Vaginal discharge in women is not abnormal and it should not be treated as a disease. However, this only applies to the situations in which the discharge is clear or white and has no specific smell. Anything that looks different is probably a symptom of a medical condition. Sometimes there's nothing serious, but in some women it can be about a severe disease. The best thing to do when noticing an abnormal secretion, like a yellow vaginal discharge, is to see a doctor in order to know for sure whether you need treatment or not.
Each time the vaginal discharge changes in color and becomes yellow, green or bloody it means that something has happened in your body to trigger this change. It's not always something good or neutral, so you need to investigate the possible causes. Yellow discharge can be caused by several medical conditions. Depending on which one is responsible in your case, the treatment might differ. Sometimes vaginal discharge might become abnormal due to stress, toxins or unhealthy lifestyle. In such a case, you can consider yourself a lucky woman because once you eliminate stress and put yourself back on track in concerning your lifestyle, the problems will also disappear. However, in most of the cases a yellow vaginal discharge requires adequate treatment. The doctor will determine the condition that's causing the discharge based on your other symptoms.
Some of the most common causes of yellow discharge include sexually transmitted diseases (which normally affect women that don't practice safe sex), Chlamydia, gonorrhea, vulvovaginits and cervicitis. Very rarely, vaginal cancer can lead to yellow discharge.
Cervicitis refers to an inflammation of the cervix. Besides the yellow vaginal discharge, women with cervicitis might also experience abnormal bleeding, fertility problems and pain.
Vulvovaginits is also an inflammation, but it affects the vulva and the vagina of a woman. It can either result in yellow vaginal discharge or brown discharge. Other symptoms are vaginal dryness and pain during urination and lovemaking.
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection that is transmitted through sexual contact. Yellow discharge caused by Chlamydia is accompanied by anal discharge and a yellowish coloration of the eyes. Gonorrhea is also sexually transmitted and besides yellow discharge patients also suffer of mouth lesions, burning sensation and pelvic pain.
However, a doctor is best entitled to analyze the symptoms and put a correct diagnosis. In many cases the woman requires antibiotics in order to cure the disease and in other cases there are also natural remedies that work.
