Exactly what discharge are you referring to - where is discharge being produced? The word discharge simply refers to any unusual fluids that are secreted by the body, usually containing pus and/or mucus. Most commonly the word discharge is used in relation to the vagina, to refer to abnormal secretion of fluids by the vagina. However, discharge can also be secreted by other parts of the body, such as the eyes, the nose, the nipples, and so on. The only common factor in all these scenarios is that the discharge is a sure sign of some kind of infection. Therefore if you have been suffering from any kind of discharge for several years, you should visit a doctor immediately. This is not the time for self medication and for trial and error. In fact, the right time to visit a doctor would have been right at the start, when the discharge persisted for over a week. Now it is quite certain that the infection is stronger, as a result of which stronger medication will be needed to treat it, and the treatment period will also probably be longer. However, you can hope that the infection has not gotten too bad over the years.
Most likely you are referring to vaginal discharge. It is unlikely that discharge from the eyes would have continued for years without having damaged your eyesight a long time ago. Nasal discharge or discharge from the nipples too would quite likely have been accompanied by other symptoms by now, so I assume that these two are not the case either.
Vaginal discharge can be caused by a number of different infections, and your doctor will need to identify the infection before being able to treat it. There are a number of fungal, bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections that attack the reproductive system. It is sometimes possible that the chief symptom of such an infection will be the discharge, with the other symptoms such as itching, burning, and inflammation being rather mild or even non existent. It is still quite surprising though that you do not mention any such symptoms. After having continued for several years, such an infection would normally give rise to more symptoms.
The real danger however is that the infection has spread deeper into your reproductive system, where it could have caused permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, or the uterus. Make sure that you visit a doctor immediately, and provide all the necessary and relevant information.
answered by G M