Patient's question:
Because my friend frequently changes boyfriends, I'm worried she might get a sexually transmitted disease, so I'm asking. The discharge has a strange odor, and it's particularly foul. What illness could it be?Doctor's answer:
Abnormal leukorrhea often manifests as an increase in leukorrhea accompanied by an odor. Leukorrhea with an odor definitely indicates illness, as normal leukorrhea is odorless. If there is a foul, fishy, or sour smell, it suggests the occurrence of a disease. An odor in leukorrhea indicates that you may already have an inflammation. Leukorrhea with an odor is generally considered a symptom of gynecological diseases such as vaginitis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or cervical erosion. If the leukorrhea with an odor has a cottage cheese-like consistency and accompanied by intense itching of the external genitalia, this is a typical presentation of candidal vaginitis, which is a common and frequently occurring gynecological disease.