Strange discharge

[IwantToGoBackToTheNineties]

I posted in Women's Health and a PP suggested I also post here for the traffic. Copied and pasted.../

Thanks in advance for advice!

I'm 42 and for the last few months I've had a weird discharge most days. I've had the Mirena in for 3 years and don't get any periods.

Had it in previously (5 years then a gap of a couple of years before deciding to go back for another, for heavy bleeding). Didn't have a period or any symptoms/side effects first time around.

Anyway, last few months I've had this strange discharge. Sorry TMI but it's really watery and clear/yellow in colour. A strange smell to it...not fishy or like an infection. I've had thrush in the past and it's nothing like that. No pain or itching, no external symptoms...no other symptoms at all. I got BVV treatment just in case (7 days of squirt stuff) and it continued throughout.

I'm wearing panty liners day and night and changing them several times a day even when just a spot. Sometimes if I'm just out the shower I've realised the discharge is trickling down my leg. Almost like I've had a bath and "swallowed" up water that's then escaped!

I know the obvious question will be whether I've spoken to GP. I haven't, purely because I feel as though I've been nipping his ear about so many other symptoms and ailments (all for diagnosed and unrelated conditions). I know I should go but thought I'd post for some advice pre-GP. My GP is actually useless and I've long considered changing as I have to fight tooth and nail for anything, so that has also put me off going to him.

I also have no reason to suspect it may be a STD causing the symptoms.

Many thanks!

Are you sure it's vaginal discharge and you're not leaking pee?

100% sure!

I had something similar years ago and I went to the doctor and it turned out... I had left a tampon in and forgot about it 😯 and the watery discharge was my poor body's way of trying to expel it. Thankfully no infection or TSS.

I know you don't use tampons since you don't get periods, but is there any chance something else might have gotten left up there?

Either way, get yourself to the GP asap.

Oh gosh, glad all was well with you!
Did you not feel the tampon still in there? I know we all have different anatomies but I was always very aware it was there even a couple of hours later (even though I much preferred them over sanitary towels!)

There's definitely no chance of there being anything stuck in there.

I'm definitely going to contact the GP. Just bracing myself for the total uselessness.

Thanks for replying!

Hi @IwantToGoBackToTheNineties I'm the PP from the other thread, scuse the confusing name change (unrelated).

I just wanted to say yes to the very 'unique' smell. Unlike anything else to come out of the fanjo.

Agree too - it does not smell infection-like. Just.....odd.

Almost certain we have the same thing based on your description, and would love to know what the heck it is. Cos like you say - it's annoying.

The consistency is so thin - it's very like water. With that strange slightly yellow tint.

I'm also not optimistic about finding the answer though as investigations didn't find anything before.

And yet it happens every month around my period.

So - this chat has prompted me to go back to Dr Google. (I know we need to be sceptical of Dr Google, but when the actual docs don't help, what's a gal to do...).

And yet again - the only thing that it seems to resemble (for me) is vaginal atrophy (caused by reductions in estrogen).

When this came up previously, what dissuaded me from thinking it applied to me is that I'm not menopausal yet (peri - yes. But I still have periods). And lots of articles on VA say it affects post menopausal women.

But this article stresses that it can actually occur at any stage in the lifecycle.

The thing that's swinging it for me this time is the mention of another symptom I developed around the same time, which is urge incontinence. (Oh, it's fun being me sometimes....)

Do you have any similar issues OP?

Here's the article

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2800285/#:~:text=Women%20with%20VVA%20may%20report,in%20pH%20that%20accompanies%20VVA.&text=Women%20with%20VVA%20often%20report,tract%20infections%20can%20also%20result.

Also this

Sorry - I didn't mean urge incontinence. I meant stress incontinence. (The one that can cause little 'accidents' if you have a coughing fit.)

That started for me when I was about 41-42 I think.

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman... (Tammy Wynette voice)