What is yellow vaginal discharge?

What is yellow vaginal discharge? Yellow vaginal discharge often occurs in women. Normal discharge is not yellow. Yellow vaginal discharge is abnormal, but many women do not pay attention to it, which leads to some sexually transmitted diseases or reproductive diseases. There are many reasons for yellow vaginal discharge, and female friends need to understand some of these reasons.

Causes of yellow or bloody vaginal discharge with a foul odor

Purulent leucorrhea has a foul odor and is yellow or yellow-green in color. It is caused by purulent infection or Trichomonas. Among them, Trichomonas vaginitis is the most common, and most people are accompanied by vulvar itching. It can also be seen in chronic cervicitis, senile vaginitis, endometritis, etc. Bloody leucorrhea, with blood mixed in the leucorrhea, should alert you to the possibility of malignant tumors such as cervical cancer and endometrial cancer. However, benign lesions such as cervical polyps, cervical erosion, submucosal fibroids, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, urethral caruncle, and senile vaginitis can also cause bloody leucorrhea.

Differential diagnosis of confusing symptoms of yellow or bloody vaginal discharge with a foul odor

(1) Non-inflammatory leucorrhea Any condition that can cause congestion in the pelvic cavity and uterus can cause the cervical glands and endometrium to hyperfunction and secrete excessive fluid; at the same time, vaginal mucosal exudation also increases. Patients with pelvic tumors, retroverted uterus, chronic diseases such as heart failure, tuberculosis, diabetes, anemia, and weak women often have more egg white-like secretions or white watery vaginal exudate. In addition, mental stimulation can cause a continuous increase in vulvar, vaginal and cervical secretions, which is called psychological leucorrhea. Patients often complain of discomfort such as moisture and itching of the vulva. The vulva of these patients is obviously moist, and they may even have acute or subacute eczema. The surface of the labia minora is gritty and uneven due to the protrusion of a large number of sebaceous glands. If the above-mentioned hypersecretion continues for a long time, the cervical mucosa will be soaked by the corrosive alkaline cervical secretions, which may cause erosion, reduce the acidity of the vagina, and allow pathogenic bacteria to multiply. It may also lead to chronic cervicitis and pathological leucorrhea.

(B) Inflammatory leucorrhea The leucorrhea caused by inflammatory diseases of the reproductive organs contains varying amounts of white blood cells and is mostly purulent, but the characteristics of the leucorrhea vary depending on the pathogen.

1. Patients with bacterial vaginosis report that their leucorrhea has a fishy odor, which worsens during sexual intercourse. The leucorrhea is a grayish white or grayish yellow, thin liquid that is homogeneous and often evenly attached to the surface of the anterior or lateral vaginal mucosa without gathering in the posterior fornix. If a small amount of 10% potassium hydroxide solution is added to the leucorrhea sample, it will emit an amine (fishy) smell. Microscopic observation: low white blood cell count, lack of inflammatory response, and the presence of clue cells confirm bacterial vaginosis.

2. The leucorrhea produced by Trichomonas vaginitis is yellow or yellow-green thin pus, sometimes foamy. In addition to the general redness of the vaginal wall, dot-like or bayberry-like hemorrhagic spots are often seen on the cervix and vaginal wall. Testing of vaginal secretions can confirm that since Trichomonas infection rarely exceeds the external cervical os, there is no purulent fluid plug in the cervical canal in general cases.

3. The leucorrhea of ​​candidal vaginitis is white, thick, paste-like or curd-like, the vaginal wall is generally red, and some areas are covered with diphtheria-like membranes. After wiping off the white film, a rough, red, erosive surface can be seen. This is mostly vaginitis caused by fungal infection, which can also be confirmed by testing the secretions.

4. Although the amount of leucorrhea in senile vaginitis is not much, the vaginal wall is generally red, and there are severe discomforts such as burning and itching. In severe cases, there is pus-like irritating leucorrhea, obvious vaginal burning and tenderness, and red spots appear due to epithelial shedding. Most of them are senile vaginitis. If the infection is severe and the discharge is foul-smelling, further examination may be necessary if a malignancy is suspected.

5. Gonorrheal vaginitis causes thick yellow purulent fluid to appear in the cervical canal, which overflows into the vagina and causes vaginitis. No erythema of the vaginal wall occurs. If the urethra, paraurethral glands or Bartholin's glands are squeezed, purulent fluid often overflows, which is mostly caused by gonococcal infection.

6. In chronic cervicitis or cervical erosion, the leucorrhea is mostly mucopurulent. Due to the increase in cervical secretions, patients often think that the leucorrhea is excessive and seek medical treatment. Therefore, about 25% of women who complain of excessive leucorrhea have cervicitis. Currently, only gonococci, Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma hominis are known to be the direct causes of common cervicitis, but no microorganisms are found in many patients. Therefore, its cause needs further study.

(III) Irritating leucorrhea caused by foreign bodies: Placing a pessary, vaginal tampon, vaginal diaphragm in the vagina, or leaving gauze and cotton balls in the vagina after vaginal surgery after childbirth, or young girls inserting various foreign bodies such as pencil heads and erasers into the vagina for a long time without removing them, can all lead to foul-smelling leucorrhea.

In addition, there is often purulent and foul-smelling leucorrhea after hysterectomy or vaginal surgery, which is caused by irritation from foreign bodies in the sutures and necrosis of the ligature stumps. This type of leucorrhea will often disappear only after the sutures, ligatures and necrotic tissue have fallen off and the wound has completely healed.

(IV) Cancerous leucorrhea Bloody and watery malignant leucorrhea is often seen in the late stage of uterine cancer. The odor of cervical cancer discharge is more peculiar, and the amount is very large, often causing vulvar and vaginal irritation symptoms. Recurrent discharge of foul-smelling pus in an elderly woman should raise the possibility of pyometra. Fallopian tube cancer often discharges clear yellow-red fluid, which leaks out of the vagina intermittently. Purulent leucorrhea has an odor and is yellow or yellow-green in color. It is caused by purulent infection or Trichomonas. Therefore, the pathological cause of abnormal leucorrhea can be determined through vaginal cleaning examinations, vaginal pathogen examinations and other examinations.

Yellow discharge from the vagina requires everyone's attention. If the situation is very serious, it is recommended that everyone seek timely examination and treatment to avoid it becoming more serious. Many times, the reasons for yellow vaginal discharge are quite complicated. The specific situation still depends on the results of the examination, from which a lot of analysis can be drawn.