What is vaginal discharge?

Due to sexual stimulation and mental excitement, women's vagina will be accompanied by secretions. Some secretions are leucorrhea, which occurs every month. Some are vaginal secretions with low viscosity after sexual stimulation. The secretions can moisturize the vagina. These are liquids that appear in different environments. This is related to the physiological structure of the vagina and the physiological structure of the body. So what exactly are vaginal secretions?

Basic Introduction

Vaginal secretions, also known as Bartholin gland fluid, are the fluid secreted from the vagina when a woman feels sexually excited and have the function of lubricating the vagina.

Basic Ingredients

The main ingredients are water, pyridine, squalene, urea, acetic acid, lactic acid, alcohol, glycol, ketone and aldehyde. It is usually transparent, but its color and viscosity will change due to a person's health, diet, menstrual cycle, sexual stimulation, etc. The pH value is weakly acidic, ranging from 3.8 to 4.5, but the pH value of vaginal secretions in some patients with sexually transmitted diseases may vary.

Basic Function

Leucorrhea contains lactobacillus, lysozyme and antibodies, so it can inhibit bacterial growth and balance the beneficial and harmful bacteria. During sexual intercourse between men and women, due to the physiological effects of women, the amount of leucorrhea will increase, which will lubricate the vagina and facilitate sexual intercourse. At the same time, this ability is also acquired by human evolution over hundreds of millions of years. Only a harmonious sex life can further enhance human reproductive function. Leucorrhea can also be used to observe vaginal diseases, lesions, infections, vaginitis and other female gynecological diseases.

Clinical examination

To check whether the leucorrhea is normal, you need to observe the amount, color, texture and smell. Normal leucorrhea should be milky white or colorless and transparent, with a slightly fishy smell or no smell; its secretion amount and texture are affected by the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body, and vary periodically with the menstrual cycle, with varying amounts, textures and thicknesses. Generally, the amount of leucorrhea is less after the menstrual period; before ovulation, due to the increase in estrogen levels in the body, the epithelial cells of the cervical glands are stimulated to proliferate, the secretion of cervical mucus increases, and the sodium chloride content in the mucus increases, which can absorb more water, causing the leucorrhea to increase during ovulation, and the texture is thin, clear in color, and looks like egg white, which can be stretched into long threads; after ovulation, estrogen levels gradually decrease, progesterone levels increase, the secretion of cervical mucus is inhibited, and the sodium chloride content in the mucus also decreases, making the leucorrhea at this time thick, milky white, with poor ductility, and easy to break when drawn. In addition, there are also some physiological phenomena such as pregnancy and oral contraceptives, which can cause an increase in vaginal discharge. The cause is also related to changes in estrogen and progesterone levels in the body.