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Hello Aunt Vadge,
I wanted to ask what I need for excessive discharge. I’ve tried everything and nothing works – not even prescription antibiotics. I have to wear a pad daily or I’ll be soaked. Not much odour, itchy on occasion. Please help me – I don’t feel feminine any longer. Money is tight, and this is getting expensive with pads all month.
Kindest regards,
A.
Age 53, USA
Hello A,
First, the most important thing, and I want to be straight with you because I care about your safety: heavy discharge that won’t respond to anything, including antibiotics, at 53, is something that should be looked at in person before you spend more money on treatments.
This is almost always something benign and manageable, but persistent, unexplained discharge at your age is exactly the kind of thing a doctor needs to examine to rule out cervical or uterine causes, so please book a GP or gynaecologist for a proper look (a speculum exam and a swab or culture) – that step protects you, and it tells you what you’re actually treating.
Once anything serious is ruled out, the usual culprits for constant discharge are a hormonal shift (you’re in the thick of perimenopause), a microbiome imbalance, or cervical ectropion (soft, mucus-making cells on the cervix).
A comprehensive vaginal microbiome test, or even a simple culture from your doctor, will show what your bacteria are doing and steer treatment so you’re not paying to guess. Perimenopausal discharge and microbiome shifts are bread-and-butter for us, and they settle best when treatment is matched to a test result rather than tried blind.
Since money’s tight, a few low-cost things are worth doing while you get seen: keep a symptom diary (when the discharge is worse, its colour and consistency, any itch or digestive upset – patterns are gold for your doctor), lean on cheap microbiome support from food (fermented foods, natural yoghurt, garlic), add phytoestrogen-rich foods daily to gently support oestrogen and ease perimenopausal symptoms, and switch to washable period underwear, which soaks up discharge and saves the ongoing cost of pads.
And gently: this does not make you any less feminine or ‘less than’ – it’s a common, physical health issue, and you’re doing exactly the right thing chasing it down. If you’d like tailored perimenopause and microbiome support once you’ve been checked, you can book an appointment with one of our practitioners.
Be kind to yourself.
Take care,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information based on current research and our clinical experience, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
