Leukorrhea Information You Need
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Leukorrhea is a whitish, somewhat thick discharge from the vagina. Normally, vaginal discharge occurs intermittently throughout the menstrual cycle, with a somewhat greater than usual amount during pregnancy. Constant leukorrhea, a change in its consistency, or a greater discharge than usual may be signs of a vaginal or uterine infection, a tumor, or various other gynecological disorders.
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| Causes |
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There are many causes of leukorrhea, the usual one being estrogen imbalance i.e. increase or decrease in levels of. The amount of discharge may increase due to vaginal infection or STDs, in which case it becomes more yellow and foul-smelling; it is usually a non-pathological symptom secondary to inflammatory conditions of vagina or cervix.
Vaginal discharge is normal for a woman, and all women are different. Causes of change in discharge include infection, malignancy, and hormonal changes. It sometimes occurs before a girl has her first period, and is considered a sign of puberty.
Leukorrhea may occur normally during pregnancy. This is caused by increased blood flow to the vagina due to increased estrogen. Female infants may have leukorrhea for a short time after birth due to their in-uterine exposure to estrogen.
After delivery, leukorrhea accompanied by backache and foul-smelling lochia (post-partum vaginal discharge, containing blood, mucus, and placental tissue) may suggest the failure of involution (the uterus returning to pre-pregnant size) due to infection. Investigations: wet smear, gram stain, culture, pap smear and biopsy.
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| Diagnosis |
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When leukorrhea becomes a source of vaginal pain or irritation, a woman should go to see her doctor. The diagnosis of monilia vaginitis can be done by the characteristic appearance and odor of the discharge, the presence of white or gray patches in the vagina, and the inflammation of the vulvar area.
To substantiate this clinical diagnosis, the physician microscopically examines a wet smear of the vaginal discharge for the typical yeast like organisms.
A swab of the vaginal discharge can also be placed on a special culture medium. The culture will grow within a few days, even at room temperature.
Anti-yeast suppositories and creams are the most common treatments for monilia infections. Some preparations can also be taken orally, but high doses are needed for effective treatment of monilia infections.
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| Dietary Guidelines |
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It would be a good idea for women to eat yogurt while taking antibiotics. In fact, yogurt is a useful addition to the diet of any women who has or is predisposed to yeast infections. She must, of course, eat yogurt that contains live cultures; this counterbalances the yeast in the vagina. It has been suggested with plain yogurt (again, only yogurt with live cultures) could be applied like a vaginal cream for the treatment of monilia infection. The effectiveness of this yogurt has not been tested in long-term experiments.
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| Home Care Suggestions |
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Coli can reach the vagina because of poor hygiene of changing from anal and vaginal intercourse. Women should be careful after defecation to clean themselves from front to back, not from back to front, to ensure that coli bacilli not get into the vagina. Mycoplasma is another microorganism associated with vaginitis; alone it causes no symptoms but it is usually been found with bacteria. It can cause infertility.
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| Mind/Body Considerations |
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These diseases occur when the body resistance is low. In order to build resistance it is very necessary to have a healthy life style one that helps build body resistance for that it is necessary to adopt a cycle that is beneficial to the mind and the body.
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| Additional Information |
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Barberry shows its favorable effects during vaginal problems 1,2 Yeastaway contains Hydrastis Canadensis. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) also provides beneficial effects in vaginal problems. 1,3,4 Vaginitis contains Kreosotum that acts beneficially in condition of thick discharge from vagina.5 |
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| Disclaimer |
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent any disease. |
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