Menstruation is not the most pleasant biological process that occurs in the body of every adult woman. But at the same time, the regularity of the menstrual cycle indicates the he alth of the reproductive system of the fair sex. Every woman gets natural white discharge before her period, but what does it mean?
Patient, referring to the gynecologist, often ask questions about the secret, which is abundantly secreted from the vagina shortly before the start of the next menstruation. Young girls begin to panic at all, remaining sure that such mucus can only be a symptom of a sexually transmitted disease before going to the doctor. At a more mature age, it is difficult to meet a woman who would believe that white discharge before menstruation is a sign of infection.
Vaginal secretion - is it normal or abnormal?
Every lady should know that her white discharge before menstruation is an important indicator of women's he alth. Absence of whites, change in consistency orsmell - that's what should alert. He althy mucus does not cause itching, irritation, or burning in the genital area. Beli is practically not felt during the day. Before menstruation, white discharge is produced by the gonads in an increased volume. A couple of days before the onset of menstruation, the labia becomes wet.
The appearance of leucorrhoea is due to the peculiarities of the course of the menstrual cycle and physiological processes in the genitourinary system. Allocations play an important role in the work of the reproductive organs. First of all, whites protect against infection.
Despite the fact that leucorrhoea in itself does not serve as a manifestation of any disease, by their nature it is possible to draw certain conclusions about the state of the patient's reproductive system. For example, mucus with white and blood streaks appears in women with cervical erosion, and brownish discharge is a sign of pathological changes in the cervix, but sometimes a daub can be an individual feature of the body.
If a woman noticed that on the eve of the expected menstruation, secretory secretions began to be produced more intensively, acquired a different shade or other specific signs, she should think about whether everything is in order with her he alth. Let's try to figure out how to understand by the type of female discharge that it's time to see a doctor or, conversely, you shouldn't worry.
The role of whiter in a he althy woman
What do white discharge before period mean? First of all, the fact that the sex glands, localized in the cervix, cope withits function. The main component of whites is mucus, which has a viscous consistency. The liquid secret is necessary to fully moisturize the walls of the vagina and protect their surface from friction during intimacy.
The second function that vaginal discharge performs is protective. A plug forms from the mucus, blocking the entrance to the uterus through the cervix. This is a natural barrier in the cervical canal that prevents pathogens from entering the uterine cavity.
Whites have another, no less important role: they serve as a kind of contraceptive for a woman on all days of the menstrual cycle, with the exception of ovulation. In simple terms, mucus helps regulate the process of sperm entering the uterus. Before ovulation, the discharge becomes liquid, watery. Thanks to the liquefied cork, the necessary conditions are created for the fertilization of the egg only during the period of ovulation. After a few days, the cork becomes dense again, so the chances of conception outside of ovulation are negligible.
What should vaginal discharge look like
Thickness of mucus, its color, smell and other characteristics may change throughout the menstrual cycle - this is normal. The reason for the inconstancy of secretions is due to the decrease and increase in the level of estrogen and progesterone. A he althy woman has discharge before her period:
- White. The color may be cloudy due to impurities of dying particles of the uterine mucosa. Sometimes leucorrhoea becomes creamy or yellowishshade, however if this is the only change in the secret, it is not considered a deviation. The color of the discharge may vary depending on the characteristics of the body. Patients should not be disturbed by a yellowish or brownish thick secret - this is quite a common occurrence for women who use an intrauterine device for contraception.
- No smell. Gynecologists also consider a weak sour aroma to be a variant of the norm.
- Thick. However, they should not be too many or too few. With an extremely negligible production of vaginal mucus, a sexual infection can be suspected. Vaginal dryness sometimes indicates excessive intimate hygiene, frequent washing and douching.
It is also important to note that immediately after the monthly discharge should be absent. Whites are not able to cause malaise, discomfort, burning.
Why white discharge before menstruation never appeared
If whites are not observed 2-3 days before the expected menstruation, this may indicate problems in the female body. The absence of a vaginal secret often indicates a deterioration in the activity of the sex glands located in the cervix. In women of menopausal age, the amount of discharge before menstruation becomes more scarce, and during the premenopausal period, leucorrhoea may disappear altogether. The reason is a hormonal imbalance caused by reduced estrogen production.
Regular use of birth control pills can also interfere with normal secretion. Oral contraceptives inMost of them contain estrogens. If their number deviates from the norm, the woman begins to have he alth problems, including the absence of leucorrhoea before menstruation.
White, odorless discharge becomes more abundant a couple of weeks before your period. In addition, their consistency loses its former density, they become liquidish, translucent. If this does not happen, that is, the whites are still thick and dense, we can talk about pathology. In women planning a pregnancy, conception becomes impossible when the cervical canal is blocked with thick mucus.
Teen girls and vaginal discharge
White before menstruation is different for all representatives of the weaker sex, which depends on the characteristics of the body, age, hormonal and psycho-emotional background, nutrition and other factors. For the first time, a vaginal secret appears in girls in adolescence 12-18 months before menstruation. White discharge during this period can repeatedly change its character, until the hormonal background stabilizes and a constant cycle is established. In adolescents, both liquid and viscous discharge are considered the norm. The amount, shade and density of whiter are determined by the genetic characteristics of the sexual development of a young girl.
It is worth noting that the mucus from the vagina is released at an earlier age. If the intensity of the production of a female secret has increased in comparison with what it was before, it is quite possible to assume that the first menstruation is about to begin. But it is important to understand the main thing: the first menstruation in girlsirregular, so the characteristics of vaginal discharge, including leucorrhoea, need to pay special attention, because pathologies of the genitourinary system occur at any age.
Could it be pregnancy?
Yes, and this version has a place to be, especially against the background of the delay. If the mucus from the vagina becomes too abundant and thick in the last days of the menstrual cycle, this symptom can be considered a sign of pregnancy. White discharge before menstruation indicates a hormonal shift that occurs in connection with fertilization.
The thing is that due to the increase in the concentration of progesterone, the activity of the glands that produce the secret increases. During the period of gestation, whites perform a protective function, protecting the uterine cavity and amniotic water surrounding the fetus from infection. In addition, during pregnancy, the cells of the vaginal mucosa are updated much faster, which ultimately leads to an increase in the density of whitish masses.
By the way, leucorrhea with a delay in menstruation does not always signal pregnancy. White discharge before menstruation can change its character with hormonal imbalance, which occurs due to severe stress or against the background of chronic, progressive genetic diseases.
Beriberi can lead to a delay in menstruation. A very common scenario is a delay in menstruation in girls who are on strict diets that do not consume fats and a number of substances useful for the body. And although the period is late, the white discharge is odorlessbefore menstruation appear as usual.
When leucorrhea is a symptom of disease
Next, let's talk about the signs and causes of pathological female discharge. If the usual vaginal secret on the eve of menstruation not only changes in volume and density, but also acquires a specific unpleasant odor, changes color, or clots, lumps, streaks appear in it, you should definitely contact a gynecologist and take a smear on the vaginal flora.
Most likely, such white discharge before menstruation is a sign of an inflammatory or infectious process. The most common cause of changes in the composition of female secretions are diseases such as:
- Vaginitis. With this disease, the vaginal mucosa becomes inflamed, swelling, itching and burning occur, cramping pain in the lower abdomen is possible. White discharge before menstruation in women suffering from vaginitis becomes yellowish or grayish due to the increased content of leukocytes. Usually such whites appear about 5-7 days before menstruation.
- Cervicitis. A disease characterized by inflammation of the cervix or only its mucous membrane. With cervicitis, the female secret becomes very liquid, a purulent smell appears.
- Endometritis. Cloudy discharge with an unpleasant odor may indicate inflammation of the uterine cavity. Pathology is accompanied by pain during urination, pain in the lower abdomen, subfebrile temperature. White thick discharge before menstruation turns green andheavy smell.
Types of vaginal dysbacteriosis
Most often, women are diagnosed with two diseases in which the bacterial microflora of the vagina changes. These are bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis (thrush).
In the first case, a pronounced fishy smell and yellow color of the discharge will become a sign of the disease. Shortly before menstruation, the discharge becomes more abundant. The patient feels a constant burning sensation, unbearable itching in the vagina. During the period of the acute course of the disease, sexual relations become impossible, since the penetration of the male member into the vagina can cause severe pain to the woman.
Thrush, which many consider harmless, can eventually lead to the destruction of the mucous membrane of the genitals. Inflammatory processes in the vagina are reflected in the general well-being. It is impossible to confuse candidiasis with other women's problems. The main feature of thrush is abundant white discharge before menstruation, which resembles a curd mass and smells sour. This is due to the presence of lactic acid in the vagina, which is formed during the life of the fungus of the genus Candida, the causative agent of candidiasis. Irritation, severe itching and burning are the main symptoms of thrush.
Sexually transmitted diseases
If a woman does not have a regular sexual partner, or has had unprotected sex in the recent past, the doctor will suspect a sexually transmitted infection. Such diseases are transmitted sexually and through the blood:
- ureaplasmosis;
- papillomavirus infection;
- genital herpes;
- gonorrhea;
- chlamydia;
- urogenital trichomoniasis;
- cytomegalovirus infection;
- syphilis.
- HIV;
- Venereal lymphogranulomatosis.
Before menstruation, the discharge increases and does not stop after menstruation. If there are any changes in the state of he alth or the nature of the vaginal discharge (they can become cloudy, frothy, gray, yellow or greenish, smell bad), you must definitely undergo an examination and a course of treatment.
Other diseases of the female reproductive system
If white discharge before menstruation loses color, becomes transparent, more like slippery mucus, then most likely the woman has cervical erosion. Damage to the mucous membrane and the glands located in it lead to an increase in the volume of whites before menstruation. Often they turn brown, which is caused by bleeding erosions.
Endometriosis is another likely reason for the change in the nature of the vaginal secretion. With this disease, the mucous membrane of the uterine cavity, the endometrium, grows abnormally. Its structure is disturbed, blood vessels are damaged, so a woman can observe bloody impurities in her secretions. The treatment of endometriosis is predominantly surgical.
Benign formations in the uterus (cysts, polyps, fibroids, fibroids) can also provoke the appearance of atypical discharge. Before menstruationthe endometrium becomes loose, swells, as a result of which the tumor can be damaged. This becomes noticeable in the whites - they become pink or red, depending on the degree of damage to the blood vessels.
You can recognize uterine cancer, which does not particularly manifest itself in the initial stages, by changing vaginal discharge. Malignant tumors in women develop latently, but still, the stench of the discharge and the presence of blood particles in them can serve as an alarm signal.
Gynecologists and oncologists advise you to consult a doctor if any changes appear in the nature of female secretions. The sooner the disease is detected, the greater the chances for the patient to successfully overcome it without complications.
