Brown discharge - causes, symptoms and therapy

Brown discharge: underlying diseases and treatment options
Fluor vaginalis, the vaginal discharge, is completely normal. It starts in girls before puberty and continues until menopause, during ovulation and pregnancy it is stronger. But what about brown discharge? First of all, the body disposes of excess mucus from the uterus and cells. Lactic acid bacteria in the effluent keep harmful pathogens away.

contents

• Brown discharge
• Nidationsblutung
• estrogens
• progesterone
• injury
• infections
• Mental problems
• diagnosis
• treatments
• You have to go to the doctor?
• Self-treatment with brown discharge

Brown discharge

Normal discharge is transparent to white, during ovulation it looks glassy. In the period it can turn reddish. If the discharge takes on a brown color, then it shows an altered flora in the vagina. This may be due to a pregnancy, but also to a disease.

If the vaginal discharge is due to a vaginal infection, suppositories from the pharmacy can help. (Image: ironstealth / fotolia.com)

The most common causes of a brownish discharge are hormone fluctuations or infections, but also changes in the tissue or medication can be considered as triggers.

Nidationsblutung

If the brown discharge occurs a week after ovulation, there may be a nidation bleeding. In the process, a fertilized ovum nests in the mucous membrane of the uterus and dissolves a bleeding. This Nidationsblutung indicates pregnancy.

estrogens

During ovulation, the discharge also sometimes takes on a brown color. The cause is spotting as a result of decreased estrogen levels. This bleeding is significantly weaker than menstruation.

During pregnancy and menopause, the level of estrogen can also fluctuate, which also causes spotting and discolored discharge. This also applies to contraceptive rings, the pill or hormone spirals.

progesterone

In the first three months of pregnancy, there is often brown discharge. There may be a lack of progesterone here. This yellow body hormone prevents a new egg from forming and slows down the expansion of the lining of the uterus. This means the period continues even though the woman is pregnant.

injury

Injuries within the abdomen, in the uterine lining or vaginal wall, can trigger bleeding that appears as a brownish discharge. This is especially often the case in pregnancy, because here the veins are particularly well supplied with blood.

But also gynecological examinations or sports can cause such injuries.

infections

Infections are manifested not only by discolored discharge, but also by burning pain, itching, traces of blood, and above all by an unpleasant odor, which, depending on the disease, smells of fish or decay.

The most common infections that cause such foul-smelling discharge are venereal diseases such as gonococcal or chlamydia. Also, fungi such as Candida albicans or viruses such as herpes simplex or papillomaviruses can trigger such inflammation.

Mental problems

Stress and mental stress have an effect on the cycle and thus on vaginal discharge.

diagnosis

When a woman runs out of brownish fluid from the vagina, she usually notices it herself. The gynecologist or gynecologist determines the cause. She scans the inner walls of the vagina and the uterus, she takes smears, urine and blood tests.

A smear gets the cause on the track. Image: Henrie - fotolia

For the potential pathogens, these procedures are very effective and will soon deliver results. Injuries or proliferating tissue are usually easy to detect. Blood and urine tests indicate hormone fluctuations that could be a possible cause.

treatments

If the vaginal environment is affected, for example by a fungus, then a lactic acid therapy helps to restore the acidic environment. The cure takes place with vaginal suppositories or ointments, which can be acquired without prescription in the pharmacy.

Bacteria and viruses can be killed and contained with medication.

You have to go to the doctor?

If you have a little brownish discharge, you do not have to go to the doctor right away. Mostly the cause is a "normal" hormone fluctuation.

But you should go to the doctor, though

• the discharge smells bad
• He lasts for several days without there being a recognizable reason,
• the vaginal region hurts,
• You are pregnant,
• the discolorations are particularly intense,
• Change vagina and labia,
• fresh blood or blood clots are in the discharge.

Self-treatment with brown discharge

1) In case of heavy discharge you should use inserts instead of tampons.

2) You should cleanse your vagina with pH neutral agents.

3) You should not take a shower in the genital area, because this can cause air in the vagina.

4) You can wear airy cotton clothing and underwear that promotes oxygen exchange, thus counteracting the proliferation of bacteria. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)