Leukorrhea or (leucorrhoea

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

), also known as fluor albus, is a thick, whitish, yellowish or greenish vaginal discharge. It has also been referred to as "the whites". There are many causes of leukorrhea, the usual one being

estrogen Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three ...

imbalance. The amount of discharge may increase due to vaginal infection, and it may disappear and reappear from time to time. This discharge can keep occurring for years, in which case it becomes more yellow and strong-smelling. It is usually a non-pathological symptom secondary to inflammatory conditions of the vagina or

cervix The cervix (: cervices) or cervix uteri is a dynamic fibromuscular sexual organ of the female reproductive system that connects the vagina with the uterine cavity. The human female cervix has been documented anatomically since at least the time ...

. Leukorrhea can be confirmed by finding >10 WBC per high-power field under a microscope when examining vaginal fluid. Vaginal discharge is normal, and causes of change in discharge include infection, malignancy, and hormonal changes. It sometimes occurs before an adolescent female has her first period, and is considered a sign of

puberty Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testicles i ...

Etymology

The word leukorrhea comes from Greek λευκός (leukós, “white”) + ῥοία (rhoía, “flow, flux”). In Latin leukorrhea is '' fluor albus'' ( fluor, "flow" & albus, "white").

Types

Physiologic leukorrhea

It is not a major issue but is to be resolved as soon as possible. It can be a natural defense mechanism that the vagina uses to maintain its chemical balance, as well as to preserve the flexibility of the vaginal tissue. The term "physiologic leukorrhea" is used to refer to leukorrhea due to estrogen stimulation. Leukorrhea may occur normally during

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

. This is caused by increased bloodflow to the vagina due to increased estrogen. Female

infant In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to juveniles of ...

s may have leukorrhea for a short time after birth due to their in-uterine exposure to estrogen.

Inflammatory leukorrhea

It may also result from

inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

or congestion of the vaginal

mucosa A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It ...

. In cases where it is yellowish or gives off an odor, a doctor should be consulted since it could be a sign of several disease processes, including an organic bacterial infection ( aerobic vaginitis) or STD. After delivery, leukorrhea accompanied by backache and foul-smelling lochia ( post-partum vaginal discharge, containing blood, mucus, and

placenta The placenta (: placentas or placentae) is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas, and waste exchange between ...

l tissue) may suggest the failure of

involution Involution may refer to: Mathematics * Involution (mathematics), a function that is its own inverse * Involution algebra, a *-algebra: a type of algebraic structure * Involute, a construction in the differential geometry of curves * Exponentiati ...

(the

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...

returning to pre-pregnancy size) due to infection. A number of investigation such as wet smear,

Gram stain Gram stain (Gram staining or Gram's method), is a method of staining used to classify bacterial species into two large groups: gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria. It may also be used to diagnose a fungal infection. The name comes ...

, culture, pap smear and biopsy are suggested to diagnose the condition.

Parasitic leukorrhea

Leukorrhea is also caused by trichomonads, a group of parasitic

protozoan Protozoa (: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a polyphyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic debris. Historically ...

, specifically ''

Trichomonas vaginalis ''Trichomonas vaginalis'' is an Anaerobic organism, anaerobic, flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of a Sexually transmitted infection, sexually transmitted disease called trichomoniasis. It is the most common pathogenic protoz ...

''. Common symptoms of this disease are burning sensation, itching and discharge of frothy substance, thick, white or yellow mucous.

Treatment

Leukorrhea may be caused by sexually transmitted diseases; therefore, treating the STD will help treat the leukorrhea. Treatment may include

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy ...

, such as

metronidazole Metronidazole, sold under the brand name Flagyl and Metrogyl among others, is an antibiotic and antiprotozoal medication. It is used either alone or with other antibiotics to treat pelvic inflammatory disease, endocarditis, and bacterial vagino ...

. Other antibiotics common for the treatment of STIs include clindamycin or tinidazole."Treatments for Specific Types of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STDs/STIs)." Treatments for Specific Types of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STDs/STIs). Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. .

References

External links

{{Diseases of the pelvis, genitals and breasts Noninflammatory disorders of female genital tract Women's health Sexually transmitted diseases and infections