Aunt Vadge: I have green, watery discharge – do I have an STI?

Hiiii Aunt Vadge,

I’m freaking out and I don’t know what to do. I noticed today that my discharge was light green in color, without odor, 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 I saw sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and I’m wondering how I could have gotten that. 

Sincerely,
Freaking Out
_____

Dear Freaking Out,

Green, watery discharge can mean a few things, but it’s abnormal, so you should make an appointment with your local sexual health clinic or doctor to be tested. It’s possible if you and your girlfriend were sharing vaginal fluids that you have picked up an infection, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a typical STI.

Microbes are shared between people all the time, but you also have your own bacteria that can overgrow and cause vaginal problems like unusual discharge.

It’s best to get tested, because if it’s an STI, these can be hard to treat at home by yourself, and you should know sooner rather than later. There are plenty of effective treatments for infections.

It can be scary to get vaginal infections, but it’s also very common and you will almost certainly be just fine.

If you have been sharing vaginal fluids with your girlfriend, she may also need to get tested too, especially if she has symptoms. You may want to ask her if she’s noticed anything unusual. It could be that one of you has an overgrowth of bad bacteria, that has then been shared.

Lots of bacteria are sexually transmitted, but not necessarily on the STI official list.

Try not to freak out too much – get a test, and know for sure what’s going on.

Best,
Aunt Vadge