ANUPDATED CLINICAL REVIEW OF ABNORMAL VAGINAL DISCHARGE AND REPRODUCTIVE TRACT INFECTION

Vaginal discharge is the commonest symptom reported in reproductive tract infection the recognition and diagnosis of the correct cause of abnormal vaginal discharge (AVD) can be challenging due to the wide spectrum of infectious agents. Reproductive tracts infections (RTIs) can cause serious physical and psychological harm, and this harm is not limited only to the women themselves, but also a serious threat to their next generation, and may cause a heavy social and economic burden.RTI/STI wherein disclosure is associated with stigma and health-seeking is impaired by embarrassment and hesitation, particularly in women where accessibility to an empathic female health worker may not be available given the state of primary health-care. If untreated, RTIs can lead to adverse health outcomes such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy and increased vulnerability to the transmission of the Human immunodeficiency virus. It is also associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Clinically, the first choice to treat RTIs according to different pathogens is antibiotics. Most of the drugs used in RTIs are metronidazole, clotrimazole pessary and antibiotics like doxycycline and ciprofloxacin. This review article discusses the presentation, epidemiology, aetiology, diagnosis, and management of reproductive tract infections.