Foul Smelling Vaginal Discharge

Foul Smelling Vaginal Discharge

Dear Dr,
Please I’m a woman of 28 years. Whenever I have sex with my husband, the vaginal fluid coming out from my vagina is always very foul smelling and the smell lingers on for the whole day. Please is it a sign of infection and what type of infection...I just want to know what I am going to treat?
28, Married and Messed-Up, Makurdi

Dear Married and Messsed-Up,
What you are going to treat? My professional guess is a disease called Bacterial vaginosis or Gardnerellosis. You will soon know why. You see, there are many causes of Vaginal Discharge. I’ve listed them in my write-up on this page before now and you can update yourself at www.mediamedix.blogspot.com and www.drbibbi.com. What should be done about each specific type of Vaginal Discharge has also been discussed and will be found in the same place. A quick re-hash and summary here will do as we consider some 12 causes of vaginal discharge. First you must understand that all women have NORMAL vaginal discharge which is white or milky white like akamu or milk and doesn’t smell and doesn’t itch. When women are ovulating, there’s INCREASED but NORMAL discharge; this also happens during pregnancy –we call this leucorrhea. Need we say that before sex AND after sex vaginal discharge also necessarily increases? These five basically give a picture of normal vaginal discharge – no smell, no itching, not too plenty and totally normal in looks. When discharge from the vagina is abnormal as in too plenty, smells, itches, or is abnormal in any other way, these are caused by disease and I’ll discuss five infections and two others to make 12. Gonorrhea will cause a discharge that is yellow or maybe white and thick like pus; also painful urination and burning or itching of the genitals. Candidiasis causes an over-plenty white and horribly itchy discharge. Trichiomoniasis has a thin frothy discharge; non white maybe gray, greenish or yellow, plentiful and a strong bad smell and a bad itch. Bacterial Vaginosis will cause a very mild itch if any, and plenty smelly (maybe fish-like odour) thin gray discharge that is notorious for appearing especially after intercourse. Chlamydia’s discharge –when there is one -- because 75% of women have no symptoms at all -- is generally not thick but thin, cloudy-white but definitely abnormal and just may smell. There is some itchiness or burning especially with urination. Those are five infections--gonorrhea; candidiasis; trichomoniasis;bacterial vaginosis and chlamydia. Finally, the two conditions -- a foreign body in the vagina – like a forgotten menstrual tampon-- will cause a foul discharge. And after the birth of a baby every mother has a discharge called lochia for at least 6 weeks.
My dear, the only way to find out which of these is afflicting you is to go see a doctor who will carefully listen to you , interview you properly and then order appropriate tests, especially the one called called “High Vaginal Swab” or HVS with microscopy, culture and sensitivity” (m,c,s) which will help to tell what exactly it is and how to treat it. It is because of the association of the discharge to sex that I began with the provisional diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis. Cheers