Pink, bloody, brown discharge and itching in women, how to treat

Bloody or brown discharge in women, the so-called spotting, which appears outside of menstruation is a common problem. They don't always mean something sinister. There are reasons for the appearance of discharge that are the result of female physiology. However, you need to know when you need to urgently visit a gynecologist. What can cause bloody vaginal discharge?

A spot is a small amount of blood that stains the vaginal discharge. It can be bright red or dark burgundy and even brown, with a rusty or brown tint. Sometimes it appears in the middle of the cycle, sometimes it precedes the period of menstruation, prolonging it. You should definitely report bloody discharge to your gynecologist to dispel all doubts and fears. You should also consult a doctor in case of brown discharge, without any admixture of bright blood. And in case of violations, begin treatment.

Brown discharge mid-cycle

Typically, brown spotting in the middle of the menstrual cycle is caused by a sharp drop in estrogen levels during ovulation. This spotting or sometimes heavy brown discharge is short-lived but can last up to four days. The spotting stops when progesterone levels increase. Bloody discharge between periods that cannot be associated with ovulation should always alert a woman and should be reported to the doctor.

If the discharge is numerous and is followed by painful periods, this may indicate uterine disease in women. When, in addition to brown discharge, fever and sudden abdominal cramps appear, inflammation of the appendages is suspected.

Bloody discharge between menstruation may also indicate a genital tract infection, the presence of erosions and the development of a malignant tumor.

Preventive actions

Simple preventive measures will help keep the girl healthy and avoid many problems in the future. The main elements of prevention are regular visits to the pediatric gynecologist and compliance with the rules of personal hygiene for the child. The latter require close attention from parents from the first days of a little girl’s life:

• underwear should be made from fabrics of natural origin with a minimum content of synthetic fibers;
• do not use rough washcloths and sponges for intimate hygiene to avoid mechanical damage;
• teach the girl to wash her genitals correctly, in particular, explain that all actions should be carried out in the direction from front to back;
• select hypoallergenic products for intimate hygiene;
• for washing, use warm water, if possible boiled, use potassium permanganate solution and herbal decoctions only during treatment, no longer than the course prescribed by the doctor;
• the child must use his own towel, which must always be clean;
• Hygienic procedures must be carried out twice a day - morning and evening.

Bloody discharge after sexual intercourse

Bleeding associated with the first sexual contact in life is natural and normal. It is associated with the interruption of the hymen. Minor bleeding can also occur in a woman who has regular sex life. The walls of the vagina are very fragile and are easily injured by abrasions and abrasions.

Light bleeding after intercourse can be caused by too little vaginal lubrication, which contributes to injury. Using a moisturizer (lubricant) should solve the problem. Bleeding that occurs after sexual intercourse quite often or always requires consultation with a doctor. Such spotting can actually be a symptom of infection, genital or sexually transmitted disease, indicate the existence of cervical erosion, polyps or even cancer. Bleeding after intercourse can also be a symptom of chlamydia

Symptoms accompanying discharge

Pathological vaginal secretion is usually accompanied by a set of other symptoms, which helps the doctor quickly and correctly diagnose the problem. If the baby complains of painful and frequent urination, pain in the lower abdomen, and her body temperature rises, these are signs of cystitis. Also, common accompanying symptoms for diseases of the genitourinary system include:

• sores, redness, blisters (herpetic infection);
• white discharge, similar in consistency to cottage cheese (thrush);
• green or yellow-green secretion (infection with Trichomonas);
• smell of rotten fish (bacterial vaginosis);
• bloody impurities;
• burning;
• itching;
• redness of the vulva.

Brown discharge when using hormonal contraception (OC)

Spotting is a common complaint during the first three months after starting hormonal birth control pills. If spotting while taking hormonal pills lasts no longer than six months, this can be considered a normal reaction of the female body, which must get used to hormonal contraception. If bleeding occurs beyond this period or becomes more intense, you should go to the gynecologist and change the type of pills.

Bleeding and spotting while using hormonal contraception can occur if a woman forgets to take one or more pills. This occurs due to a sudden drop in the level of hormones coming from outside. Bloody discharge between periods may also occur during the first three months after the IUD is inserted. They are a reaction to the presence of a foreign body in the uterus. If the intensity of the spotting does not decrease and does not disappear for more than three months, or the brown discharge has become more abundant, you should consult a gynecologist. Most likely, you will need to change your method of contraception.

