White Discharge – Leucorrhoea

Leucorrhoea

FEMALE DISORDER - White Discharge – Leucorrhoea

There is lot of secretions in our body from mucous membranes and glands, which have their own function, depending upon the place. Normally, the secretions protect our body by forming a slimy lining over the skin or mucous membrane. It also helps to keep the mucous membrane or skin moist and flexible, for example, sebum secretions in the face, saliva in the mouth, etc. If this secretion becomes very low, everyone will feel dryness and cracked skin which paves way for infection. Likewise, vaginal glands also secrete some secretions to keep the organ moist, flexible and to prevent it from infection by its acidic nature. At ovulation time, the acidic nature of the secretion gets altered to alkali nature by hormones to allow the sperm to survive for fertilisation. If not, the sperms will find it difficult to thrive and reach the ovum. Also, secretions of the vagina help in lubrication during the sexual act.

White discharges are cloudy secretions from the female reproductive tract especially from the vagina or cervix or both. Leucorrhoea is a medical term for white discharges which is an excessive secretion of the vagina. It is very common in females nowadays, i.e. more than 30 per cent of girls suffer from leucorrhoea and feel discomfort and pain. It may be mild to severe, and varies from person to person.

Why we should be alert with leucorrhoea

• In case of chronic infection, and if left untreated, the infection spreads inward into the cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, etc., causing congestion of the uterus or ovary or pelvis, leading to heavy menstrual flow in the forthcoming period.
• It acts as a precursor of pelvic inflammatory diseases, salphingo-oophoritis (infection of fallopian tube and ovaries) which mostly result in pelvic adhesions like peritoneal adhesions and fallopian tube adhesions which obstruct tubes and may cause infertility.
• White discharges in late fertile period or after menopause should always be analysed completely to rule out cervix cancer which is the second commonest site of cancer in females after breast cancer.
• Urinary tract, reproductive tract and the adjacent organs are often caught in the spread of infection simultaneously since the urethra, vagina and anus lie very close.

Incidence – All females of reproductive age groups (menarche to menopause) are prone to leucorrhoea at some time or the other. Pathological leucorrhoea occurs more commonly in people with poor hygiene and prostitutes, as they are more prone to venereal diseases, pelvic inflammatory diseases, etc.

Types and causes – Leucorrhoea is mainly classified into two types:
Physiological leucorrhoea – is an excessive discharge or secretions of a normal vagina. They are slimy in nature. They occur commonly in teenage girls due to hormonal imbalance during puberty, at the time of ovulation period of the menstrual cycle, before periods, etc. In case of adults, in addition to the ovulation time and before periods, it occurs also during early days of pregnancy and during sexual excitement. It is just like the mouth watering at the sight of delicious eatables. Here only the amount of secretion is increased and all the other nature of secretion is the same. Also, you cannot notice any leucocytes, pus cells, bacteria or blood. This type of leucorrhoea also occurs in newborn female babies for a week or two which is due to the oestrogen hormone in the blood of the baby which had entered through her mother’s placenta before delivery. If it is a male newborn, it has prominent nipples for some time due to the presence of the same oestrogen hormone.

Pathological leucorrhoea – is a discharge occurring due to disease or malfunction of the female reproductive tract. It is the alarming sign for requirement of cleanliness and treatment. If you ignore this alarm, the infection will go inside to rob your uterus or fertility. The nature of discharge varies from slimy to thick bloody discharge with foul odour. This condition is commonly present both in case of vaginitis or cervicitis. The main causes can be charted out as follows:

1) Infections

• From FUNGUS – Candida albicans can easily flourish in moist circumstances and is commonly promoted by synthetic undergarments and poor hygienic condition.
• FROM PARASITES – protozoa – Trichomonas vaginalis causes the Trichomoniasis which spreads usually through sexual intercourse and moist clothes.
• FROM BACTERIA- Gardnerella vaginalis and chlamydia are the prime causes in bacterial infections. Also, it is frequently seen in venereal diseases like gonorrhoea, syphilis, and AIDS.

2) Injury – Injury to the vagina or cervix or womb during childbirth, abortion, or excessive sexual indulgence can cause erosions and infections with discharges.

3) Poor hygienic conditions and lack of cleanliness - non hygienic measures, especially during menses, can create infection and cause leucorrhoea.

4) Diabetes and anaemia can provoke infections due to weakened immunity.

5) Spread of infection from adjacent urinary tract (UTI) or alimentary tract (worms)

6) Irritation of IUCD (Intra uterine contraceptive device) can cause pain and discharges.

