HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Had Intercourse With Tampon In. Developed Foul Vaginal Odor And Vaginal Discharge. Worrisome

Posted on Thu, 4 Apr 2013

Question: I haven't had Intercourse in over 1 year. I started to have Intercourse while on day 4 of my period, with the tampon left in, and, the very next day,I developed a foul vaginal odor, &, now, I have brown vaginal discharge. It's been 1 wk.,& I feel like I have a bloated stomach, foul odor which I Never Ever experienced before in my life, and brown discharge! Please help!!!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (13 minutes later)

Hello,

Thanks for posting your query.

The presence of a foul odor and a brownish vaginal discharge is suggestive of a vaginal infection.
A discharge like this is not normal and usually reflects an infection of bacterial, fungal or parasitic origin. It is impossible to guess what the cause is without the benefit of examining you and performing a microscopic exam of the discharge.

In the absence of being able to do this you could try an over the counter preparation to treat a possible fungal cause. This would be clotrimazole and is used once daily at bedtime for at least 3 days. It is a topical cream actually which is inserted into the vagina.

I suspect however that what is causing this is either bacterial vaginosis or possibly a sexually transmitted disease. For this reason I recommend you see your doctor as soon as possible for an examination and appropriate medical management. This will usually respond quickly with a properly selected antibiotic. Trichomoniasis can cause these symptoms and is always transmitted sexually. Again there is no way to diagnose this is the absence of an exam and sample of the fluid discharge. I hope you understand this aspect.

Hope this answers your query. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.

Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.

Wishing you good health.

Regards,
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (9 hours later)

I did start an Antibiotic of Amoxicillin 3 days ago that I had from a prescription left over and also I bought an over the counter probiotic called Acidophilus to help from what I read. Can any of thiese methods also aid in the disappearance of this? I never experienced any type of vaginal infection. Do they ever clear up on their own with the use of what I am doing rite now??? Also, do I get Treatment from a Medical Pysician or Gynecologist with something like this? Please let me know. Thank You Kindly!!!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (12 hours later)

Hello.

Thanks for writing again.

Taking amoxycillin and a probiotic are not sufficient for the treatment. You need antibiotics like metronidazole and azithromycin along with fluconazole to take care of the symptoms.
Such vaginal infections are persistent and recurrent if left untreated.

You need to get the relevant medicines prescribed from a gynecologist.

Hope my answer is helpful.

Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (37 hours later)

I did numerous hours of gathering up as much information as possible regarding this unfortunate situation. Symptoms still the same. Brown Discharge is still occuring, worse when I am active I noticed. I was hoping after 2 weeks this would go away on its own. :( I cannot get to a Doctors Office for another two days. I will continue the Probitotic and Clotrinazol I bought until then. Is it also possible, part of my tampon got stuck up inside me, causing this oozing also??? I am so distraught over this. What if Metronidazole is not taken? Is a gynecologist the best Medical Doctor to see for this type of case? It has been about almost 2weeks now for me to notice all of this still happening. What is that brown discharge actually??? My period stopped sooner than normal after that episode of a few minutes of sex with a tampon in, and, turned brown very quickly opposed to my period finishing out its normal course cycle. Any added information would be greatly appreciated! ThankYou Kindly!!!!!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (15 hours later)

It is possible that a small part of tampon is left inside and has caused the infection. This can be ruled out only by a gynecologist after an XXXXXXX examination. Oral antibiotics are necessary to control the infection. You will have to wait for your appointment.

The brownish discharge without any foul smell could be due to the left over old blood in the uterine cavity after the periods. In that case it should stop spontaneously without any treatment. Other causes like cervical erosion or cervical polyp also need to be ruled out after an examination.
Regards.

Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj