Expert Advice: Making Sense Of Your Vaginal Discharge
Vaginal discharge is that regular fluid secretion from certain vaginal and cervical glands that helps cleanse and moisten the vagina.
Women must pay particular attention to its quantity, colour, texture, among other characteristics, to tell a normal discharge from an abnormal one, but we are not going to pretend that it is that simple nor push aside the fact that we have been left confused at one time or the other.
READ ALSO: Discharge Down There: See What’s Normal & What’s Not
A Nigerian physician, Dr Atangwho took to Twitter to share an educative post on the subject, highlighting the 7 types of vaginal discharge, their individual characteristic colour, as well as when to worry or visit a doctor.
Read the full thread below:
7 types of vaginal discharge you should know 1. Yellowish 2. Brown 3. Green 4. Pink 5. Thin white 6. Thick white 7. Creamy grey
Yellowish vaginal discharge with or without a smell, may be a sign of; – bacterial infection, or – sexually transmitted infection (STI), like Trichomoniasis If you have this discharge, don’t waste time. See your health care provider for evaluation & treatment.
Brown vaginal discharge may be due to; – irregular menstrual cycles – uterine cancer, or – cervical cancer.
In fact, brown discharge in a woman after menopause is often an early sign of cancer of the uterus. It’s a pointer you shouldn’t joke about. See your doctor immediately!
Greenish vaginal discharge may point to the presence of a; – bacterial infection, or – STI, such as chlamydia So anyone having a greenish discharge should see a doctor for tests & commencement of antibiotics.
Pink vaginal discharge occurs in vaginal irritation, bleeding from the cervix or after implantation. It’s occasionally due to STI’s like gonorrhea or chlamydia & may be accompanied by bleeding during sex. You should see a doctor if you have a pink vaginal discharge.
Thin white discharge may be normal or abnormal. If it is CLEAR & mild it’s usually normal e.g. during pregnancy, ovulation & around your period. But gonorrhea can increase the volume of clear discharge or turn it mucopurulent, with additional abdominal or pelvic pain.
Thick white, curdy or cheese-like discharge that feels like thick yogurt, is often due to yeast infection or candida. 9 in 10 women have this infection at some point in their life. It may come with itching, redness, irritation, excoriation or burning sensation in your vagina.
You can treat yeast infection with antifungal creams. But if your symptoms don’t improve or occur four or more times in a year, see your doctor. Another point is that there’s currently no evidence of need to treat the male partner who isn’t showing symptoms.
Finally, a creamy greyish-white vaginal discharge that adheres to the wall of the vagina & has a horrible odour, is usually caused by Bacterial vaginosis. You’ll see this more during or following your menses. If you have it, see a doctor to prescribe antibiotics for you.
In brief, if you have vaginal discharge, see a doctor when you notice: 1. Unusual odour, colour or consistency 2. Itching, burning or redness 3. Pelvic or abdominal pain 4. Blood in the discharge (not related to your period) 5. The discharge worsens after a week
Every woman has a vaginal discharge at some point in their lives. So they really need to know which discharge is normal & which is not.
This will help them easily know when there’s a problem & handle it early before it gets out of hand.
Follow the original thread below:
7 types of vaginal discharge you should know
1. Yellowish
2. Brown
3. Green
4. Pink
5. Thin white
6. Thick white
7. Creamy greyA thread ?#VaginalDischarge
{Retweet for awareness!} pic.twitter.com/9PjduVjMz6
— First Doctor (@firstdoctorr) August 24, 2020