Leukorrhea - What is it and Should I Be Concerned?

        Leukorrhea is a term that has been used for many years to describe vaginal discharge, whether normal or not.  It has classically been used to describe the increase in vaginal discharge that occurs during pregnancy and continues into the postpartum.  The term leukorrhea, when used now, is almost exclusive to the post-partum period, which is the 4-6 weeks right after having a baby.   

      It usually consists of a thick, whitish or yellowish discharge, or a thick, clear, blood-tinged discharge and is usually due to hormone imbalance & continued uterine involution (shrinkage). Most of the time it goes away completely after the post-partum period is over, and discharge returns to pre-pregnancy status.  For a select few, it may go away for a while, only to return from time to time.  It may even keep re-occurring for years.

     Now, most of us just say "vaginal discharge" to refer to any fluid coming from the vagina, whether pregnant or not.  Vaginal discharge plays an important role in maintaining a healthy vagina. The secretions are designed to flush out bacteria and other tiny organisms to prevent infection.  It is the natural defense mechanism the vagina uses to maintain its chemical and pH balance, as well as to preserve the flexibility of the vaginal tissue.  Vaginal discharge is normal for a woman and it would definitely not be normal to not have it.  Normal vaginal discharge is odorless and a clear or a pale milky color.

     Vaginal discharge does increase during pregnancy, as there is a baby growing in the uterus, which causes increased blood flow to the vagina and increased estrogen levels. Even female infants can have discharge for a short time after birth, due to their in-uterine exposure to estrogen from mom; many times it is period-like.  

     Discharge changes during the month.  It can be heavy at times and it can change to clear and watery - that's normal. Other reasons for change include infection, female malignancies, and hormonal changes. In pre-teens, an increase in discharge will happen about 2 years prior to puberty and the onset of the first period.    

     Abnormally heavy discharge (way too much flow that makes you feel wet all the time) that looks and smells normal, is caused by an increase in hormone levels, particularly estrogen, that causes excessive secretions from the cervical glands. These secretions help to clean your vaginal area, so even if they are uncomfortable, they are a sign that your body is doing what it needs to stay healthy. Some women have enough discharge that they need to wear panty liners all day long. This is the type of discharge we discussed earlier that can always come and go for no reason and would respond well to minimal treatment.

     Abnormal discharge will be thick or even cottage-cheese textured, yellow or green, or tinged with blood. It may have an unpleasant odor. You may feel itching or burning in your vaginal area. These are more likely signs of an infection or a sexually transmitted disease.  If you have a sense that your discharge is not normal, it is a good idea to check in with your doctor. Generally, your doctor can test it with a simple swab (Q-tip) test for culture.

       Chronic vaginal discharge always involves one or many parts of the reproductive organs. Whenever the body is loaded with toxins due to poor dietary habits and the eliminative organs such as  bowels, lungs, skin and kidneys are unable to eliminate the toxins, the body produces a profuse discharge or elimination through the vaginal walls and glands of the uterus.  In the case of advanced, chronic inflammatory conditions, it leads to discharge with pus, offensive odor and color varying from cream to yellow or light green.  

       Usually, what happens is you may begin feeling like you are getting a cold and find you also have an increase in vaginal discharge.  You may start to feel irritable and develop black patches under your eyes or some face discoloration, due to the skin weeping that occurs as the body rids itself of toxins.  You may feel weak and tired, a lot of pain in the lumbar region and the calves and a dragging sensation in the abdomen.  Arthritis syndromes can pop up, causing all-over body aches and pains and stiff joints, young & old alike. 

       Backaches will come on for no good reason making it difficult to get comfortable and you may have pain that shoots straight down your vagina or into your leg, especially the thigh and calf muscles.  It is common to have lower abdominal pain from the swelling and inflammation of the uterus and vagina that makes them ache and throb.  If it is an infection, then it has a very good chance of moving into the bladder due to close proximity of the vagina.  Then comes the burning during urination and frequent urge to go, but only a tiny amount of urine comes out.  MISERABLE FEELING!!  

      These are only examples of bodily malfunctions that can accompany female problems or how other organ systems can affect the female system as well.  It is so common to see women suffering with gastric reflux, heart burn, constipation, diarrhea and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), when their struggling with pelvic pain, heavy periods and painful sex, it's like their whole body is sick because of the way their female system is all off.   So now you feel wiped out, and all you thought you were battling was a little discharge, yeast or bacterial infection.  It's amazing what our body does when it wants to flush out toxins, we usually don't think it will use our vagina and other female organs to do this along with skin and everything else.  Amazing.