Help! Icky gynae issue - can anyone shed light

[Ickyistheword]

In brief - I'm 49, perimenopausal. So periods still regular but elongated. Have 'normal' period then bleed at low level for a further 2 weeks.

3 times in the last year at the very end of a period I have experienced a foul smelling discharge (I thought it was dog poo on my shoe the first time.) It's bloody to start with, then goes yellow.

That might suggest infection - yet I am not currently sexually active and do not use tampons, so I don't see how I could get one.

I do have 4cm complex cyst on one ovary. But it's asymptomatic - no pain, CA125 = normal etc.

Could it be something to do with the perimenopause? Or something else? I've googled my arse off and drawn a blank. All responses gratefully received.

Your on the wrong forum, this is aibu

Infections don't have to sexually transmitted. It's possible to get a strep infection that'll cause you problems without having sex with anyone, so take a trip to your GP and they could take a swab to diagnose that. I work in a lab that processes swabs. They'd check for Candida and BV at the same time too.

Oh I meant to post this in Women's Health 😳

Thanks for your response Chebby - that's helpful. Do you know how those type of infections occur?

Can I ask for it to be moved?

Yes, if you click the Report button you can ask for it to be moved. Its on the blue bar above your post to the right of your name.

We're moving it for you now, OP.

Many thanks Lily!

Women have bacteria and yeast in their vagina which most of the time doesn’t cause any issues, however, occasionally they can cause infections (often without an obvious cause). Hope it’s sorted soon OP

Personally I'm not an expert on the causes, but I know that yeast can live in small amounts happily without causing you a problem, it's only when they overgrow that it causes an issue. Possibilities include non-cotton pants, warm weather, taking antibiotics, wearing tights a lot, over washing, a change in body wash or washing detergent even.

Thete are loads of different types of Streptococcus, some can be present in fairly large amounts and don't cause a problem, and others like group A, the type that mostly causes strep throat will be painful and cause discharge. I'm less clear on how strep infections happen I'm afraid, but your GP should be able to help with that question, good luck!