The appearance of any discharge can be checked when visiting the toilet. Internal investigation is never used. There may not be any discharge at all.

You need to be up and about so that any discharge can present itself at the vulva and be seen.

If a discharge is seen then there will be a characteristic that is obvious. The characteristics that may suggest themselves are bleeding, fluidity (or texture), colour and quantity. Only one or two of these characteristics may be relevant in an observation for a particular day.

Describe the appearance of the discharge at the vulva, not how it looks after it has deposited on your underwear. If a stain on your underwear is the only thing that you notice during the whole day then record this. In this case, it is likely that there has only been a small amount of discharge.

Always be concise in your description. Record general information in the remarks field.

Always use the same word(s) to describe a recurring symptom.

Bleeding can be associated with other events besides menstruation. Bleeding may be a sign of fertility. All bleeding must be recorded. If you report bleeding or clots or spots of blood (check boxes are provided) then there is no need to describe the amount of blood. You can add this information in the remarks field if you wish.

Fluidity. When there is sufficient quantity of discharge you will be able to observe how fluid it is. During the fertile phase the discharge may be highly fluid and hang down rather like raw eggwhite might ("stringy"). Do NOT stretch the discharge, this can be very confusing. If it is "stringy" then it may stretch. However "stringy" is a sufficient description in this case.

Coloration of the discharge may be a sign of small quantities of blood, or dried blood. Typical blood coloration is pink or brown, even black. Other coloration can occur in the absence of bleeding, ranging from clear to cloudy or opaque, or from colourless to white to yellow. Green is a sign of possible infection.

Quantity: Even if there is only a little amount of discharge this should be recorded. The presence (of a "trace") may be the only characteristic that you can observe.

Record all bleeding and anything else that is requested. There may be no discharge at all.

Do not stretch the discharge. If it is "stringy" then it might stretch. However "stringy" is a sufficient description in this case.

The word "slippery" is only used to describe a sensation felt at the vulva. How the discharge feels to the fingers is irrelevant.

Seminal Fluid

After intercourse in the evening, the discharge of seminal fluid may continue for several hours during the next day.

Seminal fluid can be recognised and differentiated from other discharges, so it is good practice to note its presence.

Sensation

Remarks