What can the Doctor do?

When a woman seeks a doctor because of discharge, it may be because of nuisances associated with the discharge itself (increased amount, different smell, itch or smarting in the vagina), but with 2/3 of the women it is the fear of a serious illness or a sexually transmitted disease that makes the woman seek a doctor.

The doctor will perform a gynaecological examination, microscope your discharge, measure the sourness (pH-level) in the vagina, possibly graft for bacteria and fungi and perhaps prescribe medication for inflammation.

With one third of women with troublesome discharge, the doctor cannot prove any illness. The explanation may be that we do not know all illnesses that may lead to troublesome discharge or it may be because the woman – for some reason – generally, feels bothered by normal discharge. Some women have a very high production of secrete.

Fungal infection

If you, in spite of your own treatment, are still bothered by an increased amount of discharge, smarting or itching, you should contact your doctor.

When the doctor – in the microscope – looks at your discharge the doctor will be able to find fungi. Finally, the doctor can culture for fungi. This is not a painful procedure. The doctor gently rolls a thin cotton bud over the mucous membrane in the vagina and thereafter, the cotton bud is sent to a laboratory to be cultivated.

The doctor can prescribe different fungicides. The fungicides can be given either as topical treatment (crème or suppositories) in the vagina or as tablets to be eaten. Both topical treatment and treatment with tablets are very effective, since 90% are cured. Since topical treatment and treatment with tablets are equally efficient, your choice will depend on price and which form of treatment you prefer. If you are pregnant, you should only use topical treatment.

Repeated fungal infections are very difficult to cure. Often, you try with different fungicides but without great luck. The most efficient method seems to be giving the woman a fungicide, which she administers herself when she feels a fungal infection is on the way. In that way, the fungal infections can be kept at bay. However, completely curing women with repeated fungal infections are beyond the doctors (yet).

Bacterial Vaginosis

If you, in spite of your own treatment with lactic bacteria, are still bothered by an increased amount of smelly discharge, you should contact your doctor.

The doctor will perform a gynaecological examination and examine your discharge in the microscope. In the microscope, the doctor is able to see that you lack lactic bacteria and that instead of lactic bacteria are numerous foreign bacteria.

The doctor can prescribe a treatment with tablets or topical treatment that cures 80% with bacterial vaginosis. Unfortunately, a third of the women have another case of bacterial vaginosis within the first month. Numerous studies have shown that treatment of the partner has no effect.

Pregnancy

Fungi in the vagina do not affect a pregnancy and are not transferred to the foetus. Fungal infections are treated with fungicides like suppositories for the vagina.

Bacterial vaginosis can be dangerous for pregnant woman. The risk of a premature birth increases if you have bacterial vaginosis. Women who has had a premature birth before should therefore be extra attentive to changes in their vaginal discharge. Pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis can be treated with lactic bacteria, which are of no danger to the pregnancy or the foetus. If this proves insufficient, the doctor can prescribe antibiotics.

Chlamydia

In the case of suspicion of an infection with chlamydia the doctor performs a gynaecological examination and grafts for chlamydia. The doctor inserts a small cotton bud up into your uterine cervix and in some cases up into your urethra. It may cause brief smarting. The cotton buds are sent to a laboratory.

If you have an infection with chlamydia, the doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Around 95% are cured. It is important that your current and former partners are examined for chlamydia so that they may undergo treatment.

Other Rare Causes
Gonorrhoea is detected from grafting while Trichomoniasis is detected in the microscope. Effective medication exists for both of these infections.