7 types of väginal discharge you should know.
1. Yellowish
2. Brown
3. Green
4. Pink
5. Thin white
6. Thick white
7. Creamy grey
1. Yellowish väginal 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 doctor for evaluation & treatment.
2. Brown vaginal discharge may be due to;
- Irregular menstrual cycles
- Lochia
- Uterine cancer, or
- Cervical cancer
• Lochia is the väginal discharge after giving birth, containing blood, mucus, and uterine tissue, it can be dark-red or brownish in colour. It's very normal.
• 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!
3. Greenish väginal 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 and commencement of antibiotics medication.
4. Pink väginal discharge occurs in vaginal irritation, bleeding from the cervix or after implantation.
• It's occasionally due to STI's like gonorrhea or chlamydia and may be accompanied by bleeding during sëx.
• You should see a doctor if you have a pink väginal discharge.
5. Thin white discharge may be normal or abnormal.
• If it is clear, mild & stretchy and looks like a raw egg white, it's usually normal e.g. during pregnancy, ovulation and around your period. This is a NORMAL discharge.
• But gonorrhea can increase the volume of clear discharge or turn it mucopurulent, with additional abdominal or pelvic pain.
6. Thick white, curdy or cheese-like discharge that feels like thick yoghurt, 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 vägina.
• You can treat yeast infection with antifungal medications e.g., Diflucan and antifungal creams e.g., Mycoten cream.
• 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.
7. Finally, a creamy greyish-white vaginal discharge that adheres to the wall of the vägina and has a horrible odour is usually caused by Bacterial vaginosis.
• If you experience this often, see a doctor to prescribe antibiotics for you.
• In brief, if you have vaginal discharge, see a doctor when you notice:
- Unusual odour, colour or consistency
- Itching, burning or redness.
- Pelvic or abdominal pain
- Blood in the discharge (not related to your period).
- The discharge worsens after a week
• Every woman has a väginal discharge at some point in their lives. So they really need to know which discharge is normal and which is abnormal. This will help them easily know when there's a problem and handle it early before it gets out of hand.