women s health issues
Vaginal Discharge
Essentials for Older Women: Vaginal Discharge
 causes the lining of the vagina to thin and become drier and fragile. The thin, dry vagina is more likely to become irritated, often resulting in an abnormal discharge from the vagina. This discharge may be watery and thin or thick and yellowish. Vaginal dryness may make sexual intercourse painful. Vaginal dryness, pain during sexual intercourse, urinary urgency, and urinary tract infections are symptoms of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Low-dose estrogen Hormone Therapy for Menopause may be used to treat this syndrome. Thinning also makes certain vaginal infections more likely to develop. The thin, dry vaginal tissues are more easily damaged, allowing usually harmless bacteria from the skin to enter tissues under the skin and cause infection there. Such infections are usually not serious but can cause discomfort. Older women are more likely to have treatments that can reduceestrogenlevels and thus make the vagina more likely to become irritated. Such treatments include removal of both ovaries, radiation therapy directed at the pelvis, and certain chemotherapy drugs. Problems that make good hygiene difficult, such as being incontinent or bedbound, are more common among older women. Poor hygiene can result in chronic inflammation of the genital area due to irritation by urine or stool. Vaginal infections, such as bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, andTrichomonasvaginitis, may occur after menopause. Risk factors for yeast infections include diabetes and incontinence. Risk factors for bacterial vaginosis andTrichomonasvaginitis include new or several sex partners. If older women are sexually active, condoms should be used to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections. However, because condoms can irritate the vaginal tissues, particularly in older women, using lubricants is essential. Only water-based lubricants should be used with latex condoms. Oil-based lubricants (such as petroleum jelly) can weaken latex and cause the condom to break. Older women should see a doctor promptly if they have a discharge, particularly if the discharge contains blood or is brown or pink (possibly indicating a small amount of blood). A discharge that occurs after menopause can be a warning sign of a precancerous disorder (such as thickening of the lining of the uterus) or cancer and should not be ignored. Antihistamines can relieve itching. Many (includingdiphenhydramine,hydroxyzine, andcyproheptadine) cause drowsiness, which increases the risk of falls in older people. Thus, if older women need to take an antihistamine during the day, they should take one that is less likely to cause drowsiness, such asloratadine,cetirizine, orfexofenadine. 