Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Hi Aunt Vadge,
I’m freaking out. Today I noticed my discharge was light green, with no odour, and yesterday it was really watery. I thought I was ovulating, but my period was a week ago. I haven’t had sex with a guy in about a year, and my girlfriend uses her fingers. I googled and saw STIs – how could I have got that?
Sincerely,
Freaking Out
Dear Freaking Out,
Green is one of the few discharge colours that really does warrant a check, so a trip to a sexual health clinic is the right move – but here are the specifics so it’s less of a mystery, and one myth’s worth busting on the way.
The classic cause of greenish, watery discharge is trichomoniasis (‘trich’), and the important part is this: trich, and bacterial imbalances, absolutely can pass between women.
The idea that woman-on-woman sex is ‘risk-free’ is a stubborn myth – shared fingers, toys and fluids move microbes between you just fine – so this doesn’t mean anyone’s been unfaithful or anything sinister; it’s just microbiology, and very treatable.
A couple of other things are worth ruling out too. A forgotten tampon is a surprisingly common cause of green or discoloured discharge, so have a feel to check nothing’s tucked up there.
And BV or aerobic vaginitis – your own bacteria overgrowing – are more common in women who have sex with women, because you share a microbiome, with aerobic vaginitis in particular able to give a yellow-green, purulent discharge.
So get a swab to find out exactly which it is (don’t self-treat or douche beforehand, or you’ll muddy the test), and if it turns out to be trich or a shared imbalance, your girlfriend should get tested and treated too, otherwise you’ll just pass it back and forth – ask her gently if she’s noticed anything.
Try not to panic; whatever this is, it’s common and there are effective treatments for all of them. You’ll be fine.
Best,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