Hormonal imbalance

Brown discharge with an unpleasant odor quite often appears due to hormone-dependent changes. This secretion can be released during sexual intercourse, before and after menstruation.

Hormonal imbalance can occur for various reasons:

• endocrinological disruptions;
• use of hormonal contraceptives and emergency contraception;
• menopause.

The lack of estrogen and progesterone affects the organs of the reproductive system and their tissues, which secrete a small amount of blood. The biocenosis of the vagina (disturbance of the microflora) also joins in, as a result of which the mucous secretion changes its composition and begins to emit a pungent odor.

Brown discharge during pregnancy

Brown discharge in women of a spotting nature is a case when you definitely need to inform your gynecologist about it. The reasons may be trivial: the appearance in the first months of scanty bleeding at the expected time of menstruation, the body's reaction to ongoing hormonal changes, fatigue, bleeding from the outer layer of the amniotic cavity.

But sometimes spotting is a signal of danger of miscarriage. Therefore, you should tell your doctor if you experience any such episode during pregnancy.

Discharge of a cheesy structure in pregnant women

Very often, thrush blooms against the background of hormonal changes and the special acidity of the vagina during pregnancy. In an interesting situation, it is imperative to treat candidiasis, otherwise the baby will be infected during childbirth, and there is also a high probability of ruptures and injuries to the woman’s genital tract, which lose elasticity under the influence of the fungal colony. During this period, the pathology also manifests itself in the form of white cheesy vaginal discharge, unbearable itching and dryness.

Brown discharge before menstruation

It happens that menstruation is preceded by brown spotting. Brown spotting appears, as if menstruation is about to begin, then there is a pause for several days, and then real menstruation begins. This does not mean that it is something terrible, but you need to inform your gynecologist about the problem. Women with regular menstrual bleeding may have so-called symptoms of luteal insufficiency or corpus luteum, which results in insufficient secretion of progesterone.

Women over the age of forty, during menopause, have spotting before menstruation. This is one of the symptoms of a decline in progesterone production due to physiological changes in the body. Also, a lack of progesterone can manifest itself by increased bleeding at the end of menstruation and an increase in its duration.

Physiological reasons for the appearance of brown secretion

Most often, brownish discharge acquires this color due to small impurities of blood. The reproductive system is equipped with many blood vessels, when damaged, meager drops of blood enter the vagina. There they oxidize and take on a duller brown color, and are then released along with vaginal mucus. The sources of such blood can be the ovaries, the body of the uterus and the endometrial layer, as well as the vaginal mucosa itself. Such discharge rarely indicates pathology and may appear due to the following factors:

Ovulation

The egg, leaving the follicle shell, ruptures it and can damage small capillaries. As a result, by the middle of the cycle, a woman may experience a small amount of bloody or brown leucorrhoea (see photo). Normally, this phenomenon does not last more than 1–2 days.

Last days of menstruation

Although the main bleeding has stopped, some blood may remain in the vagina. Blood after menstruation, mixing with leucorrhoea, turns into a light brown discharge, as in the photo below.

Implantation of the embryo into the uterus

During the first 5 to 10 days after ovulation, brown discharge a few days before your period indicates successful conception. The fertilized egg must attach to the body of the uterus so that the embryo has the opportunity to fully develop. This action damages the endometrial structure and some red or brownish leucorrhoea may appear.

Vaginal injuries

Most often, the vaginal mucosa is damaged during sexual intercourse. This may be due to a lack of lubrication, excessively rough sexual pleasures, or the use of sex toys. In such cases, the amount of blood is small and disappears after a day or less. Another cause of vaginal trauma can be manipulation of instruments during a gynecological examination and taking cytology.

Taking hormonal contraception and inserting an intrauterine device

Hormonal drugs are aimed at changing established hormonal levels in order to avoid creating conditions for conception. The body takes about 3 months to completely rebuild, during which brownish ointments may be observed during the intermenstrual period. But if this phenomenon lasts more than 3 cycles or is accompanied by severe discomfort, you urgently need to consult a doctor.

