Vaginal secretion discharge is normal, but how much is usual and what clues can changes in the secretion provide about possible vaginal diseases? Find out what the amount, consistency, odor and color of vaginal fluid tell you about vaginal flora and possible vaginal diseases here.
Vaginal secretions: how much is normal?
How much vaginal secretion is produced day after day varies from woman to woman: for example, some women’s panties are almost white as a sheet in the evening, while for others one or two panty liners a day are normal. Usually, a total of 5 ml per day is not exceeded.
In rare cases, larger quantities are also constantly secreted, requiring panties or panty liners to be changed several times a day without an organic reason being found – a condition that can be extremely distressing. It is believed that these affected women have overactive glands in the vaginal region, similar to the way some people are prone to extreme sweating.
Discharge: normal, heavy or colored – what does it mean?
What does discharge mean?
Confusingly, some authors distinguish differently: For them, vaginal secretion is what serves to moisten the vagina during sexual intercourse, while discharge is always pathological.
However, this does not correspond to the classification commonly used by physicians, in which discharge, that is, fluorine – depending on its expression, composition and cause – can be both normal and pathological.
Changes in vaginal secretions
Normal, healthy vaginal secretions are white-transparent, fluid, and do not emit any particular odor. During midcycle, the amount may increase, and the discharge is then clear. Around ovulation, the secretion often becomes more viscous.
Changes in the consistency, color and odor of vaginal secretions may also provide evidence of vaginal flora disturbance:
- For example, if the vaginal discharge smells foul, this may be a sign of bacterial overgrowth in the vagina. Often affected women perceive a “fishy” smell, the secretion may become thin.
- A vaginal fungus (vaginal mycosis) is often manifested by a whitish-yellow vaginal discharge. The consistency of the vaginal secretion is then often rather creamy or crumbly.
- Also, if the discharge is yellow, brownish or greenish, this may indicate a pathological change. This is also true if the vaginal discharge is bloody, foamy or friable.
- Similarly, itching, pain and burning in the intimate area are warning signs that should be taken seriously.
However, the color, quantity and odor of vaginal secretions vary not only hormone-related (ie during the menstrual cycle, during pregnancy, under the “pill”), but can also change in the short term due to food. For example, onions, garlic and hot spices are not only exhaled through the breath and skin, but also through the mucous membranes.
Sick vaginal flora
A permanently unhealthy diet, as well as other factors, can disrupt the vaginal flora and thus lead to discomfort and disease. These include, for example:
- Exaggerated intimate hygiene
- Very tight pants, especially those made of synthetic fibers
- Drug therapies, for example, with antibiotics.
- Allergies
- Diabetes mellitus
- Stress and mental strain
Infections and other problems of the vagina
If the vaginal environment is out of balance, pathogenic bacteria have an easy game: they can take over and “overgrow” the healthy mucosal flora (bacterial vaginosis). Trichomonads (flagellates that cause venereal disease), fungi (especially the yeast Candida albicans) and viruses (for example, the herpes virus) are then also more likely to grow and invade.
In addition to infections, benign and malignant tumors in the vagina and uterus and – especially in the case of curious little girls – foreign bodies that have been inserted and forgotten can also lead to pathological discharge. If the inflammatory reactions are localized in the area of the labia, they are also referred to by the physician as vulvitis, in the vagina as vaginitis (or colpitis) or – since both areas are often affected – as vulvovaginitis.
