Small vaginal discharge accompanies a woman throughout her life, with the exception of childhood. This process begins with a period of functioning of the reproductive system and ends after the onset of menopause.
What are vaginal discharge? This is a special secret secreted by the glands located on the cervix. They perform very essential functions: they protect the vagina from the multiplication of harmful bacteria, moisturize it, and also serve to lubricate and cleanse. The constant and continuous secretion secretion process allows you to bring out dead cells, updating and supporting the vaginal microflora.
Normal vaginal discharge does not cause a woman any discomfort. They do not have a pronounced smell, and their color is most often transparent or slightly whitish. The consistency, amount and type of discharge can vary depending on the use of medications, stressful situations, the state of pregnancy and the period of lactation, arousal, and many other reasons.
But almost always, with the exception of some physiological features, a healthy woman smells of purity. Normally, the secret secreted by the genitals has a light and almost imperceptible specific smell. Such discharge does not bother a woman and is one of the signs of the absence of any infections and inflammations.
However, the situation changes dramatically if vaginal discharge with an unpleasant odor appears. And this is a rather serious problem. Because discharge with an unpleasant odor is a sign of a change in the microflora of the vagina. An imbalance leads to the appearance of a smell, a change in the consistency and amount of secretions, a burning sensation or itching, the appearance of pain in the abdomen and a worsening of the general condition.
Discharges in women with an unpleasant odor indicate the presence of various kinds of diseases. A change in smell is directly related to inflammation of the vaginal area, and therefore, you do not need to postpone a visit to the gynecologist.
Discharge with an unpleasant odor can be the result of infections and inflammations such as:
- chlamydia,
- herpes (genital),
- vaginitis,
- gonorrhea,
Candidiasis
- bacterial vaginosis,
- cervical cancer,
- sexually transmitted and inflammatory diseases.
Diseases in which discharge with an unpleasant odor appears can be quite mild and have serious consequences. Therefore, do not self-medicate in any case. Untimely seeking medical help can significantly aggravate the course of the disease, translating it into a chronic form. And then it will be much more difficult to cure him. In addition, alternative methods can only help reduce symptoms for a short time, i.e. to make discharge with an unpleasant odor less abundant and not so noticeable. But in general, they do not solve the problems. After all, the cause of the smell remains unresolved. Therefore, the only right solution when an unpleasant odor from the vagina appears is to visit a gynecologist. He will not only establish the cause of the disease, but also prescribe the right treatment, taking into account the individual characteristics of the woman and the complexity of the course of the disease.
Timely prevention and compliance with the rules of personal hygiene helps to avoid some diseases of the female genital organs. Proper nutrition, protected sex, refusal to wear tight, low-quality underwear and the use of fragrances for the intimate area, individually selected contraceptives, as well as competent use of other medications, daily baths or washings are excellent prevention of common diseases such as candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis .