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Smelly Vagina: Is It Normal For Your Vagina To Smell?

By: Author Dr Akatakpo Dunn, MBBS, PG Dip Ultrasound, Prof Dip O&G (RCPI) Medical Director & Lead Obstetrician/Ultrasonologist, Verah Clinic & Maternity

Posted on Last updated:

Do you have a smelly vagina or notice your vaginal odor has changed? Are you worried it may be due to a vaginal infection?

This guide will let you know the causes of smelly discharge, when it’s normal or abnormal.

Is it normal for your vagina to smell?

Vaginal smell or odor vary from woman to woman. It depends on personal hygiene, use of external vaginal sprays and time during your menstrual cycle. A mild musky or sweaty scent around the vulva is usually normal. Normal discharge is usually clear or white and does not have a strong unpleasant smell. NHS Inform

Some women may notice change in their vaginal discharge after eating garlic or taking alcohol. While vaginal smell may signify a problem, change in your vagina smell depends on

  • What you eat

  • What u drink

  • Excessive stress

  • Sweating profusely

  • What u wear down there

  • If you have a vaginal infection

It important for all women to understand and learn the normal scent of their vagina. Any strong change of your vaginal scent, especially with itching, pain, unusual discharge or bleeding, may signify a problem.

Vaginal discharge could be musky (If you’ve had a stressful day with sweating), bleach or metallic smell (After intercourse or during menstruation). These types of vaginal scent usually go away after a while.

However, a new strong fishy smelling vagina or a strong yeasty / bread like smell with discharge and itching is more likely due to an infection.

What causes smelly vagina?

If you have a smelly vagina or a different odor from your normal vagina, then it may be due to:

Sexual intercourse

During and after intercourse, it is normal to have some form of vaginal smell. This sometimes depends on the type of vaginal lubricant used.

Did you notice your vagina smells after using a condom? or Did you notice a change in vaginal odor after your male partner ejaculated into your vagina?

Semen, condoms and lubricant can change vaginal odor in some women.

What to do? Gently wash only the skin around your vagina (the vulva) with clean water before and after sex. Do not wash or douche inside the vagina.

Sweating and stressful day

If you are sweating or during very stressful days, your vagina could have an offensive odor. Sweat from the body’s apocrine gland can mix with your vagina discharge to produce an offensive smell. This smell will be worse if you use a tight synthetic underwear.

What to do? Use cotton underwear and reduce you stress level.

Bacterial vaginosis infection

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) can cause fishy odor discharge in women. This smell can make women very uncomfortable. BV happens when the normal protective lactobacillus bacteria are reduced and other bacteria (such as Gardnerella) overgrow in the vagina. NHS information on bacterial vaginosis describes BV as an imbalance of normal vaginal bacteria. ACOG

In women, the vaginal pH is acidic (pH between 3.5 — 4.5). Lactobacillus helps to maintain this acidity thereby prevent vaginal infection. Use of soaps, detergents and vaginal sprays inside your vagina can disrupt or destroy vaginal lactobacillus. This will result to a change in vaginal pH allowing other organisms to cause infection.

How can i know its bacterial vaginosis infection?

  • Fishy vaginal smell, especially after sex

  • Thin, grey-white or watery discharge

  • Mild vaginal itching or discomfort sometimes

  • You’ve used soap or vaginal spray inside the vagina in the past

  • You wash you vagina with a douche

What to do?

  • Stop vaginal sprays and use of soaps inside your vagina

  • Stop vaginal douching

  • Inform your doctor or sexual health clinic. BV is usually treated with prescription antibiotics or gels.

Gonorrhea vaginal infection

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection that can affect both males and females. Are you having a smelly discharge after an unprotected sexual intercourse? Do you feel pain after intercourse?

If you have gonorrhea, then you may have these symptoms

  • Painful sexual intercourse

  • Smelly vagina with yellow or green mucus discharge

  • Pain in your abdomen or pelvis

  • High body temperature

  • Spotting in between periods or after sex

  • Painful urination

What to do?

If you have a smelly vagina due to gonorrhea with these symptoms, you should inform your doctor or sexual health clinic about it. Gonorrhea infection when left untreated can affect your fallopian tubes and reduce your chances of getting pregnant because of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). CDC information on gonorrhea warns that untreated infection can cause serious reproductive problems. CDC

Chlamydia infection?

If you have a smelly vagina, it may be due to a chlamydia infection. Chlamydia, caused by chlamydia trachomatis, can affect both women and men. It is sexually transmitted and, if untreated, can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy and fertility problems, and in pregnancy has been linked with preterm birth. CDC information on chlamydia explains these risks. 

What are the symptoms of chlamydia infection?

  • Many women have no symptoms at all

  • Fever

  • Spotting before period or in between periods

  • Pain or burning sensation while urinating

  • Spotting after period

  • Spotting after intercourse

  • Smelling vagina with pus like discharge

What to do?

Inform your doctor ASAP. Chlamydia can easily be treated with antibiotics, and your sexual partner(s) should also be tested and treated.

Trichomoniasis

Your smelly vagina can also be due to trichomonas infection. This is caused by trichomonas vaginalis with symptoms like

  • Vaginal itching

  • Foul smelling vaginal discharge, often yellow-green or frothy

  • Pain during intercourse

  • Severe discomfort while urinating

CDC information on trichomoniasis describes trich as a common, treatable STI. 

Other causes of vaginal smell are

How to get rid of smelly vagina naturally

If your vagina smells, then these are ways to stop vagina smell:

Stop using tight synthetic underwear

Tight synthetic underwear can make you vagina moist with smell or cause a yeast infection.

Do you think you have yeast infection? Read this guide or learn what yeast infection discharge smell or looks like.

Stop vaginal douching

Do you use a douche to clean your vagina or remove sperm after intercourse? Then it’s time to stop. Vagina douching can affect vaginal flora causing infection. ACOG

Stop vagina sprays

Using vagina sprays inside your vagina can affect your vagina flora too. If you wish to use sprays, then it can be used externally. DO NOT use spays inside you vagina.

Stop Use of soap inside vagina

Using soaps to wash inside your vagina could cause an infection later on.

Stop having unprotected intercourse

This can easily make you contact sexually transmitted infections like trichomoniasis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Condoms greatly reduce the risk. CDC

  • Reduce stress

  • Have regular exercise

  • Reduce weight

  • Use cotton underwear

  • Treat all vaginal infections quickly to prevent complications

  • Follow treatments and advice recommended by your doctor rather than using harsh or strongly perfumed products inside the vagina.

12 Reasons to worry if your vagina smell

  • You have a strong fishy odor down there
  • Your vagina itch or burns
  • Vulva soreness or swelling
  • Pain during intercourse
  • Very painful menstruation with foul smelling discharge
  • You have heavy periods with clots and bad smell
  • Severe low abdomen or pelvic pain
  • Fever or feeling very unwell
  • Bread like vaginal smell with itching
  • Pain while urinating
  • Green vaginal discharge
  • Yellow vaginal discharge

If you notice any of these, or you are pregnant with new strong smell or discharge, see your doctor or clinic as soon as you can (Mayo Clinic advice on when to see a doctor for vaginal discharge). Mayo Clinic+1

Now its your turn. Do you have a smelly vaginal discharge or smelly vagina? Lets us know your symptoms and if we could help.