Menstruation is not the most pleasant biological process that occurs in the body of every adult woman. But at the same time, the regularity of the menstrual cycle indicates the health of the reproductive system of the fair sex. Natural white discharge before menstruation appears in every woman, but what do they mean?
Patients, turning to a gynecologist, often ask questions about a secret that is secreted abundantly from the vagina shortly before the start of another menstruation. Young girls even begin to panic, remaining confident before going to the doctor that such mucus can only be a symptom of a sexually transmitted disease. At a more mature age, it is difficult to meet a woman who would consider that white discharge before menstruation is a sign of infection.
Is the vaginal secretion the norm or pathology?
Every lady should know that her discharge before menstruation is white (white) - an important indicator of women's health. The lack of whiteness, a change in the consistency or smell is what should alert. Healthy mucus causes neither itching, nor irritation, nor burning in the genital area. Leucorrhoea is almost not felt during the day. Before menstruation, white discharge is produced by the sex glands in an increased volume. A couple of days before the onset of menstruation, the labia become moist.
The appearance of leucorrhoea is due to the peculiarities of the course of the menstrual cycle and physiological processes in the genitourinary system. Allocations play an important role in the work of the reproductive organs. First of all, leucorrhoea protects against infection.
Despite the fact that leucorrhoea alone does not serve as a manifestation of any disease, by their nature it is possible to draw certain conclusions about the condition of the patient's reproductive system. For example, mucus with white and blood streaks appears in women with cervical erosion, and brownish discharge is a sign of pathological changes in the cervix, but sometimes daubing can be an individual feature of the body.
If a woman noticed that on the eve of the expected menstruation, secretory secretions began to develop more intensively, acquired a different shade or other specific signs, she should think about whether everything was in order with her health. Let's try to figure out how to understand by the appearance of female secretions that it is time to see a doctor or, conversely, you should not worry.
The role of leucorrhoea in a healthy woman
What does white discharge before menstruation mean? First of all, the fact that the sex glands located in the cervix cope with their function. The main component of leucorrhoea is mucus, which has a viscous consistency. A liquid secret is necessary for the full hydration of the walls of the vagina and the protection of their surface from friction during intimacy.
The second function that vaginal discharge performs is protective. A plug forms from the mucus, blocking the entrance to the uterus through the cervix. This is a natural barrier in the cervical canal, preventing pathogens from entering the uterine cavity.
Whites have another, no less important role: they serve as a kind of contraceptive for a woman on all days of the menstrual cycle, with the exception of ovulation. In simple words, mucus helps regulate the process of sperm penetration into the uterus. Before ovulation, the discharge becomes liquid, watery. Thanks to the liquefied cork, the necessary conditions are created for the fertilization of the egg only during ovulation. After a few days, the cork becomes dense again, so the chances of conception outside of ovulation are negligible.
What should be vaginal discharge
The density of the mucus, its color, smell and other characteristics can change throughout the menstrual cycle - this is normal. The reason for the inconstancy of discharge is explained by a decrease and increase in the levels of estrogen and progesterone. A healthy woman has discharge before menstruation:
- White. Color may be unclear due to impurities of dying particles of the uterine mucosa. Sometimes leucorrhoea becomes cream or yellowish, but if this is the only change in secret, it is not considered a deviation. The color of the discharge may vary depending on the characteristics of the body. A yellowish or brownish thick secret should not disturb patients - this is quite a common occurrence for women who use an intrauterine device for contraception.
- They are odorless. Gynecologists also consider a weak sour aroma as a variant of the norm.
- Thick. Moreover, they should not be too many or very few. With an extremely negligible production of vaginal mucus, a sexual infection can be suspected. Dry vagina sometimes indicates excessive intimate hygiene, frequent washing and douching.
It is also important to note that immediately after menstruation, discharge should be absent. Leucorrhoea is not able to cause malaise, discomfort, burning.
Why white discharge before menstruation did not appear
If leucorrhoea is not observed 2-3 days before the expected menstruation, this may indicate problems in the female body. The absence of a vaginal secret often indicates a deterioration in the activity of the sex glands located in the cervix. In women of menopausal age, the volume of secretions before menstruation becomes more scarce, and during the premenopausal period, whiteness may completely disappear. The reason is hormonal imbalance caused by decreased estrogen production.
Regular birth control pills can also interfere with the normal secretion. Most oral contraceptives contain estrogens. If their number deviates from the norm, a woman begins with health problems, including lack of leucorrhoea before menstruation.
Flavourless white discharge becomes more abundant a couple of weeks before menstruation. In addition, their consistency loses its former density, they become fluid, translucent. If this does not happen, that is, the whiteness is still thick and dense, we can talk about pathology. In women planning a pregnancy, conception when blocking the cervical canal with thick mucus becomes impossible.
Teenage Girls and Vaginal Discharge
Leucorrhoea before menstruation differs in all representatives of the weaker sex, which depends on the characteristics of the body, age, hormonal and psychoemotional background, nutrition and other factors. For the first time, a vaginal secret appears in girls in adolescence 12-18 months before menstruation. White discharge during this period can repeatedly change its character, until the hormonal background is stabilized and a constant cycle is established. In adolescents, both liquid and viscous secretions are considered the norm. The amount, shade and density of whites is due to the genetic characteristics of the sexual development of a young girl.
It is worth noting that mucus from the vagina is excreted at an earlier age. If the intensity of the development of female secretion has increased in comparison with that which was earlier, it is entirely possible to assume the imminent onset of the first menstruation. But at the same time, it is important to understand the main thing: the first menstruation in girls is irregular, therefore, the characteristics of the vaginal discharge, including leucorrhoea, need special attention, because the pathologies of the genitourinary system are found at any age.
