What is vaginal discharge?
The vagina is a mucosa and, as such, it is humid, and being open to the outside and in a sloping area, by gravity it expels the greater or lesser excess of humidity to the outside. This fluid is called vaginal discharge.
How vaginal discharge varies throughout life
Vaginal discharge varies throughout life, mainly due to hormonal stimulation. It is very scarce before the first period and after the last, and more abundant during the years of a woman’s fertile life during which it varies enormously throughout the menstrual cycle, and is also highly variable from one woman to another. And it also increases depending on physical activity and especially sexual arousal.
After the end of the period, the first days of the cycle there is little discharge, which increases as the first phase of the cycle progresses, being white and thick at the beginning of the second week to change to mucoid and transparent like egg white in the second week. time of ovulation changing back to white and thick during the second phase until the onset of menstrual bleeding.
These changes in the characteristics of the flow are motivated by the different hormones that predominate in each of the phases of the cycle and have the purpose of favoring or hindering the function of the spermatozoa. That raw egg white-like periovulatory discharge can keep sperm in good condition longer and help them move up through the cervical canal into the uterine cavity. On the contrary, when the fertile stage of the cycle has ended, the flow is scant and dense, acting as a barrier that makes it difficult for sperm to pass through the upper reproductive tract.
What should the normal discharge look like and what color?
Vaginal discharge is a combination of water, cells, and substances such as glucose, amino acids, antibodies, and lactic acid… secreted by the glands of the cervix and transudates from the vaginal walls, in which a large number of bacteria live in a delicate balance. , the vaginal microbiota, which when its proportion is adequate is responsible for maintaining acid vaginal pH and infections at bay. And the function of this fluid is to keep the vagina moist and hydrated so that it allows penetration during sexual intercourse, and also to prevent infections.
- The normal color of this physiological discharge is white or transparent and may be slightly yellow when it dries on underwear.
- The color and consistency of this fluid can vary in cases of infection or changes in the vaginal microbiota, and this characteristic is very useful when it comes to guiding the cause of a vaginitis condition.
Change of color in discharge when there is an infection
- The most common infections are those caused by fungi and bacteria called Gardnerella vaginalis.
- The fungi cause a characteristically white and thick discharge reminiscent of cottage cheese, it is usually accompanied by itching and significant irritation, its treatment is with oral or topical antifungal drugs.
- Gardnerella is a fairly harmless bacterium that is found in normal conditions in healthy vaginas in a low proportion, but when it is the predominant bacterium it causes a yellow or gray liquid discharge, whose main characteristic is that it smells like fish and causes rather a sensation itching more than itching, but what usually leads the woman to consult is generally the bad smell. It is treated with antibiotics or vaginal antiseptics.
- Other infectious processes that can generate changes in the flow are certain sexually transmitted infections, such as Chlamydia or Gonococcus. In this case, the flow is similar to pus, beige, yellow or greenish fluid. It is usually accompanied by more flowery symptoms such as pain and even fever, but sometimes they are asymptomatic infections, highly transmissible and with the potential to cause serious pelvic infections with sequelae on occasions of sterility, therefore it is very important to detect and treat them and treat all sexual partners in the last three months even if they do not have symptoms. Treatment is with oral and parenteral antibiotics.
In the face of changes in the color of vaginal discharge, it is important to consult a gynecologist and receive the appropriate treatment.
What you should know…
- Vaginal discharge varies throughout life, mainly due to hormonal stimulation. And it also increases depending on physical activity and especially sexual arousal.
- The normal color of this physiological discharge is white or transparent and may be slightly yellow when it dries on underwear.
- The fungus causes a characteristically thick white discharge. And in the case of sexually transmitted infections such as Chlamydia or Gonococcus, the flow is similar to pus, beige, yellowish or greenish fluid.
