karina

3 years

Why do I have this white yellowish discharge?

I am a mother of a 9 months old baby. I noticed that i was having white-yellowish discharge but there’s no odour nor itchiness came out with it. I’ve met a doctor once. The doctor gave me a vaginal insert medication and i have been using the medication but still the problem persist. Now, the discharge becomes darker like an early period discharge for about a week. There were no odours but now i felt itchiness sensation in my vagina. Is this a serious problem? My period should start around the middle of this month and this is the first time this problem occurs to me

Hello there and thank you for the question.

From your description, you are probably having vaginal candidiasis. It is commonly also known as yeast infection in the genital area. The symptoms that you are having seems classical of this condition. The common symptoms are vaginal itch and irritation, burning sensation during sexual intercourse and urination, vaginal rash and soreness and a thick, cheesy vaginal discharge.

It seems that you were given the correct medication and despite that, it persists. The reason for the persistence is because your partner has acquired the infection too. You and your partner need to consult a doctor for this as both of you will need treatment. First, you need to identify if your partner(s) has it. Once both are started on medication, try abstaining from sex until the treatment is completed. Even though it is rare for candidiasis to be transmitted via sexual intercourse, there is a probability of it happening. Otherwise, make sure to have protected sex using latex condom.

As for you, once you are completely unaffected, make sure to practice a good hygiene. This is because the yeast that causes candidiasis are normal organisms in the vagina and the gut. With poor hygiene and other factors such as diabetes, the use of antibiotics and steroids, it encourages the growth of yeast to the point it overwhelms the local defence. That is when the infection happens. Besides that, do not use antiseptic solution to clean the genital area as it irritates the skin and makes it predisposed to infection. It is important to treat the infection as it may cause several complications such as recurrent infections that will form excoriation and even fissure formation.

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