How to Control Vaginal Discharge Any bodily discharge can be embarrassing, but if you dont know how to control vaginal discharge, you may have issues with odor and/or staining that can lead to additional embarrassment. While many discharges are normal and help keep the pH balance of your vagina intact, other discharges can be the sign of real issues that need to be addressed either with over-the-counter medication or by seeing a qualified doctor. Method 1 of 2: Evaluating the Problem 1See if your discharge is normal. Normal vaginal secretions will be clear or milky in appearance. This natural lubricant helps clean your vagina, keeps it free from germs and also should be odor-free. It may also be thin, stringy or have white spots. If this sounds like your discharge, leave it alone. Natural discharge is very important in keeping your vagina healthy and preventing not normal discharge. Messing with natural discharge will just make the problem worse. 2Consider the state of your body. Factors that affect vaginal discharge include what you eat, your ovulation, whether or not youre on the pill, if you are breast-feeding, what medications you are taking, whether or not you are pregnant, your menstrual cycle and whether or not you are under stress. If you are doing any of these things, realize that your dischage is normal and may not be able to (or should be changed) until you stop. You can also be at risk of throwing off your vaginas natural pH balance if you are on antibiotics or if you use vaginal douches, feminine hygiene products or perfumed soaps. While anti-biotics cannot be avoided, doucheing and scented feminine products should always be avoided as these are bad for your body. Other things that can put you at risk include pregnancy, diabetes or other infections that are near or around that area of the body. 3Look for foreign objects. Leaving in a tampon for too long an cause unusual discharge. Some women forget they even had a tampon up there! You can also end up with other objects in your vagina which can cause a discharge (as your body tries to expel it). A common example is a piece of a broken condom. 4Know the difference between colors and odors of vaginal discharge. Off-color or foul odors in the vaginal region can be the sign of a pelvic infection after youve had a surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), vaginal atrophy during menopause, trichomoniasis or vaginitis, and several other vaginal infections, all of which should be diagnosed by a doctor and treated with prescription medication. Vaginal discharge with bacterial vaginosis will be gray, white or yellow. It will also have a fishy odor. If you have gonorrhea, you might have a cloudy or yellow discharge. Yeast infections can be apparent if you have a thick, white discharge. This discharge is often described as being a cottage cheese consistency. Cottage cheese discharge is also characteristic of chlamydia, a common STI. If you have an irregular period or endometrial or cervical cancer, you may notice a bloody or brown discharge. If you have trichomoniasis, yellow/green frothy discharge that has a bad odor may affect you. 5Go to a doctor. If the problem is very bad, it is probably a sign of infection and you will need to see a doctor. Aside from the fact that things like cancer and STDs can cause bad vaginal discharge, letting an infection stay in your vagina untreated can lead to infertility and other problems in the future. If you dont have health insurance, there are clinics (like Planned Parenthood) which offer gynecological exams and treatment for free or very cheap. If you do have health insurance, but you dont want to tell say...your parents why you want to go to the doctor, make up an excuse. You can say you think you might have a yeast infection, which are very common and not the result of STDs or other things which your parents will disapprove of. If you dont even want to say that, you can just say that your period is getting irregular and you want to get it checked out. Avoid taking medication until you know what the cause is. There is medication for things like yeast infections, but you should not self-diagnose a yeast infection if this is your first time getting one. Taking yeast infection medication without a yeast infection can lead to future problems.Method 2 of 2: Treating Normal Discharge 1Use baby wipes. Wipe away the excess discharge when you go to the bathroom. Try not to get the wipe too far into your vagina; you should only be cleaning the outside (vulva). Use wipes which are unscented and contain as few chemicals as possible. 2Change your underwear. Changing your underwear 2-3 times a day can help the problem. This will help keep bacteria away from your vagina and will also reduce your discomfort and the smell. Make sure youre wearing the right kind of underwear, since wearing the wrong kind can even be causing the problem! Wear cotton underwear with good ventilation (meaning those skinny jeans you wear can also be causing the problem). 3Air yourself out. Try to get as much air exposure as possible. Sleep naked or walk around your house without pants or underwear if you can. The air will help keep your skin from becoming irritated and creating more opportunities for infection. It can also help treat the problem itself, if your body simly has an imbalance of bacteria, since it will give your body the opportunity to restore itself to normal. 4Use a pad or pantyliner in extreme cases. Generally you want to avoid these, as usually your body creates the discharge to get rid of something and keeping that something close to your body is not the best idea. However, if you are in a situation where you really need to keep the discharge in check or the discharge is so bad it cannot be controlled, you can use a pad or pantyliner. Try to change it as often as possible. 5Dont douche. Dont ever douche, unless you are asked to by a doctor or gynocologist. Doucheing badly disrupts your bodys natural rhythms and can cause you to get vaginal infections to begin with. If you are currently doucheing, this may be the source of your discharge.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 03:39:52 +0000
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