The parents of male children are quite happy when it comes to caring for their genitals, because they look at the naked eye and their hygiene is relatively easy. The parents of girls, on the other hand, wear it a little worse because they are afraid of cleaning too hard, sometimes they do not part their lips well to do it, and sometimes they do not even know if what they see is normal or not.
One of the most frequent doubts regarding female genitalia is the issue of flow. And is that newborns have it, but older girls do not. Then, one good day, the parents observe that they stain their underwear and that they have flow and ask themselves: Is it normal for a girl to have vaginal discharge?
In a newborn it is normal
As we explained a while ago, when we talk about caring for the baby's vulva, newborn girls have vaginal discharge due to the action of maternal hormones that still circulate in their bloodstream (and that sometimes cause them a little bleeding, or having a little swollen chest - even in the case of children -).
In Babies and more Precocious freedom: what it is and what are the symptoms in girls and boysAlthough not all girls have it, there are many who secrete this flow through the vagina, which can be transparent, white or with traces of blood. This secretion is called physiological leukorrhea, and it must be cleaned gently, with a sponge, day by day, but without trying to remove it completely.
The reason is that it is a flow with a very acidic pH that serves as protection to kill any bacteria that comes near it. If we remove everything, we remove that protection, but if we do not clean anything, infection could also occur due to lack of hygiene and accumulation of flow, urine and feces.
In an older girl the flow is not normal
After a few days after birth, the flow disappears until at least the ten years, when estrogens begin to appear and begin to occur normally, in preparation for puberty.
In that period of time, from 10 days to 10 years (always speaking approximately), girls should not have flow. And if they have it, it's because something is happening, usually some kind of inflammation or infection, which is not usually serious, but requires some intervention.
Vulvovaginitis
The picture that usually causes the appearance of vaginal discharge is known as vulvovaginitis, which, as the name implies, is the inflammation of the female genitals.
In Babies and more The first menstruation in girls: everything you need to knowThe most common symptoms in children are itching, redness, vaginal discharge, bleeding and discomfort when urinating. The causes that usually cause this picture are:
- Improper hygiene: when cleaning after using the bathroom, do it from back to front and drag feces to the vulva; bathe with excessly scented bath gels; and rub too hard with the toilet paper, causing irritation that could go to more.
- That has worms: in case you have worms (the pinworm parasite) and during the night leave the anus and reach the vagina.
- That the girl performs exploration games and / or is touched: it is very normal that in an eagerness to know her body, and even realizing that it is pleasant, the girl touches the vulva and the entrance of the vagina. If you do not have clean hands, or if you introduce something that then stays inside, inflammation and infection of the area may occur.
How is vulvovaginitis solved?
The most common is that the pediatrician suggests doing everything that can prevent it, which is the same thing that can solve it:
- Review hygiene habits using soaps that are more appropriate to clean that area, teach the girl to clean from front to back and dry well after bathing or showering so that there is no moisture when putting on the underwear.
- Wear cotton underwear that does not squeeze (or clothes that squeeze).
- Avoid using fabric softener, which could also cause irritation.
- You should not censor the one that touches, but explain the importance of doing it in a private place and with clean hands, as well as avoid getting objects.
In two or three weeks the flow should decrease until it disappears and vulvovaginitis remit. In case it is not, or that the flow is brown or greenish, the pediatrician will surely indicate its analysis with a culture, to assess the need for antibiotic treatment.
