IF YOU'VE ever noticed a bleached stain in your underwear – then you're not alone.

You'd be forgiven for panicking and thinking you've got some kind of horrible disease, but it's actually totally normal.

That's right, your vagina has the power to change the colour of your knickers and it's all down to its natural pH levels.

A pH level is the marker for how acidic or alkaline something is.

If anything has a pH level lower than seven it has acidic properties.

And a healthy vagina has a pH value of somewhere between 3.8 and 4.5.

Now, this might seem like it's incredibly acidic but rest assured it's for your own good.

Experts at the Vagina Museum have highlighted that the bleach stain in your knickers is "completely normal".

Posting to Twitter they revealed several pairs of knickers which had the strange stain.

Reassuring their followers they said: "The light patches in underwear isn't staining from period blood or discharge, it's bleaching – the same as if you've ever tried putting lemon juice in your hair to lighten it.

"It's not a sign of dirtiness or bad hygiene to have paler patches in your pants, it's something which happens when the acidity of a perfectly healthy vagina spends time in contact with fabric, and it's particularly noticeable on darker fabrics.

"So, it's not just you. Lighter patches in your knickers are normal, and there's nothing to be ashamed of!"

TikTok users have also recently picked up on the stains and have reassured their followers that this is something the vagina does naturally.

According to the NHS naturally occurring bacteria called lactobactilli keep the vagina's pH at a normal level.

The acidity of your vaginal discharge is what protects you from nasty infections like thrush and bacterial vaginosis.

If you vaginas natural levels of acidity is off balance it can also leave you more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections.

So, it is your discharge that can stain or change the colour of your underwear – and it's particularly noticeable if your knickers are a dark colour like black.

The amount of vaginal discharge produced can vary from woman to woman.

Source: Read Full Article