Green Mucus Discharge. Healthy vs. Unhealthy Discharges: How to Know Which One You Have?
It happens so that among a wide variety of health issues vaginal discharge usually bothers women a lot. Everything has its own reasons, and in cases with flu, fever or headache a woman knows what she should do, but when she has green mucus discharge, she has not the slightest treatment ideas, and that really scares her a lot.
When the Discharge Is “Healthy”?
Even a healthy discharge can vary in color, amount, odor and consistency. That depends on hormones that influence vital characteristics of the vaginal mucus. Normal discharges are relative to the menstrual cycle of a woman, menopause or pregnancy.
As a rule, such discharges range from white to clear and even slightly yellow. Their smell is mild and inoffensive. Speaking about the amounts, it should be noted that the amount depends on the body of the woman, whereas the consistency varies from sticky to watery.
What’s the role of a normal healthy discharge? It provides lubrication during a sexual intercourse, maintains a healthy pH-level and protects the vagina from harmful microorganisms.
What Does Green Color Mean?
Children associate green with life and health… Well, normally, that is true, but when it comes to a green vaginal discharge, simple rules drag far behind. Green means that a woman suffers from a bacterial infection.
Why green? Neutrophils are white blood cells, which amount usually increases and becomes comparatively active in case of infection. Dead cells disintegrate and release the pigment, which is green in color. It is referred to as verdoperoxidase and is known for giving green color to the discharge.
A foul smell and green color of the discharge appear because of:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Lichen sclerosis
- Vaginal warts
If you experience green discharge during pregnancy, it can be the indicator of pregnancy complications. When left neglected, this condition doesn’t disappear, but gets worse and spreads the infection to the uterus. If the green mucus discharge you have is caused by a sexually transmitted disease, it can easily trigger pre-term labor, pregnancy loss and lead to issues with the unborn child.
STDs that Cause Green Discharges
A green mucus discharge can be caused by various sexually transmitted diseases, but there are the most common ones like:
- yeast Candida albicans that lead to thrush in the sections on genitals and itching;
- bacterial vaginosis is another common trigger that leads to green discharges that smell fishy;
- Gonorrhea is one of the commonest STDs that lead to occurrence of a greenish discharge. This disease occurs in women, who had unprotected sex with men, who have Gonorrhea. This is a very serious condition that spreads to the Fallopian tubes and damages them. As tubes carry the egg from the ovary to the womb, Gonorrhea may lead to infertility. If a woman has this disease, she notices greenish-yellow discharges.
- Trichomoniasis also leads to occurrence of discharges of green color. Such discharges are smelly and a woman may also experience soreness and itching. Sometimes it is painful to urinate. However, Trichomoniasis is not as dangerous as Gonorrhea. This fact doesn’t mean it should not be treated and the disease can spread to the Fallopian tubes.
If you notice any changes in vaginal discharges and feel discomfort, don’t wait till the trigger causes damage. Treat the problem immediately.
What Should a Woman Do?
Regardless of the type of the vaginal problem you have, your primer task is to do everything possible to avoid those substances that lead to irritation and vulval problems.
Make sure you change tampons and pads frequently during the period, and NEVER use tampons if you don’t have period.
You are also to make sure your partner doesn’t have any STDs. Talk to him and ask about possible problems he might have. You can even check it in the clinic to make sure neither of you carries infections.
If you are suffering from irritation of thrush, never persist on anti-thrush creams as they never treat the problem and may trigger more serious problems. See your doctor to get a proper diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
If it happened so that you weren’t attentive enough and faced the problem of green mucus discharge occurrence, don’t consider self-treatment as a reliable treatment option. Only a professional can recognize your problem and find the solution. Trust him and you will be cured.
