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Demystifying Vaginal Discharge
How’s that for a conversation starter?
We know vaginal discharge is probably one of the last subjects you want to discuss in detail—especially when it involves unfamiliar smells, colors, and consistency. But it’s something every woman is familiar with and can sometimes be one of the first indicators that you’re dealing with an infection.
In other words, what comes out of your vagina is worth paying attention to and discussing with your doctor when you think something’s up.
What’s considered normal?
Healthy discharge should be clear, milky white, or off white. The thickness and texture of it may change at different stages of your cycle, ranging from watery to sticky to pasty. Each woman’s vaginal discharge has a distinct odor, unique to themselves and familiar. It shouldn’t have a strong foul odor.
As for the amount of vaginal discharge you produce, it can vary from person to person. It can also be influenced by factors like ovulation, pregnancy, or the use of birth control pills. You should only be concerned about this if there are any sudden changes in the amount of discharge your body produces.
What are some red flags to look out for?
Some of the most common vaginal infections don’t always cause noticeable symptoms, especially early on. However, your vaginal discharge could signal something isn’t right, even if you feel fine otherwise.
Some indicators of an infection or underlying medical condition include:
- A pungent odor
- Chunky or foamy texture that comes with an itching or burning sensation
- Discharge that’s green, gray, brown, or dark yellow
What does each sign mean?
It’s true that changes to your vaginal discharge doesn’t always indicate an infection or health issue. Sometimes our discharge just changes as a result of hormones. However, healthcare professionals have noticed the following connections between some symptoms and certain conditions.
- Yellow, gray, or green discharge could indicate a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or a bacterial infection.
- Brown or red discharge could be related to pregnancy or an irregular period.
- Discharge that resembles cottage cheese could indicate a yeast infection.
- Discharge that’s green, yellow, or gray with a frothy consistency could indicate trichomoniasis, a STI.
- If your discharge has a foul, fishy smell, you could have bacterial vaginosis (BV).
- Green or yellow discharge that’s cloudy could be related to gonorrhea or chlamydia.
Keep in mind that it’s possible to have multiple infections at the same time, and these are associations, not diagnostic..
How do I know if something’s going on down there?
The best thing to do is start with a medical test. SheMed’s Women’s Health Kits make it easy to screen for some of the most common vaginal infections—including UTIs, bacterial vaginosis, and yeast infections—from the comfort of your home.
You can start by ordering a test kit from SheMed.com. It should arrive at your home within two business days. Then, simply scan the code on your test kit to begin a telehealth session.
A proctor will guide you through collecting and testing a sample. All results are sent to a licensed clinician who will evaluate your results and symptoms, and prescribe treatment to your pharmacy of choice, if needed.
If your results don’t indicate a UTI, yeast infection, or bacterial vaginosis but you’re still experiencing abnormal discharge, you should make an appointment with a doctor or visit an urgent care for further testing and treatment.
Talking about vaginal discharge can be uncomfortable, but it can help you catch and treat potentially dangerous infections and health conditions before they progress to something serious. In many cases, however, it may not even be necessary to speak to your clinician again. They will review your symptoms, evaluate your test results, and send in the prescription without having to speak with you again.
If you’re still feeling awkward about discussing changes in your vaginal discharge with a healthcare provider, remember that they’ve likely seen and heard it all. Their profession is treating patients with all kinds of symptoms—including these.
To purchase or learn more about our Women’s Health Kits, go here and follow us on Instagram to keep caught up on new product launches, exclusives, women’s health tips, and more. @SheMed_official.
This following story is a 100% true cautionary tale about my dear friend whose family vacation was somewhat compromised due to her yeast infection not getting properly solved prior to departing America.
During my friend’s last week at home before departing to Europe for over a month, she spent ample time sunbathing and swimming as wanted to look and feel her best for the journey ahead.
Since she was leaving for such a prolonged time it also meant she had to soak up as many moments with her boyfriend as she could. Unfortunately this combination of nonstop swimming & swooning led her to develop a yeast infection. She knew something was wrong so she went to her gynecologist to receive tests for a UTI and a yeast infection.
Sadly, the gynecology office took over a week to get back to her and it wasn’t until multiple days into her travel that she received the news of a positive yeast infection test.
She felt uncomfortable, itchy, and overall sick, though she didn’t want to spoil the rest of the family’s plans so she kept quiet assuming they couldn’t notice, until one day, the infection made itself known.
The yeast infection had started to spread and my friend’s entire body was soon covered with a red uncomfortable rash. She was not only experiencing physical symptoms by this rash but she was also embarrassed to be out in public looking this way.
It was a complicated and long process to try and receive the correct medication for her situation. She tried a cream at a nearby Italian drugstore, and when that did not work she went to five other local drug stores near and far, with her father, trying to find an alternate solution while showing her diagnosis.
It wasn’t until her family moved locations to a larger city, two whole weeks later, that she was able to consult with a hospital. Even then, they were not sure what to prescribe and she had to do her own research and ask for a specific medication.
This story truly highlights the urgency of getting both tested and treated immediately when you are feeling onset symptoms to prevent spreading, and prolonged pain. Going forward, my friend has since been stocked up on our yeast infection tests, so she will never leave the country before receiving instant access to care again and treatment.
Google can be very misleading with at home remedies.
That is a lesson I have learned countless times before with at home hair dying, face masks, and more; but nothing solidified that lesson further than when my best friend and I turned to douching.
We both had serious boyfriends at the time and were having sex frequently. We were very open to talking about our sex lives and we would always share tips and tricks to improve the experience. One thing we were always conscious about was odor and cleanliness. We never wanted to feel embarrassed and always wanted to feel confident so we turned to the internet and tried many different outlets that were in our reach at home.
One day as we were walking the aisles of CVS together we saw douches and remembered seeing them as a great option to keeping your vagina at its healthiest state, so of course, we decided to try it. From the packaging, our understanding was that it just gives a thorough clean, and there are no real downsides to trying it.
We were wrong!
After we got back to our dorms we were excited to try our new product so we went to the communal bathrooms and were dying of laughter from a few showers away about how we get so easily persuaded into these things.
The next morning is when we realized that we made a big mistake.
We were both dealing with the itchiest, most uncomfortable situation we have ever endured. We texted each other during class so confused what happened and wondering if we did something wrong.
It turned out that douching can actually cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria that can cause you to develop a yeast infection.
After class we made our way to the health center and had to sheepishly admit what we had done as well as call our moms so they were aware what the medication charge was for.
Thankfully any young women who get bold with online suggestions can now purchase SheMed’s Bundle and be prepared for any aftermath from the comfort of your own home.