All women have vaginal discharge and it is completely normal as well. It is only when the normal vaginal discharge changes in colour, consistency and odour that you need to take notice and understand that something has gone wrong, somewhere. Changes in vaginal discharge can be due to many reasons.
Infections, diseases, hormonal imbalance etc. If you find that your vaginal discharge is green, yellow, curdy, watery and foul smelling or blood stained, it could be a warning signal and you need to see the doctor without wasting time.
Diagnosis Of Vaginal Discharge
Fishy Smell
If the discharge from the vaginal smells very foul and increases in quantity, it could be a bacterial infection. A typical fishy smell from the vaginal discharge is associated with bacterial vaginosis which is a very common bacterial infection affecting women.
Though not a sexually transmitted disease, bacterial vaginosis is more common among younger women who are sexually active and have multiple sexual partners. The discharge due to bacterial vaginosis is more noticeable immediately after a sexual intercourse.
Yellow Green/Grey Discharge
Trichomonas is an infection caused by protozoa parasites and has symptoms like yellow green discharge, foul odour, itching, pain during intercourse and vaginal irritation. Trichomonas is a sexually transmitted disease and is one of the most common STDs.
Thick And Curdy Discharge
Thick and curdy discharge like that of cottage cheese indicates yeast infection, caused by fungus. This kind of discharge will be followed by burning sensation, itching, painful urination, vaginal irritation etc. The discharge due to yeast infection will not have any foul odour.
Watery Discharge
Photo Credit: Nutricionyalimentos.com/sintomas-de-estrenimiento
Watery discharge with pain and burning during urination and weeping blisters or presence of visible sores may be due to genital herpes. The sores may sometimes be located internally and not visible outside. Genital herpes is sexually transmitted and is caused by herpes simplex virus.
Cloudy Discharge
Cloudy discharge from the vagina along with burning sensation, pain and inflammation of the vaginal canal can be caused due to gonorrhoea which is a sexually transmitted disease as well. Gonorrhoea normally do not present itself with symptoms and hence is very difficult to diagnose until you go for specific tests.
Pus Filled Discharge
Discharge which is accompanied by pus can indicate pelvic inflammatory disease. PID normally causes fever and lower abdominal pain as well and needs to be treated with antibiotics. If left untreated, PID can even lead to infertility.
White Discharge
White discharge which looks like cottage cheese could also mean that you have Chlamydia infection. The symptoms of Chlamydia are very similar to yeast infection. There would be itching, burning, pain and burning while urinating. Chlamydia too must be treated promptly failing which it can lead to serious eye damage.
Thin And Watery Discharge
If the discharge is thin and watery and sometimes accompanied by blood stains, it could mean atrophic vaginitis. This is more commonly seen in post menopausal women and women who have had their ovaries removed surgically. All kinds of vaginal discharge that is abnormal requires special attention as it may also be due to serious conditions like ovarian, cervical or uterine cancer.
Photo Credit: Glamcheck.com/health/2011/07/30/abnormal-periods-a-cause-of-worry
