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Causes Of Abnormal Discharge
By peace | June 10, 2006
Having some amount of vaginal discharge is normal, especially if you are of childbearing age. Glands in the cervix produce a clear mucus. These secretions may turn white or yellow when exposed to the air. These are all normal variations.
The amount of mucus produced by the cervical glands varies throughout the menstrual cycle. This is normal and depends on the amount of estrogen circulating in your body.
Vaginal discharge that suddenly differs in color, odor, or consistency, or significantly increases or decreases in amount, may indicate an underlying problem like an infection. If abnormal vaginal discharge is due to a sexually transmitted disease (STD), your sexual partner(s) will likely require treatment as well.
|
Type of discharge |
Possible causes |
|
Thick and white |
Normal in some women Thrush ( Candida infection) |
|
Itchy |
Thrush ( Candida infection) Trichomoniasis |
|
Smelly |
Bacterial vaginosis Trichomoniasis Gonorrhoea Forgotten tampon |
Bacterial vaginosis is a very common cause of vaginal discharge. The discharge smells fishy.
Thrush is caused by the yeast Candida albicans. The main symptom of thrush is itching, but it can cause a thick, whitish discharge.
Forgotten tampons. ‘Lost’ tampons are quite a common cause of discharge. It is easy to forget to remove the last tampon at the end of a period. After a week or two, the tampon begins to fester, and there will be a foul-smelling discharge.
If you have an old tampon in place, remove it as soon as possible. If your discharge continues for more than a couple of days, see your doctor or visit a genitourinary medicine clinic.
Gonorrhoea is one of the most infectious sexually transmitted infections. It is caused by infection with the Gonococcus bacterium. If a woman has unprotected sex with a man who has it, she has a 60 –90% chance of catching it. It is serious because if it is not treated, it can spread upwards to the Fallopian tubes. These tubes carry the egg from the ovary to the womb (uterus), so damage to them can cause infertility. About one-fifth of women with gonorrhoea have a foul-smelling, greenish-yellow discharge. About one-fifth have vague symptoms, such as a slight increase in discharge, pain on intercourse or lower abdominal discomfort. About one-fifth have no symptoms at all. (Most men with gonorrhoea notice an obvious discharge from the penis.)
Trichomoniasis is caused by a tiny amoeba-like (protozoan) organism called Trichomonas vaginalis. It used to be common, but for mysterious reasons is becoming less so; over the last 10 years the number of cases in England and Wales has fallen from 17 000/year to 5000/year. It causes a discharge that is often frothy and yellowish-greenish, but it may be thin and scanty. The discharge is smelly, and the vulva is often itchy and sore. It may also be painful to pass urine. It is caught from a man who has it, but he may be unaware of his condition as most men with trichomoniasis do not have any symptoms. It is not dangerous, though some doctors think it could possibly spread to the Fallopian tubes.
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