Dr. Shubhangi Chougule

Vaginal discharge is also known as Leucorrhea. The flow of leucorrhea can be smooth or lumpy and sticky. This is a normal phenomenon that affects all women but may increase or decrease with age and when travelling. Vaginal discharge is the body’s way of removing dead cell and toxic material from the vaginal tract. It requires medical attention only when it changes colour and becomes darker or when the flow increases to a point where it cannot be stopped even when using a sanitary napkin.

There are a number of reasons why this flow may become excessive. These include:

1. Infections: The vagina is very susceptible to fungal, bacterial and parasitic infections. These infections can be promoted by poor hygiene, the use of synthetic underwear and unprotected sexual intercourse. An increase in vaginal discharge is usually one of the first signs of a vaginal infection.
2. Injury: Giving birth to a child, having an abortion or excessive sexual intercourse may irritate the lining of the vagina and cause an injury. This in turn can trigger leucorrhea.
3. Diseases: Diseases such as diabetes or anaemia may weaken the immune system and trigger vaginal infections causing an excessive discharge. A UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) or worms in the stomach may also spread infection to the vagina.
4. Contraceptives: Contraceptive sprays and jellies used during intercourse can irritate the vagina and cause excessive discharging. In some cases, irritation of an intra-uterine contraceptive device can also cause discharge and pain.
5. Bad hygiene: Not changing your underwear often enough, forgetting to change tampons or sharing public toilets can also increase vaginal discharge.

Leucorrhea can be prevented by keeping the genital area clean and dry, wearing cotton underwear, avoiding the use of cosmetics on the genital area and having safe intercourse. Drinking plenty of water will also help flush toxins from the body and control the flow of vaginal discharge.

If left untreated, this condition can spread to the uterus, fallopian tubes and cervix and can trigger pelvic inflammatory disease. In the case of post-menopausal women excessive vaginal discharge can also be considered a symptom of cervical cancer and hence must be analysed as soon as possible. However, this condition can be easily treated at home. Avoid eating sugar, hot and spicy food and alcohol to treat discharge. Eating curd can also help treat vaginal discharge as it contains lactic acid that cools the body. Also, avoid stress and strain as this can increase the discharge. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist.

STD or sexually transmitted disease is usually an infection which spreads from one person to another during sexual contact. Some STDs can also be transferred through touch, since they spread by skin contact.

Best preventive measures for preventing STDs:

1. Keeping intimate areas clean: Do not ever forget to wash your genitals after or before making intercourse with your partner and this is needed for preventing sexual diseases. Sometimes, excessive lubrication during sexual intercourse brings infectious diseases and thus, your genitals get exposed to sexual diseases.
2. Avoid multiple sex partners: Both the sex partners should be loyal to each other and should not make sex with multiple partners as that will invite STDs. Having sex with more than one partner can be quite dangerous as a result of which your genital organs get infected and this infection later on turns into serious sexual diseases that cannot be easily treated.
3. Using latex condoms: Latex condoms need to be used during sex every time, and these condoms are the safest of all condom varieties available in the market. Both pregnancy and STDs can be easily and efficiently prevented by means of these condoms, and this is the reason everybody is using the same. But you should have the knowledge of correct usage of these condoms.
4. Stop sharing items: Sharing undergarments or towels with your friends or close mates can be very much dangerous as you might develop STDs. Even if you have allowed somebody using these personal items of yours, you have to wash them carefully before using the same.
5. Avoiding unhealthy lifestyle: If you are exposed to excessive smoking, drugs and alcohol, then you might develop different kinds of STDs. Therefore, you are highly recommended to lead a completely healthy lifestyle so that a healthy sexual life can be enjoyed. You will never be able to have safe sex if you are so very addicted to alcohol, smoking and drugs. 

Tuberculosis is widely known as a disease that affects the lungs. Tuberculosis is an infection caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although most commonly the lungs and bowel are affected, it can affect any organ in the body including the bones and joints .

