Discharge 16 weeks postpartum

[CavapooLove]

Hi all,

I’m still suffering from discharge 16 weeks postpartum. I had a heavy bleed around 6 weeks, then discharge since then, first of all a yellowy green, got much lighter but the last couple of weeks has gotten much heavier like a yellow brown colour. It has also become very itchy the last week.

I’ve been back and forward to the GP, and they’ve tested for bacterial vaginosis but it came back negative. They gave me some pessaries to try but nothing has worked, and they can’t give me the antibiotics as I’m exclusively breastfeeding. The last call I had they said it might just be something you have to put up with!

Any advice or similar experiences would really help.

Bump

Hi OP, I had a similar experience. Was treated for thrush, BV and UTIs repeatedly but nothing worked. Eventually I became so itchy and uncomfortable down there I couldn't handle it any more, perhaps a year PP. I went back to the doctor again and she suggested it could be very low estrogen as a result of breastfeeding. I was prescribed a low dose of HRT (which I've to use for as long as I'm feeding) and a moisturiser and together they have made a massive difference. I was so miserable for months but I couldn't find many people on here that had been through similar so had no idea it was a thing.

I'm also sure that you can have antibiotics when breastfeeding. I had multiple prescriptions for the first six months - apparent UTIs and C-section infections. Antibiotic types were specifically picked because I was breastfeeding although I can't say they didn't upset my son's tummy a little.

@Classicstripewastaken thank you for getting back to me!

So glad to hear that you’ve found something that works! Did they test your estrogen levels? Do they expect it to stop once you stop breastfeeding?

I eventually got a course of antibiotics but no change, so I think I’ll discuss if it’s hormonal when I next manage to get an appointment!

@CavapooLove they didn't test me, just suggested that it sometimes happens when breastfeeding so to try it. I think it was the discomfort I was experiencing at that point that made the doctor consider something other than BV, thrush etc. It worked pretty quickly and I was soon back to normal. They said just to keep using the pessaries for as long as I was feeding. I've now stopped breastfeeding, for maybe four or five weeks, and haven't used the HRT in that time. So far so good.