When the private parts are itchy, smelly, or have increased secretions, doctors will recommend a routine leucorrhea check.
Leucorrhea routine is one of the most frequent examinations in gynecological outpatient clinics. What problems can it find out?
Report a lot of English and symbols, but I can’t read it:
Cleanliness I, II, III? High or low?
Bacteria, mold, trichomoniasis? BV, VVC, TV? stupidly can not tell.
Row after row of “-“, “+” and even “+++”, what does it mean?
When a little girl has her first menstrual period, her body’s hormone levels gradually show a steady and cyclical change. Along with this cycle, ovulation, endometrial changes quietly, and the same goes for leucorrhea! During a menstrual cycle, the color, shape, and amount of leucorrhea can change.
Ladies, have you observed the periodic changes in your leucorrhea?
Zhimei should first teach you to observe your leucorrhea cycle and remember what normal leucorrhea is.
Day1-5
The beginning of the cycle, also known as the menstrual period, is when the secretions accompany the flow of menstrual blood and are not easily visible.
Day6-14
After your period, there is less discharge. Then, as the eggs mature, the secretions will gradually become cloudy, sticky, and white or yellowish.
Day15-20
A few days before ovulation, the mucus will become thin and slippery, similar to egg whites. After ovulation, the mucus returns to be cloudy, white or yellow.
Image source: Zhanku Hailuo
Day21-28
The discharge will gradually decrease before your period begins.
Now, have you learned to recognize normal vaginal discharge?
Since I can see that the leucorrhea is abnormal, the doctor can definitely see it. So why even bother to check? The leucorrhea routine also needs about 100 yuan. Is it necessary to spend this money?
(Source: Internet)
The observation of leucorrhea with the naked eye, combined with the symptoms, can only give a preliminary understanding of the disease.
Vaginitis is a broad “big diagnosis” with many categories: Bacterial vaginosis, fungal vaginitis, trichomonal vaginitis, nonspecific vaginitis strong>Wait, the treatment methods are also quite different. A clear cause can be targeted.
The routine of leucorrhea plays the role of such a clear cause.
You might think:
“Huh? Just took a cotton swab from the vagina and took such a little secretion, can you see it?”
Let Zhimei take you with you to see the journey of this little cotton swab and learn how the leucorrhea routine works.
Sampling in the gynecological clinic: The woman lies on the gynecological examination table, the doctor gently opens the vaginal wall with a speculum, and uses a sterile cotton swab on the vaginal wall, Dip the secretions from the vaginal fornix, cervix, etc., and place them in a test tube containing 1-2ml of normal saline. After finishing the laundry, take the test tube with the cotton swab and send it to the laboratory.
The “secret” of the laboratory: The laboratory doctor will first mix a small cotton swab with saline or some special solution, then apply it to a microscope slide, and observed through a microscope. Trichomonas, bacteria, and fungi have nowhere to hide under the microscope, so you can see them all at a glance!
image Source: Zhanku Hailuo
Our body is very smart and will issue some very obvious tips. If you have the following symptoms, you should pay attention:
Vulvar itching
Vaginal opening or perineal pain
burning when urinating
Strong odors, especially fishy odors
foamy leucorrhea
Cheese-like, bean curd-like leucorrhea
Bleeding not related to menstruation
But remember to do some preparation before the test:
Avoid period checks
Avoid douching and sex for 24 hours prior to your visit
Vaginal medications (eg, vaginal suppositories) should not be used 2-3 days before the test
The picture below is a copy of Zhimei’s leucorrhea routine test sheet from major hospitals.
Let’s learn how to read the routine test sheet for leucorrhea!
For the routine examination of leucorrhea, the reports given by different hospitals are very different. What do the inspection items mean? Does everything need to be understood?
Zhimei will teach you a trick! Whether the leucorrhea is normal or not, the key lies in these three steps!
A look at cleanliness
The cleanliness is divided into I, II, III, IV.
As the name suggests, it represents the cleanliness of vaginal discharge.
Academic, cleanliness refers to the density and diversity of bacterial flora in vaginal secretions. The higher the cleanliness level, the more bacteria and disorder in the secretions. , is a bad performance.
Generally speaking, cleanliness I and II are better, and III and IV indicate vaginal microecological disorders or inflammation.
Secondly looking for pathogens
Bacteria, mold, trichomoniasis? BC, VVC, TV? stupidly can not tell.
Different hospitals may use different designations, and some even use English abbreviations. Below, Zhimei lists some commonly used nicknames to teach you the three most common pathogens:
Bacteria (Bacteria, BV, Gardnerella, Anaerobic)
Mold (fungi, Candida, Candida, mycelium, spore, VVC)
Trichomonas (Trichomonas, Trichomonas vaginalis, TV)[1]
Three look at plus and minus signs
After finding these three types of pathogens, it mainly depends on the symbols following these three types of pathogens, whether it is “+” or “-“, whether it is “positive” or “negative”.
“+” and “positive” both indicate the presence of a pathogen.
Which pathogen is followed by a “+” or “positive”, indicating which type of vaginitis it is.
After reading these three steps, have you learned how to read the routine test sheet for leucorrhea?
Now Zhimei takes the test for everyone. Is the result of the routine test sheet for leucorrhea above normal or abnormal? If it is abnormal, what kind of disease is it?
Reviewer: Liu Haifang| Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University
References
[1]Wang Chen, Wang Huihui, Li Huanrong, Li Xingshuo, Ma Xiaotong, Li Huiyang, Wang Baochen, Fan Aiping, Xue Fengxia. “2018 European Union for the Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases/World Health Organization on Vaginal Discharge (Vaginal Inflammation) ) Management Guidelines”[J].Chinese Journal of Practical Gynecology and Obstetrics,2018,34(12):1360-1365.
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