This question concerns a certain woman with whom I am intimate. During lovemaking, I have noticed that there is constantly a thick, whitish secretion in her vagina. It is somewhat drier and less sticky than semen, but it is similar enough in appearance that on several occasions we were concerned that the condom broke, only to find that it was the aforementioned vaginal goop.
Questions: 1) What is this stuff? 2) Do vaginas normally secrete this stuff? 3) Is it something we should go to the evil Student Health Center/Malpractice Provider about?
Further notes:
A. It doesn’t seem to be a yeast infection, AFAIK: no accompanying itching or burning sensation in her, and I haven’t caught anything. (I am male, BTW).
B. This woman is the only sex partner I’ve ever had and thus I have no basis for comparison. (As I told her, “The last time I was this close to a vagina, I was being born, and I wasn’t really paying attention then.”)
Answers from women and men both would be appreciated. (Men: have you seen this in other women?) I’m feeling very guilty because I’m rather turned off to giving oral sex by the stuff, and the woman is having self-esteem issues as a result. But if it’s normal, then I will (literally) suck it up. [running away and ducking]
P.S. I am a newbie, but have been lurking for awhile, so I knew enough to try a search first. Searching SDMB for “vagina” didn’t turn up an answer to my question, “whitish goop” returned nothing, and other 'net searches describe only horrifying diseases, not what a normal vagina ought to be secreting. I apologize in advance if I missed something…
It is possible that your partner suffers from some sort of infection or other medical disorder, but from the above it seems more likely that you are experiencing nothing more than normal vaginal discharge/lubricating fluids. You’d have far more reason to worry if your partner were as dry as the Sahara.
She’ll probably kill me for saying this, but my GF has the same stuff. We’ve been together for 5 years, so I can say that, at least for her, it appears to be normal. During the course of her exams for BC, there’s been no infection. Basically, we determined that it’s normal lubrication that just kind of gunks up when it starts to get old, plus it gets kind of frothy from the (excuse the term) ‘whipping’ effects of intercourse.
Ok, that’s just too much information, but maybe it will help you.
Women normally secrete cervical fluid, which flows out through the vagina. (You know what a cervix is right?) This fluid changes in response to hormone fluctuations during the course of her cycle. Normal cervical fluid can range from crumbly white tacky discharge to stretchy eggwhite-like, to balls like rubber cement, to lotion-like.
What it should not be is foul-smelling, cottage-cheesy, greenish, or associated with itching or burning.
If you ask me, I would get it checked out by evil health services. Diseases of the reproductive organs, especially in women, are nothing to fool around with. A totally symptomless disease can rob a woman of her ability to have a baby down the road. You go and get checked out for the usual suspects at the same time she gets an exam. It’s probably normal, but better safe than sorry.
There’s a wide range of “normal” when it comes to vaginal “goop”, ranging from white to clear, and various degrees of sticky, liquid, and, as a previous poster said “rubber-cement like”. This varies from day to day due to hormones and individual differences. So it’s probably just normal variation but a quick check for STD’s should put both your minds at ease.
If she’s not getting enough fluids her secretions of all sort may be thicker than otherwise - in other words, if she’s dehydrated this could make for thicker “goop”. During hayfever season all my mucus membranes mucus more than usual (and that’s as much detail as you’ll get from me about my body) until I take antihistamines, then all those membranes mucus less. So if she has allergies this could also effect things.
Not a yeast infection because no itching or burning? Sounds like a case of leucorrhea (also known as “the whites”), a mucous discharge or a discharge of white blood cells.
For those who haven’t hurled yet, here is what that above URL says:
“Excess formation and discharge of mucus in the female genital tract; this is almost always the direct result of poor dietary
habits and the consequent retention of toxic wastes in the system; denatured foods consumed in incompatible
combinations, with insufficient supplies of active enzymes, are the major cause of this condition.”
Also, if oral sex is sort of creeping you out, you can manage to give a lot of oral pleasure without lapping up a lot of discharge. You can use your fingers a lot while licking around the outside of the vulva, licking the thighs, licking the clit… you don’t have to spread the labia and dive right in to the wettest part.
Damn, everyone, you’re going to scare the poor guy away from his girlfriend’s crotch (and that’s not good for either of them). Yogaflame, it’s normal. Ever heard the term “She’s so wet” (usually broadcast from the excessively well endowed man on the video you keep hidden from your mom)? Well, that’s what it is. It’s normal, it’s fine, sure it doesn’t taste all that great, but give it time and just enjoy it. The more you do, the more she will, and the more you will, and the circle repeats itself. There are a few possible problems that can come about with vaginas (they’re tricky, so watch em), so if your girlfriend and you are that concerned, then yes, she should get checked out. Most likely, everything’s fine and normal. In the meantime, look into some dental damn or seran wrap…all the fun of using your tongue, without all the sticky fluids. And as you say, suck it up! That goes for the rest of you guys out there reading this board. Women do us all a great service and they deserve to recieve a little oral gratification in return (or a lot, depending on who you ask).
El Elvis Rojo – Don’t worry, nobody’s scared me away from the woman yet. If I had responses like, “Oh, yeah, what you’re describing is symptomatic of gonorrhea or cervical cancer,” then yes, I’d have been terrified. Mere responses like, “Sounds normal but see the doctor if you’re worried” aren’t enough to scare me off.
Carlotta, Broomstick – Thanks for your descriptions of normal vaginal “stuff.” Puts my mind at ease somewhat, and makes me grateful for the SDMB: it’s hard to walk up even to my close female friends and say, “Could you tell me what your vaginal secretions ar elike?” [chuckle]
Jomo Mojo – Leucorrhea, hmm? Might be–the woman certainly does have an awful diet and doesn’t drink enough water. Maybe I’ll try to remedy that and observe the results.
Jman – Too much information? Not a chance–I asked for it! But anyway, if you learned to deal with your GF’s body, then I can do likewise.
I explained it to the woman this way: “Men (or at least this man) are a little freaked out by vaginas because they’re so complicated. There are exactly two things that come out of a man’s penis: pee and sperm. If anything else comes out, then something is horribly wrong. Women, OTOH, have all kinds of stuff coming out on a regular, normal basis. Weird!” Weird indeed–but I still love the woman, and all women. [longing sigh]
But if it’s normal, then I will (literally) suck it up. [running away and ducking]
But anyway, if you learned to deal with your GF’s body, then I can do likewise.