Emma kicks off Her Campus Nottingham’s new series ‘Let’s Talk About’ by discussing all things discharge and the importance of knowing our bodies for our physical, mental and sexual wellbeing.
The writer is not a healthcare professional, and their observations are their own. Contact your doctor/pharmacist if you have any concerns.
Discharge is a bit of an enigma, even to the best of us. ‘What is it?’, ‘What does it do?’, ‘And, is that normal?’ must be frequently asked questions for many women out there. Discharge is usually totally normal but can be a side effect of hormonal contraceptives, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy and conditions such as endometriosis. No wonder discharge, what’s fine and what may be a sign of something adrift, can be such a sticky situation to find yourself in (yes that’s a discharge-related pun, I’m not even sorry…)
Vaginal fluid takes on slightly different colours and consistencies during the menstrual cycle, related to your own unique balance of bacteria, pH and moisture levels.
First off, let’s get this out of the way. It’s not supposed to smell like flowers or clean, freshly washed, linen. So, please stop washing down there with heavily fragranced soaps and products often marketed as feminine hygiene, like douches, that will only disrupt things, making you more susceptible to infection. Another thing to note is the distinction between the vagina and the vulva, which is necessary to know when it comes to keeping this part of your body in balance. Your vagina is located inside of your body, leading from the cervix. It is self-cleansing and discharge itself has a vital role to play in this. While, the vulva, made up of the labia and the clitoris, is external and therefore, can be gently washed with a mild soap, or even just warm water.
Familiarising yourself with your own body is a key step in all things related to your vaginal wellbeing – be it preventing infections or increasing sexual pleasure.
Your discharge can be odourless, but it’s pretty common for it to have a slight bodily, perhaps musty, smell that shouldn’t be too strong but is sometimes noticeable. The scent also fluctuates during your cycle and due to other factors, such as having sex and your stress levels.
Secondly, the amount of discharge varies for different bodies, at different times. It’s about recognising what is typical for you and your circumstances. For instance, if you’re on the pill then, depending on what type, your discharge may be pretty consistent due to its effect on your hormonal/menstrual cycle. If you take the combined pill, your discharge may be heavier due to an increase in oestrogen and the thickening of cervical fluid to prevent pregnancy.
I’m by no means an expert in this department. However, I have previously attended sex therapy and, more recently, have encountered how ‘women’s health’, such as abnormalities in discharge, can be dismissed as trivial. I went to and from the doctors with this problem from April to August this year. To cut a long story short, I was prescribed various treatments for yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis; however, I never had any of these infections. I was, therefore, rather pointlessly taking all these medications that continued to cause side effects for many weeks after, including weight loss and anxiety. One set of antibiotics was so strong a dose that I had to call in sick at work as they completely knocked me out. After many, quite invasive and sometimes painful, tests, I was given the all-clear. Yet I was not fully satisfied with this outcome. I was relieved on one hand that I did not have an infection, but I was left with all these symptoms, including burning and itching and a lot of discharge, with no diagnosis.
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, and I do appreciate for some reasons why this was the case, I felt neglected and as if I was making the whole thing up. I also think there’s a certain amount of stigma surrounding sexual and reproductive health, especially female. Therefore, many women feel embarrassed about sharing symptoms, such as ‘strange’ discharge, which may contribute to the hit-and-miss medical treatment of such problems.
Flash forward a couple of months, and everything has restored itself back to normal. Personally, and I have no medical experience to support this theory, I think it was caused by stress and my hormones being all over the place during lockdown. All the unnecessary medication without a proper diagnosis must have made it worse too.
I recommend apps like Clue which allow you to track contraception, discharge, sex drive and so much more so you can stay aligned with your fluctuating and quite incredible (when you actually think about what it does) body. Healthy discharge is normal and should be discussed without awkwardness, then we’d all be more educated to know when something is off down there. Grab a mirror, look in your underwear, notice any changes in smell, colour and volume. Get to know your body, your vulva and what is ‘normal’ to you.
For more information about vaginal discharge and symptoms to look out for, see the NHS website