Probably not a topic for polite dinner conversation but do you know what is ‘normal’ for the contents of your pants?
Normal vaginal discharge should be painless, odourless, clear and resemble egg-whites around ovulation time, but be slightly more scanty or drier at other times.
I’m going to discuss 3 of the most common types of ‘abnormal’ discharge and what to do about them.
- Thrush.
Vaginal thrush normally presents a thick, creamy cottage-cheese type discharge and is odourless. Normally the vagina and vulva are very itchy. You can have the itchy sensation without the discharge as well. 75% of women will suffer at least once in their lives, and it is more common in pregnancy.
The cause is an overgrowth of the fungus Candida Albicans. This lives quite happily in symbiosis on your skin, in your gut, in your mouth and in your vagina. It only grows when the conditions are right. Fungi need sugar as food and a warm moist environment. Antibiotics are like a forest fire for your gut and vaginal flora. The ‘bad guys’ re-populate faster than the ‘good guys’.
Preventing vaginal thrush is fairly easy. Wearing cotton underwear, trousers that are not too tight, stockings vs tights, showers vs baths, and avoiding scented products for your delicate area including sanitary ware. If you are suffering then you should inform and treat your sexual partner or it can ‘ping-pong’ between you! Conventional treatment is an antifungal pessary and cream. If you are suffering from recurrent thrush this is a sign that something else is going on.
2.B.V.
Bacterial vaginosis occurs in 10% of women in their lifetime. It is a bacterial infection of the womb. It may be caused by a change in sexual partner, having an IUD fitted, or anything that disrupts the sterile environment of the womb and vagina (see above). 50% of sufferers have no symptoms. However, symptoms can include: grey-white thin watery discharge with a strong fishy smell.
Conventional treatment is antibiotics, but these may then cause vaginal thrush!
- Trichomonas vaginalis
This is not very common at all. The cause is a parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis. It is commonly passed on if you are having unprotected sex. Symptoms are: thin or thick frothy discharge which is yellow-green in colour. The discharge has an offensive fishy smell. You can have soreness/ swelling around the vagina as well as itching. You may also have pain during sex and pain upon urinating.
Conventional treatment is antibiotics, but again these may then cause vaginal thrush! A high fibre diet is good here and decreasing refined sugar.
My top homeopathic remedies here are: Borax, Pulsatilla and Sepia.
If you are suffering from any of these or are curious to see if homeopathy can help, then feel free to contact me!
