HomeAnswersObstetrics and Gynecologyvaginal dischargeWhat does watery and foul-smelling vaginal discharge signify?

What does waterlike vaginal discharge indicate?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

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Published At October 15, 2017
Reviewed AtJuly 19, 2023

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My aunt is 31 years old and had her uterus removed 11 years ago. From then she never had the periods nor any discharge. It was all alright until a month ago. She had suddenly started experiencing water-like vaginal discharge which is little smelly, and it hurts in stomach sometimes. When she is sleeping or lying on a bed, nothing happens but when she is standing the discharge happens. Please help.

Answered by Dr. Balakrishnan R

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

If there were few more facts about your aunt regarding the indication for uterus removal, any follow-ups, diabetic status, her sexual life, etc., would have been helpful. At the age of 31 years, the most probable cause is an infection. I put forth the possibilities and their solutions below.

  1. If she has diabetes, especially if it is not well controlled, there can be a fungal infection in the vagina, which can produce severe vaginitis. There can be a thick white vaginal discharge, with a foul smell or rotten smell along with itching or burning sensation inside the vagina and around the opening of the uterus. All she needs is to correct the blood sugar level. I suggest having a course of antibiotics like capsule Doxycycline 100 mg orally twice a day for seven days and capsule Cansoft-CL (Clotrimazole and Clindamycin) or Clingen forte (Clotrimazole and Clindamycin and Tinidazole) or Candid V6 (Clotrimazole) inserted vaginally at night for seven days. If her husband has diabetes, make sure that it is controlled, as she can get this infection after sex with her diabetic husband. Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with him or her and take the medicines with their consent.
  2. If the discharge has a urine smell, then a fistula or connection between vagina and bladder has to be ruled out. If the hysterectomy was done in an emergency, there could be chances of injury to the urinary tract. She can have an examination by a urologist or gynecologist to find out such a connection.
  3. A vault smear can be taken to rule out a malignancy. It is a rare possibility, at the age of 31 years, but has to be excluded.
  4. I hope only the uterus was removed and not the ovaries. A postmenopausal status will be established if the ovaries are removed too. Then, there can be a hypoestrogenic state, which can lead to atrophic vaginitis and the thinned out vagina can keep peeling off. This discharge will be very thin and smelly. She needs a test by the gynecologist and local use of Estrogen cream along with a short course of the above-mentioned vaginal capsules.
  5. Last, but not the least, any genital infection from her husband can cause such discharge and smell too. I suggest she and her partner can have tablet Fluconazole 150 mg, one tablet after lunch, tablet Azithromycin 1 g, one tablet, one hour before food, and tablet Secnidazole, two tablets after dinner. All these medicines should be had on the same day by both of them with no repetition. Later, she can have capsule Doxycycline 100 mg, twice a day for a week, vaginal wash with V Wash or similar cleanser twice a day and above said vaginal pessary, once at night for five nights. Her partner can have a local application of an antibiotic and antifungal creams like Candid B (Clotrimazole and Beclometasone), Candiderma (Clotrimazole and Beclometasone and Gentamycin) or Lobate GM (Clobetasol propionate, Miconazole, and Neomycin) on the penis, twice a day after wash for seven days. Do not have sex till the infection is entirely gone.

Hope I have clarified your query, do write back if there are any more queries. All the best.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Balakrishnan R
Dr. Balakrishnan R

Obstetrics and Gynecology

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