[Djxx]

I'm 22 years old, and for as long as I can remember, I've always suffered from excess vaginal discharge. It's not painful/smelly or anything, just an annoyance. I've been to a couple of different doctors, all of which gave me a screening and took several swabs for STD tests, which came back negative every time.
Still annoyed, I went to a new doctor who again took a look up there and took some swabs. Again, tests came back negative. However, this time she mentioned that it appears I have some "extra skin on my cervix" which is probably causing the excess discharge. She didn't seem too concerned about it when she told me so I didn't think much of it. But, of course a while later I got curious and decided to Google it. Now all I'm getting back are health articles about dysplasia and it's freaking me out. Should I be concerned? Should I go back and get her to take another look and ask her to elaborate? Thanks.

[Ashlee T.]

I think considering you've gotten two examinations from two doctors both telling you the same thing, then most likely this is nothing to be concerned about.

Can you give me a little more info? What does the discharge look like, feel like? How often do you have it? Say, out of 30 days, how many of those do you experience this discharge?

[Djxx]

That's what I was thinking, I was just looking for reassurance/hoping to not feel so alone with it by looking online and I've ended up totally freaking myself out.

I have the discharge pretty much every day. It's on the thicker side and an off-whitish colour.

[Ashlee T.]

I doubt extra skin on the cervix would cause extra discharge.

Here's the thing:

The cervix produces a fluid that many women refer to as "discharge". When I think of discharge I think of infection, or something gross. What your cervix produces is cervical fluid. Some women produce more of it than others and the amt of it and consistency of it may vary throughout the month. Some women will have a watery cervical fluid, some is more lotiony, and some is more elastic and stretchy. If yours is stretchy (like eggwhites) that is when you are the most fertile. Healthy fertile cervical fluid is vital in getting pregnant. For me, (sorry if TMI), I spend about the first week of my cycle (not during period) fairly dry, no real cervical fluid, no moist sensations. Then by week two, I start to feel more of a moist vaginal sensation and start to see a bit of whitish cervical fluid. By week 3 it becomes more lotiony and watery, and I'll notice a wet spot on the undies when I go to use the bathroom or change. For me, this is when I'm most fertile (around the time of ovulation.) This varies from woman to woman. It is not uncommon to have some sort of cervical fluid for most days during your cycle.

Try to start noticing during the month immediately following a period, on what days you have it and what days you don't. Make note of it even. Also make note of the consistency of it.

Women have been trained to some extent by society to think that our bodies are disasters waiting to happen. But really, we are fine tuned machines. We don't call mens semen "discharge", so we shouldn't think of our cervical fluid as "discharge". There is a distinct different between discharge (a result of some type of infection, usually discolored, foul smelling, burns, itches, etc) and cervical fluid.

Do you have normal periods?