How and who:

Tubercular bacteria usually enter the body through the airway into lungs or through the gut and spread out to different areas of the body through the blood stream, spine being the most common area. They can stay dormant in the body for many years and start multiplying when the immunity goes down due to any reason. So those with reduced immunity like young kids, old age group, diabetics, those on steroid medication or other immune-suppressive medication are at a high risk of developing tuberculosis of various organs. Patients affected with HIV are also at high risk of developing tubercular infection. But it is not uncommon to see a healthy young person affected with tuberculosis of spine.

Disease manifestations:

Spine is one of the very common structures affected by tuberculosis, leading to significant disability and high risk of paralysis if undetected in the early stages. As the bones in the spine get destroyed by the disease, the spine bends abnormally at the affected level and a deformity develops. There is pus formation at the affected area which can cause compression on the spinal cord and nerves in the spinal canal and lead to paralysis of limbs and loss of bowel and bladder control. Tuberculosis of spine can affect all age groups from infancy to old age.

Spine tuberculosis initially causes pain in the back/neck, which gets worse on movements and while changing posture. Night pains that wake the patient up from sleep is another characteristic feature. Fever, weight loss and loss of appetite are usually associated. Weakness of limb muscles can lead to unstable gait and tendency to fall and the patient usually seeks a support to hold on to while walking.

Diagnosis and treatment:

With MRI being available widely, spinal tuberculosis is being detected at early stages now as compared to X-rays. Most of them can be cured well by anti-tubercular medication (ATT). The medication needs to be taken for a long duration (minimum of 6 months - upto 18 months). Drug resistance is a serious problem needing second line medicines and is more difficult to treat. There are special tests like Gene Xpert available now to detect multiple drug resistant tuberculosis.

In some patients with deformity in spine or those with spinal cord compression causing paralysis, surgery to stabilise the spine and decompress the spinal cord/nerves is required. Surgical treatment in right time can prevent spinal deformity/paralysis and help in faster and better recovery of muscle power in those who have developed paralysis.

So, any persistent back pain needs an evaluation by a Spine physician. 

There are many kinds of conditions and symptoms that require different kinds of surgery for treatment as well as diagnostic management. One such procedure is called a laparoscopy or the laparoscopic surgery. This is a surgical diagnostic management procedure that is known to be a low risk process with minimal invasion and suitable for various types of ailments. Read on to know everything about laparoscopic surgeries.

• Definition: A laparoscopic surgery is one where small incisions are made and an instrument called a laparoscope is used in order to take a look at the organs in the abdominal region. This tool is a long tube shaped one that comes with its own high intensity light and a high resolution camera that can easily move along the walls of the organs while the camera sends back imagery that will be displayed on a video screen in front of the doctor. This avoids the need for an open surgery and helps the doctors in getting samples for a biopsy on an outpatient basis.
• Need for Laparoscopy: This procedure is performed when the patient complains of persistent pain that is also sharp and shooting, in the abdomen region and surrounding areas like the pelvic cavity. This non-invasive method helps in diagnosis where other imaging methods like an ultrasound and CT or MRI scans would have failed to give a conclusive reason for the pain and suffering of the patient. When these tests do not supply enough reason for proper diagnosis, then the doctors usually resort to this kind of procedure.
• The Organs it can be used for: The laparoscopic surgery can be used for many organs including the appendix as well as the gall bladder, the pelvic region and the reproductive organs, the small and large intestines, the spleen, the stomach, the liver and the pancreas.
• What all can it Detect: The laparoscopic surgery can help in detecting a number of issues including any abnormal growth or mass that may be a tumour. It can also point at the presence of any disease in the liver, as well as the proper functioning of certain treatments. Also, it can show the amount of fluid that may or may not be present in the abdominal cavity and the extent of cancer's progression in the body.
• Risks: There are a few side effects or risks of this method including fever, chills, swelling, bleeding or redness of the site where the incision was made for the surgery, and shortness of breath. All these symptoms must be reported to the doctor immediately as they may point at the presence of an infection. Also, there is a risk of organ damage in this procedure.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!