I experience vaginal discharge with offensive smell. What is the suggested treatment?

Question

Hello doctor,

For over four months, I have been experiencing vaginal discharge that has an offensive smell. I am in the military. I have been to the doctor and they continue to tell me it is just a symptom from my birth control but have not sent me to a gynecologist. The discharge has an offensive smell, white yellowish color with small bubbles in it but not foamy. I have been tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia both came back negative. I think it might be trichomonas or BV. I do not have any other symptoms besides discharge and smell.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to our portal

The bad smell and the discoloration of your vaginal discharge could be due to either a candida (fungal ) or bacterial vaginosis (BV) (bacterial infection).Trichomonas usually has a fishy smell which you do not have. Candida infections usually have something like a curdled milk appearance and have itching (itching which you do not seem to have). If you do not think you have candidal symptoms, then the diagnosis of BV is more fitting. Treatment would be to start antibiotics (both oral and vaginal) for 10 days. Also, if you are sexually active, please do your pap smear test if not already done. Please abstain for a period of two weeks from sexual activity during the treatment to prevent reinfection. Also, repeated infections would also affect your partner.