Vaginal Discharge
What is vaginal discharge?
Is vaginal discharge normal?
When is vaginal discharge abnormal?
What causes abnormal vaginal discharge?
There aren't really any dangerous causes of vaginal discharge.
The most common cause of an abnormal vaginal discharge is:
Other causes of abnormal vaginal discharge include:
-
Creams, powders, soaps, or other items that touch and irritate your vulva
-
If you're past menopause, having a thin and dry vagina
Causes of vaginal discharge in children include:
When should I see a doctor?
See a doctor within a day if you have vaginal discharge and any of these warning signs:
-
Intense belly or pelvic pain, or pain that lasts more than 2 hours
-
Discharge that looks like pus
-
Fever
-
Stool (poop) in your vaginal discharge
-
A bloody discharge after menopause
A child with a fever or yellow or green discharge that smells fishy could have an STD (sexually transmitted disease), possibly from sexual abuse. Take this child to a doctor that day.
See a doctor within a few days if you have abnormal discharge but no warning signs.
Yeast infection
If you've had yeast infections before, you probably don't need to see a doctor every time you have the typical symptoms, unless you also have other symptoms. Typical symptoms are a thick, white, and clumpy discharge and itching and burning in your vulva. Yeast infections should be treated with antifungal medicines.
What will happen when I go to the doctor?
Doctors will ask questions about your vaginal discharge and any other symptoms.
Doctors typically do a pelvic exam. During a pelvic exam, your doctor looks inside your vagina, holding it open with a small instrument called a speculum. Doctors may use a cotton swab to take a sample of the discharge for testing.
