Abnormal Vaginal discharge is the most common complaint among all women. It is the fluid that is produced by the glands in the lining of the vagina and the cervix. A small amount of vaginal discharge, which is milky white and clear with no odor, is usually normal.

The vaginal secretion, which flows out of the vagina every day helps to maintain your vagina healthy and clean. However, it becomes abnormal vaginal discharge when the amount and appearance of discharge changes.

Abnormal vaginal discharge is a highly common phenomenon that can be identified through three main symptoms: excessive vaginal discharge, changes in discharge color and odor, itching, irritation, soreness or burning sensation of vagina and vulva.

If you have an abnormal discharge then there will be an increase in the amount and thickness of discharge, white and clumpy (like cottage cheese), grayish, greenish, yellowish, or blood-tinged discharge, mucus and pus mixed in with discharge or frothy smell.

Abnormal discharge may cause with the inflammation of vagina, usually known as vaginitis, which occurs due to an infection or irritation by a chemical. It mostly occurs in young girls with a discharge that may contain blood due to a foreign object in the vagina.

Irritation may result from spermicides, vaginal lubricants, diaphragms, and latex condoms. However, the vagina becomes thinner and dryer after menopause where an inflammation of vagina may occur, thus increasing your chances of having excess vaginal discharge.

Abnormal Vaginal Discharge

A change in appearance and odor can be caused by bacterial vaginosis. With this bacterium, normal vaginal discharge may turn into a white, gray, or yellowish cloudy discharge with a strange (fishy) odor.

However, a thick, white, and clumpy discharge (like cottage cheese), which is accompanied by itching, is generally caused by candidiasis, a yeast infection.

A protozoan infection, called trichomoniasis (sexual transmitted disease) changes discharge from vagina into a heavy, greenish yellow, frothy discharge that may have a bad odor.

Other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea, chlamydia can change the color of your discharge. A greenish or yellowish discharge may occur due to cervical infection, which is caused by gonorrhea, chlamydia.

However, cancer of the cervix, vagina, or lining of the uterus may cause a blood-tinged, watery vaginal discharge.

Once you find your normal vaginal discharge to be abnormal, it is better to consult your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Remember, treating yourself with home remedies may improve your symptoms for few days but cannot completely eliminate your abnormal vaginal discharge.

For diagnosing the cause of the abnormal vaginal discharge, your doctor will perform a pelvic examination and also examine a sample of the discharge using a microscope.

Once the cause of the excessive vaginal discharge is identified, your doctor will start treating your problem. Oral antibiotics or antibiotic vaginal creams will be prescribed if the cause of abnormal vaginal secretion is a bacterial infection.

However, a specific oral drug or vaginal preparations will be prescribed if your abnormal vaginal discharge is due to a type of yeast infection or trichomonad. If it is caused by a tumor, then a biopsy of the cervix or vagina may be compulsory.

Some helpful links to know more about abnormal vaginal discharge:

Is Your Normal Vaginal Discharge Having Offensive Odor? Find Out The Right Cause For Right Treatment!

Why Is There Increased Vaginal Discharge?

White Discharge in Women – What Is Normal and What Is Abnormal

What is a Healthy Vagina and How Can You Keep It That Way?

Bump On Vagina – What Does It Mean?

More Resources:

Boils Down There? Why They Happen And What To Do

Homeopathic Treatment Of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

31 COMMENTS

  1. My vagina has a fishy order…..and somethimes my discharge luks thick like cheez…..what can i do to prevent this infectious isue???????????????

  2. My vagina has a fishy odor and has a smoky white discharge and I’m to embarrassed to tell my doctor. What can I do to help this situation?? The odor only occurs after I have alot of discharge but I have no itching or irritation.

  3. My vagina doesn’t smell any different but I have a discharge that is brown and thick, I also have pain in my uterin area inside not out and it hurts to have intercourse with my husband.

  4. my vagina discharge is white, thick and has a foul smell but it doesn’t itch.and i did not have my monthly period last month. is something wrong with me?and i’m too embarassed to go to the doctor. fyi, i’m still a virgin

  5. If you are wearing tight jeans and not cleaning yourself right front to back you probably have a yeast infection you just need to go to the doctors and ask them to prescribe u a cream, supposotories or ask them for flagyl

  6. for about two months ive been having a discharge color yellowish and thick. sometimes it turns like brownish but thin but mostly its yellow with this fishy nasty smell. i dont have any itchy or any pain in my virgina just the smell? is this like really bad? could this be a bacterial vaginosis????

  7. My discharge is whitish milky & it also have a foul odor but it dosent itch.is that a problem & how can i cure it.

  8. ok so i have a white milky discharge (sometimes yellow) but no stinky smell, no irritation, no chunks, or itching. When I have intercourse its seems like its every where. I just hate having it. I use the birthcontol patch and i was reading on on the package that it changes the fluids so sperms cant swim through it or something like that, so i was wondering if it was my birthconrol?? maybe infection?

