Weird discharge

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

Almost every month, right after my period, I have a few days of very smelly, pinkish discharge. It is kind of thick, and a little corrosive- it sometimes irritates my skin.

This just started happening about three years ago, and it bothers me. I've spoken to doctors about it, but none of them have had any solutions.

The worst thing about it is the smell. I don't know if anyone here has ever handled goats, but I used to have a pet goat. This discharge is similar in smell to the discharge she would have when she was in heat. Lately, it doesn't smell as bad as it used to, but it still bothers me. I feel uncomfortable about engaging in sex while this is going on. A few years ago, I actually had a lover who loved the smell of this stuff, so maybe it's packed with pheromones, but I want it to go away.

Any ideas or suggestion?

Comments

[gliterybuterfly.livejournal.com]

I've heard others say that they douche right after their period sort of as a cleansing thing. Maybe that will work. (??)

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

No, I'm anti-douche. Douching is really bad for your body!

Besides, douching wouldn't solve the problem, it would just cover it up. What I'd really like is to know what causes it, and if I should worry. =(

00g

[gliterybuterfly.livejournal.com]

I have heard conflicting stories about douching - I don't do it myself, but some people do.

If you do find out, let us know...there may be others who are having the same problem, but are emberassed to say anything.

[heidilynne.livejournal.com]

weird, i get the same thing, only it's brown in color. horrible smell, though. :( and it definitely makes me feel UNsexy!!

i mentioned it to my doctor once, but she just asked me if i showered every day and used a clean towel afterward. can you imagine?! i really hate that doctor sometimes. she's one of those people who assume that if you're overweight, you're unhygenic(sp?). which couldn't be FURTHER from the truth. i'm actually kind of compulsive about cleanliness.. mine and the people i associate with.

eww!

i was going to look it up on the 'net (the discharge thingy) and see if it's some sort of after effect of the hormones from the depo shot or something.

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

Mine turns brown after it dries, but it starts out pinkish.

One dr I mwentioned it to just ignored my question, another told me it was just vaginitis. I would like a straight answer!

I've been wondering if mine is a side-effect of my endo. Maybe my new dr can tell me. It sounds like you need a new dr too.

00goddess

Re:

[heidilynne.livejournal.com]

i do, but i feel like i'm stuck with this doc. you know, do i want to face the fear of the unknown, or deal with the crap i'm already used to?

[hissyfit.livejournal.com]

i know what you're saying. when i was on ortho try-cyclen, i got a yeast infection every month on the week before my period and when i told my doctor, she asked if i bathed daily and washed myself on a regular basis. i was really offended. it was like, yes i do! and she got kind of huffy with me when i acted shocked at her question.

i've also had a weird discharge in the past. it's really thick and sticky and stringy. it reminds me of that weird snot you get when you have a cold, but it's whitish/ clear instead of green. i asked my dr about this and she tested it to check for std's (which i was also kind of offended about, i'm a clean person) and couldn't find anything abnormal in it. it was just an odd consistancy.

in your case, douching might be a good idea. i'm against it as well, but it really rinses out your uterus and cervix. i would try it. it might be that some of your menstrual discharge is getting trapped in there and taking longer to come out, which would explain the smell. you might try just douching with warm water which wouldn't be harmful if you decide to do it. if that doesn't seem to help, try going to a mid-wife, or a natural birthing center since they're more woman-oriented than regular medicine is.

that's all i have to share. good luck!

[billijean.livejournal.com]

"...really thick and sticky and stringy...whitish/ clear ..."
This sounds like normal, fertile quality cervical fluid. I doubt it is anything to worry about. But, of course, see your doctor if you are worried :)

Re:

[hissyfit.livejournal.com]

*laugh*

i was young. i'd never been fertile before. it creeped me out.

"dead kittens"

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

I guess this is technically my first post here, since you posted something similar to what I was going to post.

Sometimes for just a few days after my period, but sometimes for as long as a week or two, I have a pinkish or brownish metallic-smelling discharge. It tends to be a little itchy and thinner than the usual. TMK, it started a few years ago, probably when I was in my late teens. & I was wondering how many other people had it or something like it - I guess these replies answer my question!

(FWIW, when it drags on for a while, my period itself tends to be a little later the next month. & I have always worried about the smell and, ahem, taste - anything that smells that metallic/biological has got to taste like sucking on a metal hanger or something.)

I don't find that douching helps THAT much, though it can slow it down for a few days. Vinegar and water won't hurt... but I wouldn't use anything else.

[missv.livejournal.com]

Do you own a copy of Our Bodies, Oursevles?? It's an invaluable reference for all women who are concerned about their health.

Here's what they have to say about late-cycle discharge:

"The [menstrual] fluid usually does not smell until it makes contact with the bacteria in the air and starts to decompose. Toward the end of flow, however, some of the discharge may have an unpleasant odor."

I'm not a doctor or anything, but I'm guessing what you are experiencing is just normal late menstrual flow. The discharge is pink (rather than red) because the ratio of blood to mucus is lower toward the end of your flow....and it's stinky because it's been "stewing" in your uterus for a few days.

I'm not sure what you can do about it...but, in my personal experience, an orgasm does wonders toward the end of menstruation. I find that the uterine contractions help to flush out the last of my flow quite nicely. Beats douching any day! ;)

ah, the cleansing power in getting off

[brandiberry66.livejournal.com]

Here, here... I totally agree with (and practice whenever possible) the orgasm-cleansing theory! =P

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

I don't think this is menstrual fluid, though. It smells differently than bad-old-rag smell, if you know what I mean. It actually smells like an animal. It doesn't smell or taste like blood at all.

There's also the fact that it only started after I've been menstruating for years. I woyuld like to find out why and what caused it.

I am relieved to find that I'm not the only one experiencing this; I was a bit worried.

00goddess

[cairyn.livejournal.com]

I've always thought of it as cleaning fluid. I don't know where I got the idea, but I've always thought that it was my uterus cleaning up after itself. I *hate* the stuff. I end up using a wet washcloth to wipe out my labia _very_ thoroughly, and then using a piece of an old all cotton shirt to lube up and stick in my vagina and clean out as much as I can.

The fluid irritates the heck out of my labia, and scrubbing doesn't help matters, so I always make sure to lube up afterwards. It's a protective barrier. It soothes the owwies, prevents sticking, and prevents the ever-so-strong 'cleaning fluid' from really attachig and causing problems.

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

It irritates my skin too, because it's blood. My menstrual blood makes my skin itch also. It's just leftover blood, slowly seeping out.

However, this is also three years later, and I don't have it anymore. I had a surgery, after which my periods were really really strange, and after about a year they went back to being more normal in terms of composition, if not pain.