7) Sprays and jellies which are used by males for provoking sexual act and jellies and drugs taken by females to kill sperms to avoid conception can also irritate and initiate the infective process.

Leucorrhoea can also be classified as cervical leucorrhoea or vaginal leucorrhoea i.e., according to the place of its origin – cervix or vagina.

Symptoms of leucorrhoea – Mostly there won’t be any symptom other than discharge. Discharge may be slimy, viscid to dark coloured or even bloody with a foul smell.

In some cases, the accompanying symptoms are:

• Lower abdominal pain
• Painful sexual act
• Backache and pain in the leg, especially thigh and calf muscles
• Intense itching with odema of vagina
• Soreness and burning in the genital tract
• Burning urination and frequent urge to pass very little urine
• Irritability and lack of concentration in work due to consciousness of discharges
• Digestive disturbances like constipation or diarrhoea or vomiting
• General tiredness due to loss of vital fluids as discharges

Diagnosis – leucorrhoea is mostly found to be hormonal. The occurrence, time and nature of the discharge also points out the diagnosis. Mostly, it can be easily differentiated as physiological or pathological leucorrhoea by a vaginal smear. It clearly tells us about the presence of bacteria or virus or fungus. Also, sometimes cervix biopsy is absolutely necessary to rule out cancer of the cervix. Culture and sensitivity test is helpful in identifying the bacteria, if any, and also provides the right choice of the drug to treat it. Routine blood test gives some idea about the infection. And, finally, urine test is also a must to rule out the spread of infection.

PREVENTION is always better than cure. So cleanliness is very important.

Avoid

• Stress and strain since it may affect the hormonal level and may increase secretions.
• Sharing towels and underwear
• Synthetic or nylon underwear which cause dampness of genital organs. Always wear cotton underwear to avoid moisture.
• Sexual intercourse during heavy discharges
• Sexual intercourse without condoms while under treatment

Take

• Hygienic measures to keep genitals clean and wash underwear daily and make them sun dry.
• Nutritious diet, especially food rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, magnesium and zinc, to improve general health
• Plenty of water and juices to avoid urinary tract infection and its spread to the vagina or cervix.

Treatment – In general, the Allopathy system of medicine concentrates on the infection and so uses antibiotics as a course for 7 days. Further, it works for improving the general health with vitamins and minerals. Mainly they prescribe

- For bacterial infection
- Antibiotic drugs For fungal
– Anti-fungal drugs and ointments For parasites
- Jellies to kill parasites and to alter the pH of vagina

Even though they kill the bacteria, fungus or parasite locally (by means of jellies) or generally (by means of tablets) the disease recurs often. The ultimate reason hidden is our susceptibility to the infection is high and our immunity or resistance is very low. If immunity is raised, it is the permanent solution to eliminate the disease.

Homeopathic approach – Leucorrhoea is the excessive secretion of genital organs of the female. From the treatment’s point of view, it is better to make it normal than to stop it. If it is stopped completely, vaginal dryness may result which may cause pain during sexual activity. Also, if it is not treated properly, it may often recur and sometimes it can be infected and become persistent. Always take treatment for 2-3 cycles of periods to analyse it. So, do not stop treatment as soon as symptoms disappear and periods become normal. Avoid sexual intercourse during treatment in order to avoid damaging the healing tissues in case of infection.

In Homeopathy, we boost the immunity power which plays a very important role in natural elimination of disease organism or the disease itself and also in prevention. Homeopathic prescriptions are based on the nature and time of the discharge and also depend upon the patient’s constitution. The treatment can give permanent relief to recurrent leucorrhoea. The earlier you treat, you get speedier and complete cure without any adhesions.

Medicines which are commonly used for leucorrhoea are Alumina, Borax, Graphites, Sabina, Pulsatilla, Nat phos, Nat Carb, Staphysagria, Acid nit, Sulphur, Bacilinum, Pyrogen, Carbo animalis, Calc carb, Sanicula, Silicea, Sepia, Mercurius, Hydrastis, Lycopodium, Syphilinum, etc. These Medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a qualified Homeopath.

for new hope

Dr. S. Chidambaranathan, BHMS, MD (Homeo)

Laxmi Homeo Clinic

24 E. New Mahalipatti Road

Madurai, TN 625 001

India

Tel:  +91-452-233-8833 | +91-984-319-1011 (Mob)

Fax: +91-452-233-0196

E-mail:  drcheena@yahoo.com

www.drcheena.com / www.drcheena.in

(Disclaimer: The contents of this column are for informational purpose only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of healthcare professional for any health problem or medical condition.)