How Is A Vagina Supposed To Smell
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How Is A Vagina Supposed To Smell
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You can always count on Gwyneth Paltrow to introduce bizarre new products and treatments, like vampire repellent spray and vagina steaming. She’s continued the tradition in 2020 with a very unconventional way to add scent to your home: Goop’s “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle.
According to the listing, the cheekily named product, made by artisanal fragrance brand Heretic, “started as a joke” between Paltrow and perfumer Douglas Little. During a testing session, 47-year-old Paltrow reportedly said, “Uhhh.. this smells like a vagina.” From that, yet another unique Goop product was born.
Wondering what vaginas smell like in Paltrow’s world? They’re “funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected.” Or to be more specific, a “blend of geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar absolutes juxtaposed with Damask rose and ambrette seed.”
If you’re panicking because your vagina doesn’t smell of flowers and fruity substances, stop it right now. “The vagina is not meant to smell like a rose garden,” Sherry Ross , MD, ob-gyn and author of She-ology: The Definitive Guide to Women's Intimate Health. Period , tells Health. “However, the vagina has a familiar scent, which many do enjoy. Depending on the time of the month, vaginal discharge can change in smell (as well as consistency).”
It’s hard to exactly pinpoint what a healthy vagina smells like, because every woman has a different scent, says Dr. Ross. But some women use words like earthy, ripe, or even pungent or slightly sour to describe their normal vaginal odor.
The key is to know what your ‘normal’ smell is,” she says. “All of us with a vagina usually know that awkward feeling if a new and strange smell comes our way. The vagina is especially sensitive to different changes in your daily environment, so anything that affects this delicate balance will affect the smell as well as the type of discharge and its consistency.”
Factors that affect the odor of the vagina include antibiotic use, douching, spermicide, new sexual partners, and frequency of sex, says Dr. Ross. Changes in hormone levels caused by pregnancy, breastfeeding, or menopause can also alter your scent. Vaginal infections including yeast, bacteria, and sexually transmitted infections will change your smell down below, as will a forgotten tampon (due to the bacteria that set up shop there).
“These factors can not only cause a weird odor but can also create other uncomfortable symptoms,” says Dr. Ross. In fact, if something is up with your vagina, it’s likely that you’ll experience other symptoms beyond a change in odor.
A vaginal infection typically includes vulvar itching, burning, redness, and swelling as well as a change of odor—especially if it's a strong, fishy smell, which might signal bacterial vaginosis or the STI trichomoniasis. If you think you might have a vaginal infection, it’s important to see your doctor for tests and the right treatment.
Switching up your diet might also make your vagina smell different. Certain foods disrupt the vagina’s delicate pH balance, which could lead to an odor that might be off-putting. According to Dr. Ross, the worst offenders include garlic, onions, mint, turmeric, blue cheese, cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, red meat, and vinegar. Smoking, alcohol, and not drinking enough water can also change things up down below, she says.
Hygiene habits also affect vaginal scent. Remember, your vagina is like any other part of your body—it needs to be kept clean. “The vagina has sweat glands and hair follicles, which can attract bacteria and contribute to strong odor,"says Dr. Ross. Also, the vagina's location near the anus makes is crucial that you keep the area clean, to avoid bacteria buildup that can lead to foul odors, she adds.
No matter how clean and healthy your vagina is, it will probably never naturally smell like “citrusy bergamot and cedar absolutes.” But that doesn’t mean it can’t smell just as good, in its own unique way.
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I would be willing to bet that your grade school sex-ed class taught you very little when it comes to vaginal odors. In this blog post, I want to share with you the basics. What is normal, what is not and how normal hormonal shifts can impact the scent of our lady bits. I also wanted to emphasize that as women culturally we have been taught to feel shame and embarrassment over our normal body functions and I want to change this. You won’t believe the advertisements I dug up that you will see later on in this blog!
At the end of the day, every woman has a unique vaginal smell that when all is well is considered 100% normal. This is part of the individualized beauty of who we are. There are though some specific scents that are not normal and give you an important signal that your vagina needs some medical care. Unlike what popular douche companies try to tell us, your vagina is not meant to smell like lavender and roses.
Your vagina is home to many many bacteria and yeasts that keep us healthy when balanced. The basic function of this microbial population is to serve as a barrier and keep the vaginal pH just right to protect us from harmful infections as well as yeast and bacterial overgrowths – the kinds that cause yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis.
When this microbial population is not balanced you may experience discharge, odors and/or recurrent infections. In addtion, the vaginal microbiome plays a big role in the overall health of the uterus, vagina, as well as sex hormones. Research does exist showing a correlation between the microbe population and conditions such as pelvic and uterine inflammation, endometriosis, PCOS, pelvic pain and fertility issues.
One of the most abundant types of bacteria is known as lactobacillus. This bacteria helps to keep the vaginal pH acidic or low by producing lactic acid and thus prevents less friendly microbes from being able to set up camp. IT also promotes mucus production and this mucus provides a protective barrier from unfriendly organisms. A decrease in Lactobacillus has been found in women with endometriosis and is believed to play a role in immune and hormone signaling cascades . Research has also shown that this change in the vaginal microbiome can result in decreased sensitivity of the uterine lining to the signaling of progesterone, create inflammation and the symptoms associated with endometriosis. The wrong gut flora can negatively impact fertility through affecting conception and implantation, embryo transfer effectiveness, increase miscarriage risk and even preterm birth.
