What causes brown vaginal discharge?

Leucorrhea, as the name suggests, is white. Of course, this color cannot be described very clearly, because the color appears slightly different at different menstrual times of women, but it is generally white and occasionally transparent. Once you find that your leucorrhea is brown, you first need to rule out any problems with the reproductive system. If necessary, you can go to the hospital to see a doctor for examination and do some routine tests according to the doctor's advice to determine the cause.

Leucorrhea is a sticky white liquid that flows out of the female vagina. It is a mixture of secretions from the Bartholin's glands, cervical glands, endometrium, exudate from the vaginal mucosa, and desquamated vaginal epithelial cells. Leucorrhea contains lactobacillus, lysozyme and antibodies, which have the effect of inhibiting bacterial growth. During sexual intercourse, women's vaginal discharge will increase, which will lubricate the vagina, allowing for better sexual intercourse and avoiding damage to the vagina. Generally, in the middle of the menstrual period, the amount of leucorrhea will increase significantly and become thin and transparent; while the leucorrhea after ovulation is thick, turbid and less in quantity.

From this we can see that normal leucorrhea should be a colorless, odorless, thin and viscous liquid, but some women find that their leucorrhea sometimes turns brown. Is this really abnormal?

According to experts, there are two possibilities for women's leucorrhea to turn brown. One is physiological and the other is pathological.

Physiological discolored leucorrhea usually occurs one or two days before or after menstruation. It is a sign before menstruation or a sign that menstruation has not yet completely drained out. It is a normal phenomenon.

In addition, brown vaginal discharge may also appear in the middle of two menstrual periods, which is the ovulation period. This is a symptom of ovulation bleeding. It is because in the middle of the menstrual period, the female estrogen level drops temporarily, causing the endometrium to lose hormonal support and partial shedding of the endometrium, causing regular vaginal bleeding. Normal ovulation bleeding is usually not heavy and will last from half a day to several days. It may be accompanied by mild abdominal pain or back pain. Every woman may experience ovulation bleeding, but because the amount of bleeding is usually very small, it cannot be directly observed with the naked eye. However, some people may experience significant bleeding symptoms, so the severity cannot be generalized.

What causes pathological brown leucorrhea?

1. Infection

If women do not pay attention to personal hygiene during menstruation, use contaminated sanitary products, have sex during menstruation, etc., it is very easy to cause pathogen infection, leading to the occurrence of brown vaginal discharge in women. Common infections include trichomoniasis, mold infection, bacterial infection, fungal infection, etc. Among them, many infections can cause gynecological inflammation, such as vulvitis and vaginitis.

2. Cervicitis

Childbirth lacerations, changes in sex hormones, or cervical inflammation caused by sexual activity may lead to cervical erosion and increase the amount of brown vaginal discharge. Common is chronic cervicitis, such as cervical erosion. Because cervical erosion is the most common cervicitis in women, it is the first factor that should be considered when brown leucorrhea appears.

3. Ovulation bleeding

Brown vaginal discharge during ovulation is usually related to ovulation bleeding. The brown color of vaginal discharge during ovulation is because after the mature follicle ruptures and ovulates, the estrogen level drops sharply and significantly, which cannot maintain the growth of the endometrium, causing local rupture and shedding of the endometrial surface, resulting in breakthrough bleeding. With the formation of the corpus luteum of the ovary, sufficient estrogen and progesterone are secreted to quickly repair the ruptured endometrial surface and stop the bleeding. Or it may be that during ovulation, the mature follicles secrete more estrogen, causing endometrial congestion and leakage of red blood cells. Women do not need to worry too much if this phenomenon occurs. The bleeding will disappear after about two or three days.

The above are the reasons why women’s vaginal discharge is brown. If you find yourself having such a problem, don’t worry too much. If you are still young, you can go to the hospital for routine check-ups. Don't worry too much if the doctor asks you to do TCT, as it is just a routine check-up to rule out cervical cancer. I hope that if such a situation is discovered, treatment will be sought as soon as possible without delaying the disease.