Brown vaginal discharge is normal after your period, as blood clots usually form a few days after the end, and it is also normal after intimate contact or due to irritation of the walls of the vagina, especially during menstruation or pregnancy.
However, when brown discharge lasts longer than 3 days, it may also indicate vaginal infections, such as trichomoniasis, which occur especially when the balance of vaginal pH is affected, for example, after frequent use of intimate washes.
Brown runoff is normal in the following situations
However, if there is a lot of discharge or if it lasts longer than 4 days, consult a gynecologist to start proper treatment.
Possible causes of brown vaginal discharge include cervical irritation, pelvic inflammatory disease, or ovarian cyst. Learn more about more causes and how to treat each of these diseases.
The cervix is a very sensitive area and some normal situations, such as pap smear or frequent sexual contact, can cause this symptom.
What to do: No specific treatment is necessary, as there is very little secretion and no other symptoms, keeping the area clean and dry may be enough to control this discharge in less than 2 days, however, it is important not to have intimate contact until the discharge is gone.
Pelvic inflammatory disease refers to inflammation of a woman’s internal genitalia, such as endometritis, salpingitis, bacterial vaginosis, or inflammation of the ovaries, situations that can cause dark vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, and discomfort during intimate contact, which often appears during or after menstruation. or a few days or weeks after being infected with an STD.
What to do: After testing to identify the cause of this inflammatory disease, your gynecologist may indicate the use of oral antibiotics or an ointment to apply to your vagina, anti-inflammatory medications and fever medications may also be recommended. improvement of symptoms within 3 days, your doctor may replace medications with others. Intimate contact is not allowed until the end of treatment, as these diseases are usually sexually transmitted.
Ovarian cysts can cause uterine bleeding before or after menstruation, and this, mixed with a woman’s natural secretions, can manifest as brown discharge, but there are often other symptoms, such as pain during ovulation or during or after intercourse, vaginal bleeding that is not part of menstruation, weight gain, and difficulty getting pregnant.
What to do: Specific treatment is not always necessary, as cysts in the ovaries are normal in young women, but the gynecologist may recommend the birth control pill; in more severe cases, the ovary may need to be removed to avoid other complications such as torsional ovary or cancer.
Polycystic ovary syndrome can cause dark secretions from the presence of uterine blood, as well as other symptoms such as irregular menstruations, thick hair and acne.
What to do: Treatment can be done with the use of the specific contraceptive pill recommended by the gynecologist to regulate menstruation and control hormonal irregularities, as not all birth control pills are adequate.
Uterine cancer can cause brown vaginal secretions, as well as other symptoms such as bleeding before, during, or after menstruation and pain in the pelvic area after sex, for example.
What to do: If you think something is wrong, you should go to your gynecologist for tests, such as PAP and colposcopy, so that cancer can be ruled out or, if it is cancer, to start the most appropriate treatment, which may be conization, brachytherapy, radiation therapy or surgery to remove the uterus depending on the stage of your tumor.
Brown secretions are usually not a sign of pregnancy, as a woman usually has a small amount of pink discharge at the beginning of her pregnancy, which may indicate that the embryo has attached to the lining of the uterus.
However, if a pregnant woman has a dark fluid similar to menstruation and brown discharge, this may indicate blood loss through the vagina and should be examined by the obstetrician, especially if she has a bad odor or other associated symptoms, such as the abdomen, itching or heavy bleeding. This change may indicate, among other possibilities, an ectopic pregnancy.
See a gynecologist when vaginal discharge is brown
In these cases, your doctor will diagnose the problem by examining the discharge and inserting the vaginal speculum to check the inside of your vagina and then recommending appropriate treatment.
To avoid dark vaginal discharge, avoid the use of intimate washes and wash the outside of the vagina during bathing or after intimate contact every day. Panties should preferably be made of cotton for the area to become drier, and tight shorts and jeans should also be avoided as they do not allow the area to breathe, increasing perspiration and the spread of infection-causing microorganisms.