  9. Lately for the passed 3-4 days I’ve been having a watery, blood stained like discharge. . .is this a sign of having vagina/cervix/uterus cancer? I’m only 17 years old. So what could possibly be wrong with me?

  10. I am only fifteen years old, soon to be sixteen, and i have vaginal discharge. i think. its sometimes white and milky, but it can be yellowish and crusty too. i can’t wear underwear for more than six hours at a time, but it doesn’t burn or itch when i urinate. sometimes i think that it might be coming from my clitoris if that is possible, but i don’t have any orgasms while i have sex with my boyfriend. sometimes when we make love i even bleed, sometimes when he fingers me i bleed, too. I’m wondering if i have an infection or something, please help!

  11. I’m 17 and I have had a foul smell to my vagina for a while now. I don’t think my discharge is abnormal looking. I’ve gone to the doctor to get a Pap smear and they didnt find anything wrong. I’m still a virgin. And i shower daily, so I don’t understand what can be causing this. It is really embarassing and annoying. No matter what I do, it continues to smell and I don’t know what to do!

  12. My discharge is milky white and odorless but I have irritation. When I am go to bathroom, every time I wash the area water and antiseptic liquid, but no result. One time I keep physical relation with my boy friend, but not fully. I want to know, it is the reason or cause of Cancer? Please help me, because after some week My marrige ceremony is coming soon. Please help! What I do?

  13. Hii.. Would really love a feeback..
    I had sex wd my hubby som 3 days back..
    Since i din get ny white dischrge, wht i usually get.. Does dat mean am preg??

  14. Hey. Im only 16 soon to be 17. I have this white discharge I think it is, its always on my underwear. Its very annoying and fustrating. It doesn’t smell bad,it doesn’t burn or itch. Somtimes ill pee and clear will drip after I urine…im ver scared. Im scared to tell me doctor. I sometimes have cramps as If im starting my cycle. HELP ME PLEASE

  15. heyy
    i actually have the same exact problems as sheyana. ive never heard of anyone having this problem before and i don’t want to see my doctor either.
    please helpp !
    =/

  16. i’m 15 and i have yellowish sometimes halfway green discharge with an odor thats something terrible and when i have sex with my boyfriend i bleed and i also have itchingness to after or sometimes whn i take a shower. whats wrong with me?

  17. I once ate very hotty things to prepond my periods.Since then onwards I get white discharge before &after my periods.I am trying to conceive ,will it harm my ovulation.

  18. Rashmi, eating hot things once may not affect your ovulation. You can conceive. Your white discharge may be due to other reasons. Better consult a gynecologist to find the problem

  19. So I am having abnormal discharge and I am afraid I have an STD because I had unprotected sex with someone. I have been experiencing abnormal discharge for about two weeks and occasional pain in the vaginal wall. It doesn’t hurt when I pee or anything else. what should I do, I really can’t afford to get tested.

  20. i get this problem so it seems when i have sex while having my period !yes i used a condom only when i have sex on my period and both times that i did have sex while having my monthly i got a thick water white discharge that DO NOT smell but im really itchy and making myself sore. i dont want to go to the dr because i dont really have time, i had a pap test done 2 months ago and it was normal no STI or anything so i dont understand why this is happening ,i been with my bf for a year now and he is the only one i have sex with so is it a reaction from the condom or is it BV? yeast infection? or is he cheating on me ?

  21. I have a watery discharge from my vagina, it is colorless and it is not smelling, but it is irratating because I am always wet down there as if I just had an orgasm and the juices are flowing. This only started recently after my last period. I am 38 years old. What can it be?

  22. I have white cheese like discharge from my vagina, odourless. The vaginal area is itching and there is burning sensation sometimes. I am 23 years old.
    Just for reference I am providing details as follows:
    Few days back I had sex with my boyfriend and he used to condom which was different brand than the available usally in market. I was having fever aftre 2 days and I was consuming medicines Fabrex Plus and Antibiotic “Ceftas-200″ for 5 days as per prescibed by my Dr. On the 3rd day my Boyfriend and I got physical we didnt have sex. but at that time when I got a discharge it was white cheese like and since then it is continuing like that. what I mean to say is I realised the change in discharge at that time. as when I get excited the discharge is more than always. and since then I have irritation in vaginal area and also cheese like discharge which is abnormal than always.
    what can be done? any medication? what is it called? Can I have sex during this period of infection? How long will it take to be normal again? Is it because of Antibiotic or medications which I took? It has happened for the first time. Is it ok to have such infection? What care should be taken?
    I would also like to mention that I generally were panti liner. Is it ok to use it almost daily. and whether it can cause any infection.
    even is there is chance of cervical cancer after having such type of infection? I read about the vaccine for cervical cancer? what is it?

