Symptoms of vaginal infection

Symptoms of vaginal infection

First, an important baseline: a clear or milky, mild-smelling discharge that changes through the month is normal - the vagina's self-cleaning, and it needs no treatment. Infection symptoms are a change from YOUR normal: new colour, new smell, new itch or new irritation.

The three common patterns (each points to a different cause):

• Candida (fungal): intense itching - often the dominant complaint - with thick, white, curd-like (paneer-like) discharge, redness and soreness of the vulva, and burning while passing urine or during intercourse. Little or no smell.
• Bacterial vaginosis: thin, greyish-white discharge with a characteristic fishy smell, often stronger after intercourse or periods. Itching is usually mild or absent - smell, not itch, is the signature.
• Trichomoniasis: yellow-green, sometimes frothy discharge with unpleasant smell, itching, and discomfort during urination or intercourse. Can be silent in some (and silently carried by partners).

Other symptoms that can accompany any of these: soreness, swelling of the vulva, discomfort during intercourse, and a burning sensation when urine touches irritated skin.

Red flags - these are NOT simple infection symptoms; see a doctor promptly:

• Lower abdominal/pelvic pain with fever - suggests the infection has travelled upward (pelvic inflammatory disease); same-day medical care
• Bleeding after intercourse, between periods, or after menopause - never assume this is "infection"; it always needs evaluation
• A persistent ulcer, growth or thickened patch on the vulva
• Symptoms that keep recurring despite proper treatment (needs diabetes check and culture)
• In pregnancy: any new discharge with itch or smell, or any fluid leak - report to your doctor promptly

Remember: curd-like + itch = probably fungal; grey + fishy smell = probably BV; yellow-green = probably trichomoniasis - and each needs a different medicine, which is why guessing fails. Pelvic pain with fever is never a wait-at-home symptom.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive)

Classical texts distinguish discharge types by colour and character - observant pattern-reading. The modern addition is that each pattern maps to a different organism needing a different, specific medicine.