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Discharge Asks...
I have been finding vaginal discharge in my knickers for over 12 months but no period what should i do
What we suggest...
Hi
Thanks for your enquiry.
You've told us that you've had a vaginal discharge for over 12 months but you haven't had a period. Looking at your age we presume you are meaning that you've never had a period rather than they've been stopped for the last year. If we don't give you the information you need, please feel free to contact us again.
The age of starting periods varies between 9 and 16 so you're neither early nor late for having your first period. The technical term for not having periods is Amenorrhoea. Primary Amenorrhoea is when a young woman is aged 14 or over and is not showing any signs of puberty, in other words her breasts aren't developing and she's not growing any pubic hair. Is your body developing physically? If it is, then there is no need for concern that your periods haven't arrived yet. The other type is Secondary Amenorrhoea which is when a girl is over 16, going through puberty but hasn't started her period. You still have some time to go before you reach that point.
Several things could delay the start of your period:
* If you're very athletic and active,
* Stress,
* Being overweight,
* Being underweight,
* Certain medical conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome but, as we have said, you haven't any reason to worry about such things yet as you are still relatively young.
There's an article at http://www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/teens/life/girls/ask_amy/p/period_late-starting.html which goes into more detail about being late in starting your periods.
Generally, young women get a clear, whitish or yellowish stain in their knickers for between 6 months and a year before starting their periods. (These are only very approximate timescales, and to exceed them or reduce them would not be unusual.) This is caused by a vaginal discharge which is a fluid produced by the glands in the vagina. There is no need to worry about a vaginal discharge unless it has a strong smell or causes soreness/itchiness. If your discharge has no smell and you have no discomfort in that area, then we suggest you put your worries away and your period will probably turn up very soon.
If your discharge does have a strong odour, or you have itchiness/soreness, then it's best to get it checked out in case it's the sign of an infection. Such infections can happen naturally and having it investigated won't make anyone think that you have been sexually active when you haven't. It might be that the discharge is a sign that you have thrush. This can be caused by too tight jeans, using perfumed soap or bubble bath or just by being run down. Other infections can be caused when you wipe yourself after you have been to the toilet - you should always wipe from front to back so that you don't spread infection from your anus (bottom).
If you think you might have an infection, you should go and see your own doctor. Although visiting the doctor about such personal issues can be embarrassing, it's something they deal with on a daily basis and they certainly won't be embarrassed. If you don't want to see your usual doctor, then you are entitled to make an appointment with another doctor in the practice. Your consultation with the doctor should be confidential but if confidentiality is something that worries you, then it's probably a good idea to check with the doctor before you say anything else - just ask "Will what I say be confidential?".
The doctor may want to examine you and perhaps take a swab. Perhaps they will ask the nurse to take the swab. It all depends on the doctor and what they think the problem is. You are entitled to have someone else in the room with you if you want. This could be your mum or an aunt or a friend or, if no one is available to come to the surgery with you, the nurse could be asked to come in. Being examined or having a swab taken is nothing to worry about, just try to relax as much as you can.
The general message of this email is that we don't feel you have any need to worry at this time, unless the discharge is smelly or it makes you itchy or sore. If you want to check up on anything we said then please email us again or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.
We hope that your period starts soon and then you can stop worrying.
Best wishes
q2a
Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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