(Leucorrhoea) is a medical condition where women experiences thick whitish or yellowish colour discharge from the vagina which is mainly experienced during puberty, when sexual organs are developing in a woman. It is a frequent gynaecological complaint of women that accounts for more than 25% gynaec patients visits to the gynaecologists.
It is generally defined as white fluid discharged from female genital. Sometime it flows as liquid and sometime it is sticky and thick. Its property changes according to the age of the women or when they travel too much. Vaginal discharges up to a certain extent are normal and healthy as they flush out the dead cells of reproductive organs and other toxic organisms. In healthy women discharge is whitish in colour. The abnormal vaginal discharge may be whitish, yellowish, reddish and blackish in colour. If it is thick, sticky, white and inflammatory, medical check-up is required. With symptoms perceivable and discharge abnormal, if there is profuse and unstoppable discharge which requires pad or it is not white but grey-white, yellow, green, brown or rust-like in colour and causes itching, it is a critical condition which necessitates serious treatment.
Every woman has periodically some normal vaginal discharges, which maintaining chemical balance and the flexibility of vaginal muscles, serve as normal defensive system for vagina. If such discharges exceed normalcy and become white or yellow thick liquid with a foul smell, it is called “Leucorrhoea” that may be a sign of infection, cancer or may be due to some other reasons. This abnormal vaginal discharge may be whitish, yellowish, reddish and blackish in colour
In Sanskrit language it is called shuwetapradra, a combination of two words. Shuweta means white and pradra means discharge. This discharge is often caused by inflammation or infection within the vagina or cervix.
Its major cause is hormonal imbalance especially of oestrogen. It is primary female sex hormone which is responsible for the regulation and development of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. It also controls various body functions of a female. Sometime oestrogen imbalance in female body may lead to sterility.
