Vaginal discharge
Abnormal vaginal discharge is usually a sign of an infection.
The most common causes are:
You can also get unusual vaginal discharge from a condom or tampon stuck in your vagina or from cleaning inside your vagina (douching) .
It's hard to tell what the cause is just based on the type of discharge you have. The guide below may help give you some idea, but always see a doctor or nurse for a proper diagnosis and advice.
If your dischargeis white or grey, thin and watery, and has an unpleasant fishy smell, you may have bacterial vaginosis (BV) .
Thisis an imbalance in the normal bacteria found in your vagina.It doesn't usually cause other symptoms, such as itching or irritation.
BV is very common and isn't considered an STI, but sex may play a part in triggering it. It's easily treated with antibiotics from your GP, although it's not uncommon for it to come back after treatment.
If your discharge is thick and white like cottage cheese, not smelly and occurswith itchiness and soreness around your vagina, youmay have thrush .
Many women get thrush from time to time. It's not sexually transmitted, although male sexual partners of women with thrush can sometimes get an itchy, sore penis.
It's treated with antifungal medicine , which is available over the counter froma local pharmacist .
If your discharge becomes frothy, yellow or green and foul-smelling, you may have trichomoniasis though this is much rarer than the two causes of discharge mentioned above.
Other possible symptoms are soreness and itching around the vagina, pain when peeing, and pain during sex.
It's treated with antibiotics available on prescription.
If you have unusual discharge as well as pelvic pain, pain when peeing,or bleeding between periods or after sex, you may have chlamydia or gonorrhoea .
These are both treated with antibiotics available on prescription.
If untreated, they could lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) , a serious infection of the womb, fallopian tubes or ovaries.
Unusual discharge occurring with painful red blisters or sores around your genitals may be a sign of genital herpes .
It's treated with antiviral tablets available on prescription.
The symptoms can come backand you may need advice from your doctor about treatment to keep it under control.
Find out about vaginal discharge, including what's normal, signs of a problem, what can cause unusual discharge, and when to get medical advice.
Vaginal discharge is caused by mucus produced fromthe cervix, the lower part of the womb that leads into the vagina. It helps keeps your vagina moist and protects it from infection. Normal vaginal d
A change in yournormal vaginal discharge could be a sign of a problem. Unusual changes include: a change in colour such as grey, green, yellow, pink or blood-tinged discharge an unpleasant smell s
It's a good idea to see your GP or practice nurse or visit your nearest genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic or sexual health clinic if you're worried about a change in your vaginal discharge. It's
Abnormal vaginal discharge is usually a sign of an infection. The most common causes are: bacterial vaginosis (BV) a bacterial infection of the vagina thrush an infection caused by overgrowth
It's unusual for young girls to have abnormal vaginal discharge before they'vestarted puberty . See a GP if this happens. The causes mentionedabove are uncommon inyoung girls, but discharge couldbeth