Bleach Stains on Your Underwear: What It Really Means

You might be familiar with those white/orange stains in your dark underwear. We understand your frustration when yet another pair of nice panties seems ruined by a pale stain in the middle of your underwear. You're not alone! This is incredibly common for many women. These bleach stains in your underwear are perfectly normal, but no one told me this could happen when I was younger! Was it the same for you?

Where do these bleach spots come from?

Every woman experiences various types of discharge during her cycle. Your discharge can reveal a lot, as it's a real health check. STIs, bacterial, and yeast infections are often detected by the consistency, odor, and color of your discharge. But our discharge also reveals exactly what phase of our cycle we're in.

“Learning to read your own discharge takes away a lot of menstrual stress.”

Lotte Bink-Voskes

Let's start with phase 1, menstruation. As you might guess, your discharge ranges from bright red to dark brown. This is the most recognizable phase, and sometimes we almost distinguish our period from our cycle. It's a separate phenomenon. But you're actually losing discharge, which contains a percentage of (old) blood, mucus, and secretions.

• Phase 1 menstruation

• Phase 2 follicular phase, pre ovulation.

• Phase 3 ovulation, lots of thin watery clear discharge

• Phase 4 luteal phase, thicker sticky white-yellow discharge.

But how do those bleach stains in underwear arise?

Bleach stains on underwear are caused by the acidity of our discharge; a healthy pH level is somewhere between 3.8 and 4.5. This acidity prevents infections. An imbalance in this level can therefore trigger yeast infections or vaginitis, for example.

What is pH value?

A pH value indicates acidity. It ranges from 0-14, with 7 being the exact middle point. Your vagina should be slightly more acidic than your body. A healthy pH level for your vagina is between 3.8 and 4.5. This is related to the bacteria and the vagina's self-cleaning ability. Bacteria cannot survive in an acidic environment. If this level is out of balance, problems such as bacterial or yeast infections can arise.

These pH fluctuations can be caused by many external factors. Medication use, menstruation, synthetic underwear, tampons and (disposable) sanitary towels, excessive sugar consumption, stress, sex, semen, lubricants, (vaginal) soap, etc., can disrupt this balance. That's quite a few factors! You could also be suffering from an estrogen imbalance, in which case the problem lies somewhat deeper.

Chronic fungal infections often have an underlying cause.

So, if you constantly suffer from yeast infections, consider looking beyond the problems mentioned above. I've heard from several clients that their yeast infections disappeared by using cotton panty liners and reusable sanitary pads. The top layer of reusable products is often made of 100% cotton, which doesn't swelter and allows sensitive skin to breathe. This helps to balance vaginal discharge, which usually drastically reduces symptoms.

Are bleach stains on underwear and yeast infections related?

The yellow/orange/brown stains in your underwear have little to do with yeast infections or other nasties. Your vagina is self-cleaning, so if you naturally have a slightly higher acidity, or your vagina has prevented an infection, these bleaching stains can appear. The annoying thing is that you often only notice this after the discharge has come into contact with detergent.

Can you do something about this?

No, not really. If you get these bleach stains on your underwear, you'll probably also get them on your washable panty liners. The advantage is that your panty liners are a practical item, and you've saved your beautiful panties from these stains.
I also truly believe that pH fluctuates with each cycle phase. This helps fight bacteria and potential infections. So it really does have a function. Everything revolves around the correct pH.

What not to do:

• Do not wash your vagina with soap, even the soap that is “intended for it” according to the package.
• Don't use perfumed wipes to "freshen up"
• Do not use an internal douche with tap water, your vagina is self-cleaning.

What to do:

• If you have serious symptoms, see your GP.
• Wear underwear made of cotton or another natural fiber such as bamboo or hemp.
• Wear cotton panty liners

"Sex and sperm can change your pH balance"

Scents

Your vagina simply has a specific scent. Some odors are unique to you. This is especially true around your period, when your senses, and especially your sense of smell, are much more pronounced.
A truly rotten fish smell can indicate an imbalanced pH, an infection, or an STD, so always have it checked! If you ever hear men joking about the smell of a vagina, remember that their semen and discharge could be the cause! Sex with a man is often the biggest cause of an imbalanced pH, irritation, or even infections! So feel free to tone it down.

Switching to cotton panty liners

Because LottePads panty liners are much more breathable than disposable panty liners, I generally see women experience much less pH fluctuations. And regular yeast infections disappear after using the washable panty liners and sanitary towels for a few weeks.

You can also get bleach stains on your cotton panty liners and washable sanitary towels, especially black and blue/purple colors. Bleach stains are annoying, but luckily, sanitary towels are a consumable item and don't affect the quality of your washable sanitary towels.