What is the reason for vaginal discharge?

White discharge is a very common problem among females. The causes for white discharge partly depend on the color of discharge too. In medical terms we call it leucorrhoea. Though there is no way to make diagnosis based on color alone, you have to take into account other factors like age, menstrual cycle and other symptoms which are not related to female organs like hot flushes, anxiety, sadness, depression, difficulty in falling asleep, etc.

Following are the colors and types of discharges and causes of Leucorrhoea

1. White Discharge

   Normally there would be white discharge at the start or end of your menstrual cycle. However, if the discharge is followed by itching and if it has a thick consistency like a cottage cheese it could mean there is a yeast infection. A milky white discharge can be anything from normal to an infection depending on if there is any other symptom such as itching, odor, or pelvic pain. If there are any of these other symptoms, it could be a sign of bacterial vaginosis or a sexually transmitted infection.

2. Transparent Watery Discharge

   This may happen particularly heavy after workouts. This type of discharge is completely normal and can happen at any time of the month.

3. Transparent Ropy Discharge

   When your discharge is clear and ropy or looks like phlegm instead of water, it is a sign that you are probably ovulating. This is a healthy and perfectly normal discharge again.

4. Blood colored or Brown discharge other than Normal Menstrual Discharge

   You may have blood discharge between your periods. It could be spotting in between periods. But, if you experience spotting the normal time of your period and you have had unprotected sex, it could be an indication that you are pregnant. Spotting at an early phase of pregnancy could be a sign of miscarriage. So, if this happens you should see a doctor and take appropriate treatment before it gets late. However, if a woman is postmenopausal, this could raise concern for a potential cancer of the female organs. A brown or blood discharge could signal towards an advanced cervical cancer in menopause women. Hence it is significant to get yourself checked every year. Visiting your gynaecologist would help you to rule out the possibilities of cancer of female organs.

5. Yellow/ Green Discharge

   Generally, when you suffer from yellow or green discharge which is thick, beefy consistency accompanied by a bad smell is abnormal. It may be an indication of vaginal infections trichomoniasis, which is frequently transmitted through sexual intercourse. Many women with Chlamydia or gonorrhoea have no symptoms at all but may experience this type of discharge.

Homeopathic Treatment for White Discharge (Leucorrhoea)

1. Homeopathy being an individualistic science tries to find an individual remedy for each case. Different females suffer from different causes of Leucorrhoea and present with different symptoms regarding the character, localization, extension, and severity. Also varying are the accompanying symptoms like a backache, itching & burning in the genital region etc.
2. Some females will have complaints much before menses while others are worse only during it. The character of leucorrhoea, its color, the presence of blood, the underlying cause like fibroids, cysts, endometriosis etc differentiate one case from another.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. In Homeopathy, we boost the immune system which plays a very important role in the 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.
6. The treatment can give permanent relief to recurrent leucorrhoea.