught much about this at school beyond the bare basics. And if nobody around you is talking about it openly, it becomes very easy to assume your experience is either abnormal or not worth mentioning — and so you say nothing and hope for the best.

“Too many women are suffering in silence,” Milanova adds, “and that’s not their failure. It’s the failure of a healthcare system that continuously neglects female physiology. Better body literacy helps women know that there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and enables them to seek medical advice sooner when needed.”

What changes in discharge are actually worth flagging?

Because this information genuinely isn’t talked about enough, here’s a straightforward breakdown of what to look out for:

• Yellow or green discharge could indicate an STI such as chlamydia, which needs prompt treatment to avoid longer-term health issues.

• Grey discharge — particularly if it’s watery or has a fishy odour — often points to bacterial vaginosis, which usually clears up with antibiotics.

• Pink or red discharge can result from irritation or cervical bleeding. Red discharge outside of a period could indicate infection or, in rare cases, cervical cancer.

Normal discharge, for what it’s worth, varies throughout the menstrual cycle — it’s typically clear or white, doesn’t have a strong smell and doesn’t cause irritation. It’s the changes from your own baseline that are worth paying attention to.

Breaking the taboo, one honest conversation at a time

To help chip away at the stigma, Daye has launched The Stains Explained — a video series featuring Milanova herself, walking through the difference between normal discharge and potential warning signs in clear, jargon-free language. The aim is simple: to give women the confidence to understand their own bodies and to feel less alone in asking questions.

It shouldn’t feel brave to raise something with your GP. It should feel normal. And while we’re not quite there yet as a society, having the information is at least a start. If something has changed and you’re not sure what it means, it’s always worth a conversation — even if that conversation feels awkward. Your GP has genuinely heard it all before.