A woman’s body goes through a lot, and the Vagina is frequently the focal point of the majority of these experiences in the form of discharge.
Even though you are not on your period, you may notice some color in your underpants. You panic because you think there is blood and you don’t think you’ll have your period anytime soon.
These developments don’t exactly suggest any issues with your body, they could be little bits of period blood, regular discharge, or both!
When Should You Be Concerned?
vaginal discharge
A woman’s body naturally keeps her vagina clean through vaginal discharge. This makes it challenging for some women to determine if there is a problem with their bodies or not, especially when they experience brown discharge. It can be an entirely natural sign that a recent menstrual cycle has ended, or it might be something else, like a symptom of a disease.
The bottom line is that if you start experiencing discharge that you have never experienced before, bleeding a lot in between periods, or more or less than is typical for you, and if you have pelvic pain, you may need to check it out.
You begin to notice changes in the texture or smell of your discharge, sometimes with other symptoms like discomfort or itching.
Ob/Gyn expert Oluwatosin Goje stated in a Cleveland Clinic article that discharge happens when the cells of the vagina shed or peel off. Although it’s a good, natural procedure, occasionally you may notice variations in your vaginal discharge.
Although some of those changes are simple to explain, others point to health issues that you should discuss with your doctor.
Vaginal discharge acts as lubrication and defense against irritation and infection, while maintaining the health of the vaginal tissues.
Depending on the stage of the menstrual cycle, the amount, color, and consistency of regular vaginal discharge can range from yellowish and sticky to clear and watery.
When vaginal fluid and blood come together after the monthly period, you may start to see brownish discharge. In many cases, this can just be a sign that your menstruation is over.
According to Goje, the “Normal brown discharge” occurs at the conclusion of your menstrual cycle when there is a small amount of leftover menstrual fluid.
Frequently, the body will biodegrade the fluid so that it doesn’t come out. However, occasionally some of it escapes your vagina and ends up in your underpants at the end of your period or even a day or two later.
Even a tiny drop of blood from your uterus or cervix might mix with vaginal fluid to produce a dark discharge. It may seem concerning, but it isn’t necessarily a reason to be alarmed.
She acknowledged that there could be other causes for the blood-stained discharge besides the just ended period.
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Sometimes, unexpected bleeding might point to a medical problem. Schedule a visit with your doctor, especially if it happens regularly and maybe causes discomfort.
Bacterial vaginosis is another explanation for the discharge. This frequent illness is often accompanied by grey discharge, but for some people, especially when it dries in your underwear, it might seem brownish.
Discharge from bacterial vaginosis, often known as BV, is brought on by a bacterial imbalance in your vagina and is typically worst after sex and during your period.
A distinct clue that the bacteria are out of balance down there is that it nearly always goes along with a fishy smell. According to experts, the contact of the bacteria with blood or semen causes the bacteria to thrive and gives off the odor that it does.
Menopause can also be a cause. A drop in estrogen is a side effect of menopause. This results in vaginal atrophy, a disease where the vaginal walls become frail and thin. The blood vessels constrict, and females may bleed vaginally.
Talk to your Ob/Gyn if you’re in or nearing menopause and start to develop brown discharge; they’ll want to be sure it’s vaginal discharge. We always want to ensure that blood isn’t flowing from the uterus in menopausal individuals since this might indicate additional problems.
Additionally, the presence of blood in your discharge might be a sign of trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted infection caused by a living parasite in your vagina or urethra. Similar to how a scratch on your skin might make you bleed a bit, this pathogen can irk your inside organs.
The itchiness induces excessive scratching, which in turn causes “flecks of blood” to drop and release a brownish discharge.
A thin or fluffy secretion that is white, yellow, or greenish and smells unpleasant can also be a symptom of trichomoniasis. Your doctor can run a test on you and provide you with a prescription to get rid of the parasite if you suffer from this common condition.