Age and health status

The second criterion for assessing light brown discharge and the reasons for its appearance is the woman’s age and health status. These aspects affect hormonal processes and their impact on the nature and quality of discharge.

Thus, during the period of formation of reproductive function, girls may experience intermenstrual brown leucorrhoea associated with an unstable menstrual cycle. Thus, blood appears as a harbinger of unscheduled menstruation, or ends it. The appearance of blood may also mark the first ovulation.

It is important for parents of teenagers to remember that such an unstable period is an excellent chance for the development of various gynecological problems. Therefore, such discharge can be considered normal only after consultation with a gynecologist.

Physiological reasons for the appearance of light brown smear in women of reproductive age may be ovulation, menstruation, or pregnancy. Moreover, discharge of this kind in pregnant women cannot be considered the norm.

After the appearance of blood, presumably associated with implantation of the fertilized egg, you need to visit a doctor, since such blood may also indicate an ectopic pregnancy or a threatened miscarriage. Symptoms of malaise and pain in the lower abdomen should be especially alert.

During premenopause, reproductive function begins to decline. The level of estrogen and progesterone rapidly decreases, which leads to irregular ovulation and menstruation. This cycle is fraught with hormonal imbalance and the appearance of bloody or brown ointments between menstrual periods. Such changes should not be ignored. Although a woman no longer faces the goal of procreation, her intimate health is still in a rather precarious state.

The likelihood of developing pathologies and neoplasms during menopause is higher than during puberty and fertile age.

Bloody discharge after menopause

Menopause is the last menstruation in a normal woman's life. But if brown discharge appears between 6 and 12 months after your periods stop, there is no reason to worry about it. In contrast, any spotting, brown discharge or bleeding that occurs more than a year after the last normal menstrual cycle requires investigation of the cause and should be reported to a gynecologist. The cause of bleeding may be uterine fibroids, endometrial hyperplasia and polyps, cervical polyps, atrophic changes in the endometrium and endometrial cancer. Each of these problems requires medical intervention.

Main and accompanying symptoms

Otherwise, the appearance of itching, as a type of pain, in the groin area may indicate infectious pathologies of various origins. Brown color is a sign of bleeding inside the vagina, in the uterus, on the cervix. This combination may be accompanied by:

• shift in the timing of the menstrual cycle;
• lack of menstruation;
• spontaneous pain in the pelvic area;
• constant pain during sexual intercourse, during bowel movements, during menstruation;
• the presence of pus in the structure of the discharge;
• temperature rise.

Particular attention should be paid to the following symptoms:

• upon reaching the age of over 45 years and the absence of menstruation for a year;
• in conditions of regular stressful situations;
• after suffering infectious diseases.

All of these cases require contacting a gynecologist, conducting a diagnostic examination and choosing a treatment regimen appropriate to the established disease.

Discharge in teenage girls before the start of the menstrual cycle

About a year before menarche, leucorrhoea appears. This is the age of 10-12 years, but situations are not excluded when menstruation begins much earlier. The appearance of vaginal secretion in this case is caused by hormonal changes that prepare the little lady for the next stage in life. The secretion released must have certain characteristics:

• have a slightly liquid consistency;
• resemble mucus;
• have a white color (yellowish and beige tints of discharge are allowed);
• There should be no odor or a slight sour aroma of the discharge.

Such vaginal secretion confirms the normal development of the child, and his reproductive system adapts to new conditions. Secretion also provides protection to the vagina from harmful agents.

You should only visit the hospital if your daughter complains of discomfort and there is noticeable redness and swelling on the external genitalia.

Also, you don’t need to go to the doctor if...

Other causes that are not physiological but do not require medical measures:

- taking contraceptives

- hormonal imbalance.

If dark leucorrhoea becomes too intense and is released in large volumes, it is necessary to exclude the cause - stop taking contraceptives, restore hormonal balance. The factors listed above are the only ones when such leucorrhoea is considered normal, but otherwise it is better to consult a doctor and have the pelvic organs diagnosed.

If your period has already started

If your child has already started menstruating, then discharge at the age of 13-15 in girls will continue to depend on the phase of the menstrual cycle.