Where our society has really failed women is with the negative associations we have learned from our culture between normal female physiology. The shame and embarrassment women often express about their bodies has been internalized teachings from our culture. What is frightening is studies clearly show that how we feel about our bodies has an influence on our experience of being a woman from our confidence, sexual behaviors and self-care. Knowledge and self-love promoting practices in medicine need to be adapted if true preventatives measures want to be taken in women’s health.
From 1900-1960s Lysol (yes the household cleaner) marketed their toxic chemical filled products to be used as vaginal disinfectants. Lysol back then was even more toxic than it is now (I would not recommend using Lysol products even today). The way these ads targeted women made them feel unclean in their own bodies and marketed these products as a way to “keep your man”. These advertisements unfortunately directly produced anxiety, shame, embarrassment and confusion over what likely was “normal” vaginal odor. This promotes the opinion that women’s vaginas should be “fresh and clean” or “odorless” which is just not the case. A vagina should smell like a vagina and now a flower garden.
Your vagina does not require douching because the microbiota, pH, and mucus all contribute to a self-cleaning process. Douching can also contribute to inflammation, irritation, itching, burning, vaginal tissue damage, and more infections. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends against douching, vaginal hygiene sprays/powders, as well as the use of fragranced tampons and pads. Fragranced products cause more problems as they are filled with chemicals.
Normal vaginal scent can range from musky to earthy, to sweet like bread. A slightly fishy odor may be normal if combined with sweat gland secretions but may also point to an infection. To find out if an infection is present your doctor will take a sample of vaginal fluid and add chemical reactants and view it under a microscope. In addition, scents can change depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle because hormonal fluctuations influence the vaginal ecology and pH balance.
When in doubt, it is best to have any concerning odor or discharge investigated by your primary care physician.
Typically unless there are other symptoms (pain, abnormal bleeding, fever, discharge, fever) or a new odor what you’re experiencing is probably normal. As women, we are constantly being bombarded with messages that tell us that our natural bodies are not good enough and we need to put a stop to it through education and empowerment. Our vaginas are not meant to smell like flowers they are meant to smell like vaginas. If you found this article helpful please share <3
PS. If your vagina is troubling you or if you are fighting recurrent yeast, BV or UTIs check out my other blogs, webinars, and social media posts.
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We hear this question (and misinformation on this topic) ALL THE TIME, and we decided that today is the day we’re going to answer it. But first, a quick anatomy refresher. Your vulva is all the parts on the outside, including your inner and outer labia and your clitoris. Your vagina is the part that’s on the inside of your body (where tampons and other things can go if you so choose). When most people talk about the way their vagina smells, they really mean their vulva. After all, it’s pretty hard to smell something that’s inside your body.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get back to the question. And the best way to answer it is to start with what your vulva definitely should NOT smell like.
Despite what the “feminine hygiene” (don’t even get us started on how f-ed up that phrase is) aisle at your local drugstore would have you believe, your vulva should not smell like Island Splash, Sheer Floral, Delicate Blossom, Morning Paradise, or Sunset Oasis, whatever any of those things smell like.
We checked in with our on-staff medical provider, Robin Watkins, who’s a nurse practitioner and a certified nurse-midwife, and here’s what she told us: “It’s normal for your vagina and vulva to have a smell, just like it’s normal for your underarms to have a smell. Body smells are a part of being human and come from bacteria breaking down sweat on your skin.”
And there is a range of normal smells. What’s normal for one person may be different from what’s normal for another person. Just like you wouldn’t expect your armpits to smell identical to your friend’s, neither will your vulva smell just like anyone else’s.
It’s absolutely normal for your smell to change. Watkins says that your menstrual cycle, exercising, the weather, having sex, and even eating certain foods, like onions and garlic, can change the way your vulva smells.
Most smells are normal. Smells that could indicate a problem are fishy or sour odors, or any kind of rotting smell. The other thing to watch out for is if you have a smell that’s unusual for you at the same time that you have other symptoms, like pain, itching, unusual discharge (especially if the discharge itself has a smell), burning, bleeding when you have sex, or fever. If that happens, you should definitely check in with a health care provider because it could be a sign of a more serious problem. Also, if you notice an entirely new smell that you’ve never had before, or if your smell is bothering or worrying you, go get it checked out.
Assuming that you’ve ruled out any actual problems, your worry is just that—a worry. Try to internalize that you are not supposed to smell like nothing, and, as we’ve established, that you’re DEFINITELY not supposed to smell like perfume.
Whatever you do, don’t resort to using products marketed for eliminating odor. According to Watkins, “It’s counterintuitive, but using soaps with a lot of perfume or washing inside the vagina, like douching, can actually upset the balance of the bacteria in the vagina, causing a fishy odor.”
In fact, and perhaps we’ve buried the lede here, but neither your vulva nor your vagina need any kind of cleanser ! That includes even the mildest soap. Your vulva only needs to be washed with lukewarm water, and your vagina actually doesn’t even need to be washed with water—it’s self-cleaning. It lives its best life when it’s left alone, like a very introverted and/or feral cat.
Ultimately, we’re going to have to learn to accept that people with vulvas and vaginas are humans, and humans have smells. It’s fine, we promise.
Lauren Kernan is the Director of Content and UX Strategy for Bedsider and Abortion Finder. In her spare time, she can be found sewing or starting and giving up on various other crafts.
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