There is white discharge below

If there is white discharge from your vagina, you should first determine whether your discharge is normal. You can judge by the color, smell and texture of the discharge. If you find that your discharge is abnormal after a period of time, you should go to the hospital for a gynecological examination as soon as possible. The most common examination is the examination of vaginal mucus and cervical secretions.

To check whether the leucorrhea is normal, you need to observe the amount, color, texture and smell.

1. Gynecological examination

The examination is carried out from outside to inside. First, the vulva, urethra, paraurethral glands and Bartholin's glands are inspected visually, and then the vaginal wall and cervix are observed through a vaginal speculum. Check the appearance of vaginal discharge and cervical discharge.

2. Laboratory examination

(1) pH value: The normal pH is 3.8-4.4. The pH value of leucorrhea increases when suffering from trichomoniasis or bacterial vaginitis.

(2) Vaginal cleanliness: Grade III: A small amount of vaginal lactobacilli, a large number of pus cells and miscellaneous bacteria are seen under the microscope. Grade IV: No vaginal bacilli are seen under the microscope, and except for a small amount of epithelial cells, there are mainly pus cells and miscellaneous bacteria. Grades III to IV are abnormal leucorrhea, indicating vaginal inflammation. Grades Ⅰ to Ⅱ are normal.

(3) Fungi and Trichomonas: If Trichomonas or fungi are present, regardless of the quantity, they will be indicated by a “+”. The “+” symbol only indicates that the woman is infected with Trichomonas or fungi, and does not indicate the severity of the infection.

Leucorrhea refers to an increase in the amount of vaginal discharge in women. Sometimes increased vaginal discharge is a normal physiological phenomenon. If the increase in vaginal discharge is accompanied by multiple symptoms, you should be alert to the occurrence of gynecological diseases. Increased leucorrhea can be divided into physiological leucorrhea increase and pathological leucorrhea increase. Pathological leucorrhea may indicate different diseases through changes in amount, color, quality and odor.

1. Colorless, transparent, sticky leucorrhea: It is egg white-like and similar in properties to the mucus secreted by the cervical glands during ovulation, but the amount is significantly increased. Generally, the possibility of chronic endocervicitis, ovarian dysfunction, vaginal adenosis, or well-differentiated cervical adenocarcinoma should be considered.

2. Curd-like leucorrhea: It is a characteristic of candidal vaginitis, often accompanied by severe vulvar itching or burning pain.

3. White or grayish yellow foamy leucorrhea: It is a characteristic of Trichomonas vaginitis and may be accompanied by vulvar itching.

4. Gray homogeneous leucorrhea with fishy smell: common in bacterial vaginosis.

5. Bloody leucorrhea: If there is blood mixed in the leucorrhea, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, cervical polyps or submucosal fibroids should be considered. The placement of an intrauterine contraceptive device can also cause bloody leucorrhea.

Purulent leucorrhea: yellow or yellow-green in color, sticky, and often has a foul odor. It can be caused by acute vaginitis, cervicitis, and endocervicitis caused by bacteria such as Trichomonas or gonococci. Pyometra, cervical cancer, vaginal cancer or foreign objects retained in the vagina can also cause pus-like leucorrhea.