Where There Is No Doctor 2011 241
PROBLEMS OF WOMEN
Vaginal Discharge
(a mucus or pus-like stuff that comes from the vagina)
All women normally have a small amount of vaginal discharge, which is clear,
milky, or slightly yellow. If there is no itching or bad smell, there is probably no
problem.
But many women, especially during pregnancy, suffer from a discharge often
with itching in the vagina. This discharge may be caused by various infections.
Most of them are bothersome, but not dangerous. However, an infection caused by
gonorrhea or chlamydia can harm a baby at birth (see p. 221).
1. A thin and foamy, greenish-yellow or whitish, foul-smelling discharge
with itching. This is probably an infection of Trichomonas. It may burn to urinate.
Sometimes the genitals hurt or are swollen. The discharge may contain blood.
Treatment:
♦ It is very important to keep the genitals
clean.
♦ A vaginal wash, or douche, with warm
water and distilled vinegar will help. If there
is no vinegar, use lemon juice in water.
IMPORTANT: Let water enter
slowly during about 3 minutes.
Do not put the tube more than
3 inches into the vagina.
For the douche, use
6 teaspoons of vinegar
in 1 liter of boiled,
cooled water.
CAUTION: Do not douche in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy, or for 6 weeks after
giving birth. If the discharge is troublesome, nystatin vaginal inserts may help
(see #2 on the next page).
♦ You can also use a clove of garlic as a vaginal insert. (Peel the garlic, taking care not
to puncture it. Wrap it in a piece of clean cloth or gauze, and put it into the vagina.)
♦ Use the douche 2 times during the day, and each night insert a new clove of
garlic. Do this for 10 to 14 days.
♦ If this does not help, use vaginal inserts that contain metronidazole or other
medication recommended for Trichomonas, or take metronidazole by mouth.
For precautions and instructions, see page 368.
IMPORTANT: It is likely that the husband of a woman with Trichomonas has the
infection, too, even though he does not feel anything. (Some men with Trichomonas
have a burning feeling when urinating.) If a woman is treated with metronidazole, her
husband should also take it by mouth at the same time.