Home Remedies For Dark Brown Menstrual Discharge | Dark Sticky Vaginal Discharge

By | March 22, 2010

Tips For Treating Dark Brown Sticky Menstrual Discharge

Dark brown menstrual discharge is bound to cause some concern. During menstruation the discharge is the lining of the uterine wall, and this is generally crimson in color. So, when someone gets a dark brown discharge, it becomes a reason to worry.

Causes: Brown discharge may not be a cause for concern all the time. Brown discharge is often linked to old endometrial tissues. So, if you get your period late, then the discharge might be brown and not red. This means that in your last period, for some reason, the entire uterine lining did not come out as vaginal discharge and now, when it’s coming out as brown and old discharge. However, in some cases, brown discharge might be a cause for worry and it may be more than old endometrial cells. Some of the health problems that cause brown vaginal discharge include menopause, parimenopause, Pelvic Inflammation Disease (PID), cervical cancer or sexually transmitted diseases such as vaginal warts, Chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Other causes: Black and brown vaginal discharge can be caused due to the following reasons too –

  • Stress and depression causes the uterine lining to become thin and can also delay the process in which the uterus sheds the lining. The delay can cause discoloration of the blood.
  • Sometimes blood clots can cause brownish discharge.
  • Certain medications might cause the blood to become brown and discolored. This often happens in the case of injected steroids and birth control pills.
  • Sometimes, ruptured cysts in the uterus can also cause the menstrual discharge to be dark brown and discolored.

Remedies: If the brown discharge is because of a late period or slow discharge, then this is because the blood is oxidized. There’s not much you can do but wait for it to get over and for the next period. However, if the brown discharge is because of a ruptured cyst, stress or medication, then you need to speak with a doctor. The physician will be able to guide you in this matter. If stress is the cause, then a break from work, a holiday, meditation and yoga, a creative hobby and some quality time with people you love might be able to help you relax.

Is it serious? The best thing to do is to visit a doctor to find out if it’s a serious problem or just a delayed period that’s causing the brownish discharge. In case the abnormal discharge is because of dysfunctional endometrial elimination, then your periods would be later than usual.

Dark Brown Vaginal Discharge

A pregnancy is definitely one of the highlights of a woman’s life. However, anyone that hasn’t been through a pregnancy themselves will find it extremely hard to even attempt to imagine the kind of pain that the pregnant woman suffers through the entire time that her body changes significantly over a short timespan of just over nine months. Not only is the change physical, but also within the body on a chemical as well as temperamental level. The mood swings that are a common sight in a pregnant woman are the result of the continuously changing chemical balance within her body and her body may even start to seem a bit alien to her for a while. However, despite the fact that the last few months of any pregnancy can be quite testing, it is always worth it when the mother holds her child for the first time. 

The entire reproductive cycle within the woman’s body depends on a biochemical process known as the menstrual cycle. Before getting into the details of dark brown vaginal discharge, it is important to first grasp an understanding about the process. The onset of menstruation is a major part of the girls lifetime and is an indication that her body is entering the pubescent stage. Usually starting around the age of 13, the menstrual cycle is a monthly cycle in which an egg leaves the ovaries and travels down the fallopian tubes and into the uterus. A few days prior to this occurrence, the estrogen levels in the body will stimulate the uterus into building up a lining with extra blood and tissue to create a hospitable environment for the egg. Once the egg has reached the uterus, if it happens to be fertilized by sperm, a baby will be created. However, on instances in which it is not fertilized, the egg is discarded along with the lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle occurs every month and will only not occur for one of 3 reasons. The first one being if the girl has not yet reached the age of puberty,  the second one being in the event that the woman has reached the age of menopause and the third and most important one being – in the event that she has been successfully impregnated. A lack of menstruation is probably the main and most significant indication that a woman is pregnant.

Although experiencing a brown, sticky menstruation between periods is rather common, it helps to have a basic understanding of the meaning of these color variations as they will help you identify the root cause of the problem much faster. The most common color of vaginal discharge happens to be white and is most often the case at the beginning and the end of the period. This should not be normally accompanied with itching and, if it does, could be an indication of yeast infection. A clear and stretchy discharge is an indicator that you are ovulating while a clear and watery discharge is very common and will occur at various times over the course of your cycle. A dark brown or black menstrual discharge is very common immediately after the periods and is nothing more than simply a ‘cleaning out’ of the vagina.

Simply indicating the presence of a brown discharge in between menstrual cycles is not enough information to provide an informed medical opinion and it is important to inform your doctor of any other symptoms that you might be experiencing if the occurrence is related to some other kind of medical complication. For instance, in the event that the brown vaginal discharge is also accompanied by mouth lesions, pain and a significant warmth over the affected area, chances are the your are suffering from Gonnorhea. However, if the set of symptoms read more like a loss of appetite, vomiting, a discharge from the anus and fertility problems in addition to the brownish vaginal discharge, These are all indicators that you could possibly be suffering from Chlamydia. All in all, it is probably the best idea to have the condition looked at first hand by a doctor in order to get the correct and complete diagnosis of the condition. One of the more serious conditions that you will need to look out for is cervical cancer – which also has indicative symptoms that include a dark brown vaginal discharge. Some of the other very prominent symptoms of the condition include pelvic pain, loss of weight and appetite as well as leg fatigue and pain.

All in all, it is important to understand that the occurrence is more likely to be a normal cleaning out of the system and, if not, then a symptom related to some more serious medical condition. In the event that it is the latter, make it a point to treat the condition affecting you rather than looking for treatment to cure the symptom. Some steps that you can take to get rid of the occurrence as long as it isn’t related to any other medical condition include: making sure that you wear clean undergarments and changing them at least twice a day in order to prevent the buildup of moisture that could create a perfect environment for the breeding of bacteria. Your diet also plays a very significant role in ensuring that your menstruation is as healthy as possible by eating as much fibrous food as possible. These foods include vegetables with the skin, brown rice and whole wheat. Avoid consuming excessive amounts of foods like sugar, spicy foods as well as yeast. Another useful tip to avoid any fungal infections is to dip a tampon in a small amount of yogurt before inserting it into the vagina as the good bacteria cultures present are extremely beneficial in destroying the environment for fungus to breed.