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.
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:
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
View Comments (31)
My vagina has a fishy order.....and somethimes my discharge luks thick like cheez.....what can i do to prevent this infectious isue???????????????
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.
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.
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
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
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????
My discharge is whitish milky & it also have a foul odor but it dosent itch.is that a problem & how can i cure it.
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?
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?
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!