Start

With a standard cycle of 28 days for a girl, this period falls on the first day after the end of her period and lasts approximately 14 days. At this time, there is very little vaginal secretion (up to 2 ml per day). It has a watery or slimy consistency, with a small amount of lumps allowed. The secretion is either colorless or slightly white or beige.

Smearing creamy pink mucus

Ovulation

In the middle of the cycle, for several days there will be a noticeably increased amount of fluid from the vagina (up to 4 ml) on the underwear. As for appearance, the secretion becomes more viscous and mucous in nature, and the color may become beige.

Like protein Transparent discharge

Second half of the cycle

There is less secretion when compared to the days of ovulation. Its condition resembles a creamy character, sometimes the consistency is similar to jelly.

Discharge white mucous white creamy

Just before your period

A couple of days before this moment, secretion becomes larger, and its condition is similar to the middle of the cycle.

Discharge like snot Watery

What is discharge in girls and what is its norm?

The mucus or liquid secreted from the vagina of a girl, as well as an adult woman, is called sexual secretion, vaginal discharge and leucorrhoea.

From a physiological point of view, normal discharge in a girl, regardless of age, differs in the following characteristics:

• have an almost uniform mucous consistency (not watery);
• almost transparent;
• light, slightly white;
• odorless, slightly sour due to the vaginal environment;
• not accompanied by unpleasant sensations;
• indicated in small quantities.

White mucus discharge White discharge
The presence of such marks on a child’s underpants should not cause concern. The reproductive system of any person will develop gradually, and these changes are inevitable. It is impossible to say exactly what time discharge begins in girls. Heredity, body characteristics, and other related factors are taken into account.

It is generally accepted that girls should have no discharge until puberty. But the onset of puberty does not have a clear framework and depends on many factors.

In a 10-12 year old girl, discharge on her panties may not indicate abnormalities if their appearance corresponds to the norm. Perhaps the child began puberty much earlier, and this is how the body prepares for serious restructuring and menarche. It wouldn’t hurt to contact a gynecologist to be on the safe side and get tested, but panic will be inappropriate, since at this time the child reacts very sharply to the world around him and may misperceive the concerns of his father and mother.

Parents almost always sound the alarm, worrying about discharge in newborn girls, not knowing what it means, and attribute this process to a pathological phenomenon. But vaginal secretions that are light in color and have a mucous consistency are considered normal.

How to treat with folk remedies

When brown discharge appears on the eve or at the end of menstruation, many women are interested in how to treat this pathology with folk remedies. Before doing this, it is necessary to obtain the approval of the attending physician.

In such conditions, traditional medicine recommends the following:

• take half a glass of viburnum or barberry juice daily;
• chew white acacia flowers, without swallowing, several times throughout the day;
• eat fresh juniper berries three times a day;
• take orally and for douching a decoction of immortelle inflorescences (a tablespoon of raw material is boiled for 15 minutes in 200 ml of water);
• drink a quarter glass of St. John's wort decoction three times a day (1 tablespoon of dry raw material is brewed with 250 ml of boiling water for 15 minutes);
• Make your own vaginal suppositories by combining cocoa butter and propolis.

For endometriosis, infusions and decoctions of boron uterus . You will need to mix 0.5 liters of vodka and 5 tbsp. l. dry raw materials, keep in a dark place for 21 days, stirring occasionally. You need to take 15-30 drops 1 hour before meals.

To prepare the decoction 2 tbsp. l. the herbs are poured into 300 ml of water and boiled for at least half an hour. The decoction should steep for 30 minutes, after which it should be strained. Take orally before meals half an hour in the amount of a tablespoon three times a day. It is also used for douching. You should not take boron uterus during menstruation, with low blood clotting, or while taking hormonal medications.

Why brown discharge appears after menstruation, the reasons for this can only be determined by a competent specialist. You can read reviews on this topic or write your opinion on the forum.

Menstruation is bloody vaginal discharge that occurs in all women of childbearing age once per cycle, which can last from 20 to 35 days. Their appearance indicates good functionality of the pelvic organs, so they are a completely natural process.

But periods don’t always go as they should. Sometimes women may experience vaginal discharge after or just before menstruation that is dark brown in color. This phenomenon should not be ignored, because this is how various gynecological diseases can manifest themselves, which, if left untreated, can lead to impaired functionality of the reproductive system and subsequently to infertility.