What can a routine examination of vaginal discharge reveal?

However, the secretions in the female body are very important. They not only moisturize the vagina, but also maintain the normal secretion circulation of the body. If the leucorrhea is irregular or absent, it means that the female body may enter the menopausal stage. Routine examination of leucorrhea is imperative. Generally, when doing a gynecological examination, routine examination of leucorrhea is also an item that must be checked.

Inspection items

Routine examination of leucorrhea generally includes 5 items

1. pH value: After puberty, due to the stimulation of ovarian sex hormones, the mucosal epithelial cells contain rich animal starch, which is decomposed by vaginal lactobacilli into lactic acid, making the vaginal secretions weakly acidic, which can prevent pathogenic bacteria from multiplying in the vagina. This is the self-cleaning function of the vagina. The pH value is often used to indicate the acidity and alkalinity in laboratory tests. The normal pH is 4.5. When suffering from trichomoniasis or bacterial vaginitis, the pH value of leucorrhea increases and may be greater than 5-6.

2. Vaginal cleanliness can be divided into 4 levels:

Vaginal cleanliness criteria

Among them: Ⅰ~Ⅱ are normal. III to IV are abnormal and may be vaginitis. Pathogens, fungi, vaginal Trichomonas, etc. can often be found at the same time. When checking the cleanliness, Trichomonas and fungi should be checked at the same time.

3. Fungus and Trichomonas: After the leucorrhea is processed, the presence of Trichomonas or fungi can be detected based on its morphology under a microscope. If Trichomonas or fungi are present, regardless of the number, they will be indicated by a "+". The "+" symbol only means that the woman is infected with Trichomonas or fungi, and does not indicate the severity of the infection.

4. Amine test: The leucorrhea of ​​patients with bacterial vaginosis may have a fishy smell, which is caused by the amines in the leucorrhea being volatilized after being alkalized with potassium hydroxide.

5. Clue cells: Clue cells refer to the many bacilli aggregated at the edge of the vaginal epithelial cells in patients with bacterial vaginosis. In the hanging drop smear, the edges of the vaginal epithelial cells are granular or stippled, making them unclear. These are clue cells. They are the most sensitive and specific sign of bacterial vaginosis. Clinicians can make a diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis based on a positive amine test and the presence of clue cells.

How to do a routine check of leucorrhea

In fact, its routine operation is very simple. The doctor only needs to take some secretions from the vagina. Women will hardly feel any pain or discomfort, so female friends do not need to worry about routine testing of leucorrhea. Leucorrhea is an important sign that can reflect women's physical health. When women find that their leucorrhea is abnormal, they should go to the hospital for examination in time.