  23. Raa–you sound like you have a yeast infection, which is normal after taking antibiotics. I wouldn’t suggest having sex since your boyfriend can get it and pass it back to you. If you’ve never had one before, see a doctor to confirm. After that, over the counter meds work good–only messy. If one brand doesn’t work, try another with different ingredients. Not all work for everyone. Just so you know, I’m 50 and have always had a very heavy discharge, sometimes a little itchy, no bad smell. Nothing takes it away and I have used a panty shield every day for years. I would never go without them since my pants would be wet. Dr. says nothing wrong!? I’ve just learned to live with it. Over the counter iodine douche after my periods always helped.

  24. I’ve had all of these symptoms. If u have yello discharge with itching and redness u might have clamydia. If u have discharge and fishy odor and slight to no itching possibly redness u have bacteria vaginosis remember!!! Bacteria vaginosis always has a fishy smell so wen u smell that its probally 99% u have bv. If you have cottage cheese white discharge with intesnse itching especially after u wipe yourself after useing the bathroom you have a yeast infection. If your having blood in your urine and when your urinate it feels like your cervix inside of you is burning u nmost likely have a urinary teact infection! Girls pleease listen to me I’ve had all of these and I know the stmptoms don’t wait!! Go to the gyn/doctor because all of these can lead to more serious complications! I waited wen I had clamydia wen I was 17 yrs old I was scared I was having yellow discharge my cervix burned and I had back pain I waited 3 months and I was dizzy I was having pabic attacks and confusion I went to the emergemcy room they said oi had clamydia which I had for to long which caused pelvic inflamitory disease I had a uti bvacteria vaginosis and yeast. I felt sooooo much stress lifted off my shoulders after I went to the doc and got treatmment I was so stressed out from worrieng all thje time my blood pressure was high all the time which caused th panic attacks. Moral of this story is if u think somthig is wrong with you u have to go see a doctor because if u wait all it causes is stress and complications. Thell test your discharhe or urine and give you a antibiotic and send u home. You will feel so better don’t ask questions done post post online for answers just plllease go to the doctor to avoid all the complications I had to go thru. Usually wen u get bacteria vaginosis most women keep getting it docs dnt know why but they do. I’m having symptoms of this right now! Which is why I’m calling my doc and scheudling a appointment asap! Lol I hope I’ve helped u ladies from my experience ill pray for u all!

  25. Okay. i have the same xact problem as hannah. i really am just worried and idk what to do. i have a thick odorless white discharge just about all the time and when i go to have sex most of the time i bleed. sometimes its more than others. it just really has me worried and im embarrassed to talk to a doctor. PLEASE HELP ME.

  26. Ok ladies, I totally agree with anoynous!YOU SHOULD GO SEE A DR ASAP!!
    Don’t be embaressed from dr.s they see hundreds and thousands of cases like yours every day
    It’s very common to have a vaginal infection & having it doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you
    These infections r so easy to treat as long as u treat them asap to prevent coplications that can be harmful to you
    From all different symptoms that u ladies have got I saw yeast inf.s and bacterial inf.s
    Plz go get them treated otherwise it can affect ur total health.
    Hope u listen to an advice from a health care professionaln we have studied these things too much that we’re not embaressed anymore lol
    We just want to help you:)
    Thank you

  27. hey-ok well im 15 and i have a constant discharge,it’s yellow’ish and thick. sometimes it turns like brownish but hardly-mostly its yellow with this horrid smell. i dont have any itchy or any pain in my virgina just the smell?i have wear pantyliners everyday. What kinda discharge do i have and how do i get rid of it? i want to tell my gyne,please reply asap.

  28. I had sex with my boyfriend the other day – our 6th time, we were both virgins b4, and afterwards there was this white stuff everywhere on my vagina – at first we thought it was sperm bcoz thats very similar to what it looked like, but we checked the condom and everything and it was all fine, by bf sed he’s seen the white stuff on me b4 – but a very small amount – what is the deal with it after sex? The only difference this time was that I had orgasmed shortly b4 – clitorally… but we had sex about an hour afterwards and there was no white stuff. Quite confused? Im 18.

  29. I had sex with my boyfriend on sunday and the condom broke. The next day i notice i have a yellow discharge coming out of me with no odor or any other symptoms. Its 4 days later and im so worried because im canstantly seeing this yellow discharge , that wont go away. What should i do?

  30. sheyana and jas, im 19 years old going to be 20 soon. ive had a whiteish clear discharge with no odor or itching since the day i started my period. i was nervous to and didnt know what was wrong with me but dont worry. i went to the doctors and its normal. some girls have a regular discharge. yes its very annoying but its not harmful.

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