Vaginal discharge advice

Women Issues Health Advice 

No matter what colour it is, vaginal discharge always has an odour. Menstrual fluid is often brown in colour and can have a relatively unpleasant smell. In most cases, menstrual fluid discharge occurs immediately after the menstrual cycle.


However, in some cases, it can appear at the end of your cycle.

If the discharge is accompanied by a putrefying, overpowering odour, it is a definite sign of an infection.  Infections like bacterial vaginosis, venereal wart virus or vulvar infections can often produce an extremely foul strong odour and can become the source of both discomfort and embarrassment.




The most common cause for a brown discharge is the presence of a foreign body (which is invariably a tampon). It is rather surprising how often tampons are forgotten inside the vagina itself and this will practically guarantee an infection. In these cases, you will definitely have a rather putrid smelling discharge. So if you use tampons regularly, I suggest that you check yourself first to be on the safe side.

It is not uncommon for the vaginal walls to get bruised if you have indulged in rough sex. This will cause a little bleeding and would account for the brown discharge.   As long as you are not experiencing any discomfort and as long as the discharge does not have a very strong smell, you are safe. If your problem persists you can always visit a gynaecologist.

Vaginal discharge advice 

A brown discharge with or without odour after your menstrual cycle is over is not a common occurrence. But it is not something to get unduly alarmed about right now either. You should consult a gynaecologist in order to figure out what the exact problem is. In all likelihood, it could be residual bleeding from your menstrual cycle. This is sometimes known to happen to women. If the blood is brown, you can safely rule out any internal bleeding. Brown blood indicates that the blood is not fresh, so you can put that particular worry at ease.

Sometimes, it is possible that excessive worry and stress is causing this problem for you. You need to eliminate any stress causing factors from your life if this is the case. It is also possible that over exercising is making this particular problem occur. You would also need to take a break from that if that is what you are doing. But the wisest thing to do, especially if you are at a stage when you are trying to conceive, would be to consult a doctor and determine the exact reason for this. If it is something more complicated than usual, you would need to follow a proper treatment procedure as well.