All about Leucorrhoea and Homoeopathic Management
Leucorrhoea or vaginal discharge is the most common and annoying problems of females. It is not a disease in itself but a symptom of some underlying disease. The origin of the discharge may be from uterus, cervix, vagina or vulva.
Types of Leucorrhoea
Physiological: Some vaginal discharge at puberty, during pregnancy, at the time of ovulation and during premenstrual phase is quite normal due to increased vascularity of the genital tract and requires no treatment. In small girls and aged women, the vaginal epithelium is thin and ill protected against infections, glycogen content is low and vaginal pH is higher, exceeding 7.4.
Pathological: It is a discharge occurring due to disease or malfunction of the female reproductive tract. It needs immediate attention, cleanliness and treatment. Ignoring pathological leucorrhoea may lead to serious problems like infertility and complications of uterus. The nature of discharge varies from thin to thick bloody discharge with foul smell. This condition is commonly present in both the cases of vaginitis and cervicitis.
Types of Discharges and Probable Causes:
Vulval discharge is seropurulent, viscid and offensive.
Vaginal discharge originates in vagina itself and is oestrogen dependent is of creamy white, purulent, bland or excoriating. Local congestive states of pelvic organs such as pregnancy, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, even chronic constipation with sedantry habits cause increased vaginal discharge. Cervical discharges are thick, mucus from endocervical glands as in chronic cervicitis, erosion or mucus polyp. An excessive mucoid discharge at external os is of cervical origin.
White vaginal discharge- nonirritating and nonoffensive is due to cervical erosion.
Yellow discharge is due to uterine and vaginal infections.
Purulent discharge is due to septic abortion, pyometra or puerperal sepsis.
Offensive discharge is because of necrotic lesion in the genital tract, septic myomata, septic IUCD, forgotten tampons.
Blood stained discharge is caused by ca cervix and uterus, ulcerated lesion of the genital tract due to retained products of conception or placental polyp.
Watery discharge may be due to urinary fistula or hydrosalpinx.
Amber coloured discharge is present in ca fallopian tubes.
Fecal discharge is caused by rectovaginal fistula.
Associated Symptoms
Some common associated symptoms of leucorrhoea may be lower abdominal pain, backache, headache, general debility, soreness and burning in the genital tract, intense itching with oedema of vagina, burning urination and frequent urge to pass very little urine, digestive disturbances like constipation or diarrhoea or vomiting, rashes in and around the genitals and loss of strength.
Homoeopathic Management of Leucorrhoea
Homeopathy being an individualistic science tries to find an individual remedy for each case. Different females suffering from Leucorrhoea (White Discharge) present with different symptoms regarding the character, localization, extension and severity. Also varying are the accompanying symptoms like backache, itching & burning in genital region etc.
Some females will have complaints much before menses while others are worse only during it. The character of leucorrhoea, its color, presence of blood, the underlying cause like fibroids, cysts, endometriosis etc differentiate one case from another.
From the treatment's point of view, it is better to make it normal than to stop it because physiologically it is important. If it is stopped completely, vaginal dryness may result which may cause pain & distress during sexual activity.
Also, if it is not treated properly, it may often recur and sometimes it can be infected and become persistent. Always take treatment for 2-3 cycles of periods to analyze it. So, do not stop treatment as soon as symptoms disappear and periods become normal. So take least 3-4 month treatment.
In Homeopathy, we boost the immune system which plays a very important role in natural elimination of disease organism or the disease itself and also in prevention. Homeopathic prescriptions are based on the nature and time of the discharge and also depend upon the patient’s constitution.
The treatment can give permanent relief to recurrent leucorrhoea.
Self- Help
Wash genitals every day. Wear clean garments every day. Always wear cotton underwear to avoid moisture. Synthetic or nylon garments which cause dampness of genital organs.
Abstain from sexual intercourse during heavy discharges and during the process of healing to avoid irritation of tissues
Please avoid Sprays, deodorants, and strong perfumed soap and bath products
Avoid Stress since it may affect the hormonal level and may increase secretions
Don’t Share towels and garments. Eat nutritious diet, especially food rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E, magnesium and zinc, to improve general health. Plenty of water and juices to avoid urinary tract infection and its spread to the vagina or cervix.
