Contents:
- Medical Video: Pregnancy Tips : Vaginal Discharge During Pregnancy
- What is vaginal discharge?
- What are the causes of vaginal discharge?
- How to prevent vaginal vaginal discharge?
Medical Video: Pregnancy Tips : Vaginal Discharge During Pregnancy
You as a woman must have experienced vaginal discharge at a time, both in small amounts and in large quantities. Leucorrhoea may be a normal thing but it can also be abnormal and a sign of an illness. What causes vaginal discharge?
What is vaginal discharge?
According to the Mayo Clinic, vaginal discharge is the fluid and cells that come out of the vagina. Generally, vaginal discharge is a normal thing that happens to every woman. This liquid actually helps cleanse the vagina to keep the vagina clean and healthy, and provides lubricants and protects the vagina from infection and irritation.
The amount of leucorrhoea that comes out, the color, and the thickness of the vaginal discharge can vary between vaginal discharge in each woman. Can be white and thick to clear and runny. This is usually affected by your menstrual cycle. However, there is also abnormal vaginal discharge.
Abnormal vaginal discharge is usually characterized by a whitish color that is different from usual (such as greenish, yellow, or even pink like there is blood), the smell of leucorrhoea such as foul odor, the amount of vaginal discharge that comes out more, and vaginal itching or pain.
What are the causes of vaginal discharge?
Abnormal vaginal discharge is generally caused by bacterial and fungal infections, or can also be caused by menopausal symptoms. Usually this is not too dangerous but makes you very uncomfortable.
Bacterial infection the cause of vaginal discharge is usually called bacterial vaginosis. This is a condition caused by an imbalance in the growth of bacteria in the vagina. However, it is not known exactly what causes this imbalance in bacterial growth to occur.
Leucorrhoea can also occur because of fungal infection. The fungal species that often causes infections in the vagina is Candida. Fungal infections can occur when fungal growth in the vaginal area is very excessive. Usually, excessive fungal growth is caused by the use of antibiotics or other factors that affect the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina.
In addition, abnormal vaginal discharge can also be caused by sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. This sexually transmitted infection can spread to the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes, and can even be transmitted to your sex partner. For that, you need to prevent the sexually transmitted infection from being infected.
How to prevent vaginal vaginal discharge?
It is important for you to prevent vaginal infections so that abnormal vaginal discharge does not occur. Some things you can do to prevent vaginal infections are:
- Always maintain vaginal hygiene. This is done by washing the vagina regularly with warm water. Or, you can also wash the vagina with female antiseptic fluid on the outside of the vagina when the risk of infection increases such as during menstruation, traveling, active exercise and active sexual intercourse
- Clean the vagina from front to back. This is done to prevent bacteria from the anus from entering the vagina and causing infection.
- Do not use douche, feminine sprays, and foam soap to clean the vaginal canal without direction from medical personnel. This can cause the balance of vaginal bacteria to be disrupted, making it more susceptible to infection. Douching with female antiseptics can be done as recommended by the doctor.
- Change pads regularly. It is very important for you to maintain vaginal hygiene while menstruating. During menstruation, your female area is damp because there is blood coming out. For this reason, you need to change the pads several times a day to keep your vagina from infection.
- Avoid using clothes that are too tight and cannot absorb sweat. Tight clothing can make your female area moist, making it more susceptible to infection.
