Dr. U. Sen Gupta

Hi,

I am Dr. Jayanti Kamat. I am an IVF consultant, obstetrician and gynaecologist practicing for the last 20 years, I am practicing at Shrishti Fertility Care Centre and women's clinic. Today I will be talking about vaginal discharge, now vaginal discharge is a very common complaint, women of all ages complain of vaginal discharge. So what exactly is it, sometimes it is usually termed as Leucorrhea also. Now the complaint of discharge depends very much on the ideas, observation power and fascinated illness of individuals with women, now this vaginal discharge normal or abnormal should there be vaginal discharge at all. so scientifically the private parts that are the vulva and vagina are normally moised to some extent and this makes the woman comfortable, usually does not stain the under clothing but there are certain conditions in which the vaginal discharge is increased due to hormonal imbalance. So what are those conditions that is at the time of ovulation the discharge suddenly becomes watery a few days before menses it may also become then it becomes thick then it becomes take during pregnancy, after sexual intercourse and excessive discharge is seen in young girls just before they start their first menstrual period and a few years after they start their menstrual period. It is also increased in women who take oral contraceptives or birth control pills. A word about regular douching some women are under the misconception that regular douching improve genital hygiene, however washing away of natural discharge encourages the cervix to produce more discharge. Women magazines sometimes they advocate Deodorant product to sprayed on the private parts and vagina and valva to promote sexual attractiveness but on the contrary the chemicals which are present in this deodorant sprays, they irritate the skin and douching washes away all the protecting lactobacilli alters the pH and there are more chances of the women getting infection. Now what is abnormal discharge, so when can we say that the discharge is abnormal, if the discharge is accompanied with itching or redness, it causes a lot of irritation, unpleasant order or smell, burning sensation during urination, whether the colour of discharge if it is curd-like or yellow or yellowish green and if it is associated with pain during intercourse or dyspareunia. Now what are the causes of this abnormal discharge lot of women ask me why do we get this discharge and I keep myself so clean, so some of the causes are one, of course, it is poor hygiene then sexual intercourse with the Infected partner, public toilets repeated use of public toilets then douching has I have already mentioned, once you start destroying the natural perry of the vagina the women will be more prone to infection and cancer that we should never forget cancer or cancerous growth also give rise to discharge, so if the discharge is blood stained you have to be careful. Now, why should we pay so much attention to vaginal discharge because if this discharge is not treated, it can lead to complications? So what are those complications one is the pelvic inflammatory disease called as PID so here the uterus the tube and the entire reproductive tract gets infected? Then abnormal changes in cervix or mouth of the uterus now this abnormal changes can cause cellular changes, dysplastic changes and later on lead to cancer changes. Now, what about abnormal vaginal discharge in pregnant women does that affect them, yes, of course, it affects then it can cause premature rupture of membrane or the rupture of a bag of water even before the labor pain start or even before delivery. Now, this pack of water is supposed to be a protective shock absorber for the foetus and it protects the foetus from external infection. So when this bag of water ruptures the foetus will be prone to infection and the pregnancy will be at risk. The preterm delivery, what is preterm delivery? if the women deliver before nine months obviously she is going to run into complications, then chorreoamnoities i.e. infection of the Placenta and the fluid which is surrounding the foetus, endometriosis that is an infection of the lining of the uterus. Now, what is the treatment first and foremost self-medication is a straight no why you cannot see your neighbors prescription or your friends prescription and get yourself treated for vaginal discharge no, you have to get examined by a gynecologist she will ascertain the cause for your discharge and treat you accordingly. So how do we treat we usually give antifungal tablets or antibiotic tablets depending upon the cause of the infection, sometimes the treatment of the partner is also necessary to avoid the Ping Pong of infection between the partners. Then suppose a woman is suffering from chronic cervicitis or cervical erosion there are other modalities of treatment such as cryotherapy, laser cautery, then if a malignancy is discovered the treatment of malignancy will be something which is very specialized. Now what you have to do to prevent such type of vagina infection first and foremost routine cleanliness always use cotton underwear which can absorb the discharge avoid synthetic material nylon and avoid douching as I already mentioned because douching destroys the normal barriers of the vagina and makes it more prone for infection, you should avoid any type of sprays, deodorant sprays, safe sex practices and of course general health care and good nutrition which will allow you, which will give you immunity against the diseases. The very important point do not use very hot water to clean your private parts some people feel that if they use hot water they can clear away the infection very easily no and because of vaginal skin and mucosa is very delicate you can use lukewarm water or the tap water. Similarly, do not use medicated soaps like Dettol or Savlon, you can use a mild to mild soap. The thing here is you have to keep the area dry so you can just use a soft tissue paper and just pat it dry, you should not rub the private parts because again it cause the excoriation of the skin and make it more prone for infection.

So please do keep these tips in mind.

Thank You.