Maybe it's a pregnancy?
Yes, and this version has a place to be, especially against the background of a delay. If the mucus from the vagina becomes too plentiful and thick in the last days of the menstrual cycle, this symptom can be considered as a sign of pregnancy. White discharge before menstruation indicates a hormonal shift that occurs in connection with fertilization.
The thing is that due to an increase in the concentration of progesterone, the activity of the glands that produce the secret increases. During the period of gestation, leucorrhoea performs a protective function, protecting the uterine cavity and amniotic water surrounding the fetus from infection. In addition, during pregnancy, the cells of the vaginal mucosa renew much faster, which ultimately leads to an increase in the density of whitish masses.
By the way, leucorrhoea with a delay in menstruation does not always signal a pregnancy. White discharge before menstruation can change its character with a hormonal imbalance that occurs due to severe stress or against a background of chronic, progressive genetic diseases.
Vitamin deficiency can lead to a delay in menstruation. A very common scenario is a delay of menstruation in girls who are on strict diets, do not consume fats and a number of substances useful to the body. Although menstruation is late, odorless white discharge before menstruation appears as usual.
When leucorrhoea is a symptom of a disease
Next, let's talk about the signs and causes of pathological female discharge. If the usual vaginal secret on the eve of menstruation not only changes in volume and density, but also acquires a specific unpleasant odor, changes its color or clots, lumps, streaks appear in it, you should definitely consult a gynecologist and pass a smear on the vaginal flora.
Most likely, such white discharge before menstruation is a sign of an inflammatory or infectious process. The most common cause of changes in the composition of female secretions are diseases such as:
- Vaginitis. With this ailment, the vaginal mucosa becomes inflamed, swelling, itching and burning occur, and cramping pain in the lower abdomen is possible. White discharge before menstruation in women suffering from vaginitis, acquire a yellowish or grayish tint due to the increased content of leukocytes. Usually such leucorrhoea appears about 5-7 days before menstruation.
- Cervicitis. A disease characterized by inflammation of the cervix or only its mucous membrane. With cervicitis, the female secret becomes very liquid, a purulent smell appears.
- Endometritis. Turbid discharge with an unpleasant odor may indicate inflammation of the uterine cavity. Pathology is accompanied by pain during urination, pain in the lower abdomen, low-grade fever. White thick discharge before menstruation acquires a green color and a heavy odor.
Types of vaginal dysbiosis
Most often, two diseases are diagnosed in women, in which the bacterial microflora of the vagina changes. This is bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis (thrush).
In the first case, a sign of the disease will be a pronounced fishy smell and yellow discharge. Shortly before menstruation, the discharge becomes more abundant. The patient feels a constant burning sensation, intolerable itching in the vagina. During the acute course of the disease, sexual relations become impossible, since the penetration of a male member into the vagina can cause a woman severe pain.
Thrush, which many consider harmless, can eventually lead to the destruction of the mucous membrane of the genitals. Inflammatory processes in the vagina are reflected in general well-being. It is impossible to confuse candidiasis with other female problems. The main feature of thrush is abundant white discharge before menstruation, which resembles a curd mass and smell sour. This is due to the presence of lactic acid in the vagina, which is formed during the life of a fungus of the genus Candida, the causative agent of candidiasis. Irritation, severe itching and burning are the main symptoms of thrush.
Sexually transmitted diseases
If a woman does not have a permanent sexual partner, or in the recent past there have been cases of unprotected sex, the doctor will suspect sexually transmitted infections. Such diseases are transmitted sexually and through the blood:
- ureaplasmosis;
- papillomavirus infection;
- genital herpes;
- gonorrhea;
- chlamydia
- urogenital trichomoniasis;
- cytomegalovirus infection;
- syphilis.
- HIV
- venereal lymphogranulomatosis.
Before menstruation, discharge increases and does not stop after menstruation. With any changes in the state of health or the nature of the vaginal discharge (they can become cloudy, foamy, gray, yellow or greenish, smell bad), you must undergo an examination and a course of treatment.
Other diseases of the female reproductive system
If white discharge before menstruation loses color, becomes transparent, more resembling slippery mucus, then, most likely, a woman has cervical erosion. Damage to the mucous membrane and the glands located in it lead to an increase in the volume of whites before menstruation. Often they turn brown, which is caused by bleeding erosion.
Endometriosis is another likely cause of changes in the nature of vaginal secretions. With this disease, the mucous membrane of the uterine cavity - the endometrium abnormally grows. Its structure is violated, blood vessels are damaged, so a woman can observe bloody impurities in her secretions. Treatment of endometriosis is carried out mainly by surgery.
Benign formations in the uterus (cysts, polyps, fibromas, fibroids) can also provoke the appearance of atypical discharge. Before menstruation, the endometrium becomes loose, swells, as a result of which the tumor may be damaged. This becomes noticeable by leucorrhoea - they turn pink or red, depending on the degree of damage to the blood vessels.
It is possible to recognize uterine cancer, which in the initial stages does not particularly manifest itself, by the changed vaginal discharge. Malignant tumors in women develop latently, but nevertheless, the stench of the discharge and the presence of blood particles in them can serve as an alarm.
Gynecologists and oncologists advise to consult a doctor if any changes in the nature of female discharge occur. The sooner the disease is detected, the greater the patient's chances of successfully overcoming it without complications.