A REVIEW : CORRELATION BETWEEN VAGINAL HYGIENE AND PATHOLOGIC LEUCORRHEA

Leucorrhea is a vaginal discharge which can be white or yellowish with a liquid or sticky consistency. Leucorrhea occurs in women worldwide with 75% of incidence and 45% of them experience pathologic leucorrhea more than 2 times in their life. The most common cause of pathologic leucorrhea is candidiasis, infected 50% of the female population worldwide. Leucorrhea in Indonesia is a common problem, in which 70% of Indonesian women in 2004 and the number increasing every year. Pathological leucorrhea will have a difference in color from normal vaginal fluid, smells bad and the patients will have complaints of itching in the vagina or pain when urinating. Pathologic leucorrhea caused by infection is related to some unhealthy behavior, including vaginal hygiene, sexually transmitted diseases and malignancy in the form of cervical cancer. Vaginal hygiene are related to pathologic leucorrhea. Poor vaginal hygiene are washing the vagina with dirty water, wrong method of washing the vagina, infrequent vaginal hair cutting, and using towels together. The use of irritants to clean the is one of the behavioral factors that also can increase the risk of leucorrhea because it can kill the normal floral and increase the pathologic microorganism in genital area. The other risk factors related to leucorrhea is using tight pants. The wrong way to choose and using underwear can increase 38% incidents of pathologic leucorrhea.