Often discharge, not associated with menstruation, scares women. For not each woman knows about what vaginal discharge can be considered as normal, and what indicates the presence of disease.
Vaginal discharge can be different colors: bloody- red, brown, gray, black, whitish, greenish, yellowish, pink. They can have a jelly-like, cheesy or foamy consistency, also the may be with or without odor. In addition to the above, the discharge may be accompanied by symptoms such as itching, irritation and pain.
Discharge of a healthy women, apart from the critical days, should not be abundant, but mucous and somewhat cloudy, since they are composed of epithelial cells from the vagina. Due to the small, but constant vaginal discharge, genital tract of women is cleared, preventing the occurrence of infections.
If daily lining is not changed for a long time, then discharge on it acquires a yellowish color due to the interaction with oxygen. Normal discharges are not accompanied by unpleasant sensations such as irritation of the genitals, such as itching and burning. Fresh vaginal discharges are usually odorless. Odour occurs when the bacterias begin to multiply in them. Keep in mind however, that the day of the menstrual cycle affects the number and nature of vaginal discharge.
We will tell you which discharge certain days of the cycle can be regarded as the norm.
Normal Vaginal Discharge
- before ovulation (mid cycle) – mucous, stretching, transparent similar to egg white can be plentiful;
- in the second half of the cycle – scanty, jelly and creamy;
- before menstruation – creamy or jelly discharges becomes intense as the flow approaches;
- in the first few hours after full sexual intercourse when sperm enters into the vagina – transparent, white or slightly yellowish, having the consistency of clots;
- on the morning after unprotected sex – liquid, abundant, of white color;
- after sex without ejaculation into the vagina or using a condom – creamy, having a white color, not abundant (so-called vaginal lubrication);
- during the onset of menstruation – scarlet red, with the growing character;
- during ovulation (mid cycle) – mucus with bloody streaks;
- during pregnancy – liquid, light, similar to milk, without the unpleasant smell and irritation of the genitals. As a rule, the intensity of such discharge increases with increasing of the gestational age;
- after giving birth – ichor pink color, similar to diluted blood;
- you take hormonal contraceptives – brown discharge during the first months.
Now let’s talk more about the discharge in the different days of the cycle.
Discharges Before Menstruation
The norm is smearing discharge of brown color, appearing in a couple of days before menstruation. If smearing discharges precede the onset of menstruation for more than two days – this is evidence of diseases of female genitalia.
They can be a symptom of hormonal disorders, infections, hematologic character diseases, adeomioza. Quite often this phenomenon occurs when there is endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial polyps. The appearance before the menstruation of brown discharges in conjunction with painful and prolonged (more than a week) menstruation, with the presence of blood clots, indicates endometriosis.
The presence of brown discharge in the middle of the cycle can signal progesterone deficiency, or polycystic ovary syndrome. This can cause infertility and it must be treated.
Discharges During Menstruation
If during menstruation there is profuse bleeding, then it is necessary get an ultrasound, which will help to assess the state of the internal genitalia. Such bleeding can indicate the presence of uterine fibroids, endometriosis.
If the lining of the uterus has a normal thickness, the procedure of the curettage is not required. If the bleeding was caused by the hypertrophy (increase in thickness) of endometrial polyps endometrial or cervical cancer, you will likely have to undergo the curettage procedure.
In the future, it will be necessary to undergo histological examination to exclude the possibility of a more serious issue.
Discharges After Menstruation
At the end of menstruation the level of blood clotting increases, and the lining begins to exude out slowly. As the blood clots quickly, the color of the discharge and clots become darker – brown. If they have no odor, it is considered normal. If there is a smell you need to analyze smears for Chlamydia, gardnerellas, mycoplasma and ureaplasma, herpes, cytomegalovirus. If the discharges appeared a few days after the period or if the duration of menstruation itself is more than seven days, you should be tested for pregnancy. By the way, with such symptoms, it may be ectopic.
Pathological Vaginal Discharge
The presence of scarlet bleeding discharge may indicate:
- the erosion of the cervix – a few days before the onset of menstruation;
- the threat of termination of pregnancy – during pregnancy. about the threat of termination of pregnancy – during pregnancy. They appear as a result of the fact that fertilized egg or the placenta is peeled off;
- the presence of micro-cracks in the vagina, which were formed during intercourse, erosion, cervicitis – after sexual intercourse.
The appearance of blood discharge can occur after an abortion. After one week, it is necessary to see a doctor and have a controlling ultrasound.
The presence of mucous discharge of white color or transparent mucous discharge with the presence of white streaks after the end of the cycle, before the start of menstruation, talks about cervical erosion, cervicitis (inflammation of the cervical canal). In any case, these discharges are related to the cervix.
The appearance of a white curd-like or yogurt like discharge, film or thin coating of white color on the labia and the clitoris indicates a yeast infection (candidiasis). As a rule, they are accompanied by bread or sour milk odor and itching.
The presence of white, greenish or grayish, flaking with films discharge, accompanied by a fishy odor talks about vaginal dysbiosis.
The bubbling yellow-green discharge signals the presence of infections that are sexually transmitted.
The presence of abundant discharge of yellow or green hues points to an acute bacterial infection of the vagina, acute adnexitis (inflammation of the ovaries), acute salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes).
The presence of scanty discharge of yellow or green hues indicates a bacterial infection in the vagina, erosion, chronic adnexitis (inflammation of the ovaries), chronic salpingitis (inflammation of the fallopian tubes).
The presence of purulent discharge of green color testifies to the purulent cervicitis. They have a thick consistency, combined with the mucus and they are amplified by the process of defecation.
The presence of dark brown, smearing discharges for a few days after menstruation indicates that a pathological process is happening in the uterus.
The presence of bleeding, brown, smearing discharges in the early stages of a pregnancy indicates the detachment of the fetal egg or the placenta.
The presence of ichor (pink discharges as diluted blood), which has an unpleasant odor indicates about the presence of chronic endometritis, chronic endocervicitis. As a rule, it appears in the premenstrual period.
The presence of liquid, watery discharge, with a different color on a lining before and after menstruation indicates chronic endometritis or chronic endocervicitis.
The presence of large blood clots during menstruation talks about the bend of the cervix, disorders of processes for blood clotting. Similar discharge may be in women with intrauterine devices.
Discharge When You Have Intrauterine Devices
As a rule, the installation of the intrauterine devices is accompanied by a bloody discharge for two weeks. In addition, the spiral provokes abundant prolonged menstruation and another one of its side effects can be bloody discharge from the vagina during the intermenstrual period. If the spiral provokes the development of anemia, it is immediately removed.
Discharges Before and After Sex
At the moment of sexual arousal women’s glands (vestibule of vagina) begin actively to develop vaginal lubrication, and it is normal.
Too thick, abundant, with an unpleasant odor discharges can occur if there is full and unprotected sexual intercourse – which causes a of cleaning the vagina from sperm. And the presence of blood discharges during sexual intercourse or immediately after it may be indicative of microcracks or cervical erosion.
Vaginal discharge with white, yellow, green, gray colors or purulent ones with a specific odor a few days or weeks after unprotected intercourse can talk about the development of infections or sexually transmitted diseases. Recent ones are accompanied by itching, burning sensation in the vagina and urethra, and pain during sex.
If there is presence of unhealthy discharges, you must consult a physician-gynecologist. Only he or she can say with confidence, if you are healthy, and otherwise – to diagnose the illness and prescribe the necessary treatment.
