Is Your Vagina Supposed To Smell
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Is Your Vagina Supposed To Smell
This Is What Your Vagina Is Supposed To Smell Like
Hint: it's not freshly baked cookies.
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Maybe you've wondered, "Does my vagina smell normal?" YourTango gets down to business.
I don't care how comfortable you are with your own body, we all have those moments where we think about how we smell down there. Maybe it's at the doctor's office before a pelvic exam, or it might be as your partner is making their way to your vagina for some up-close and personal fun. You wonder, "Do I smell normal? And what is normal anyway? What is a vagina supposed to smell like?"
Healthy vaginas often do have smells! Most of the time, these vagina scents aren't awful—they just smell like a vagina; like the way you sometimes smell sweaty or how your feet stink in certain shoes. We smell like humans, and the smell of our vaginas depend on certain factors. If you just took a shower and washed your lady-bits, there probably isn't any smell. But if you just had a marathon sex session, your vagina will have an odor.
It's important not to forget that your vagina also secretes pheromones that are supposed to trigger sexual interest and excitement.
"I don't know how to describe what a vagina should smell like, but I can tell you what it shouldn't smell like," says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D. , clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale University School of Medicine. "The vagina shouldn't smell like rotten fish or anything rotting. [That odor] is from bacterial vaginosis , which is really an imbalance of good guy and bad guy bacteria (the bad guys are the anaerobic bacteria which tend to be overgrowing, and anaerobes classically produce a foul or rotting type odor)."
"Many women notice after having their periods that there is a different odor," says Sara Gottfried, M.D. , founder and medical director of The Gottfried Center for Integrative Medicine and author of The Hormone Cure . " A lot of women notice a change in scent after having sex . Semen is really basic—it has a pH of around eight—so when you have sex, it changes the pH in the vagina to the basic side of things."
The good news is that vaginas are self-cleaning and they naturally produce some discharge that helps to eject germs and bacteria out of your body, like a bouncer at the exclusive Vagina Club. You have regular discharge , which is mostly white with a little yellow, but when it's grey or neon green or yellow, that's not good.
"Another thing that we do see causing bad odors is a retained tampon," said Dr. Minkin. "If someone does notice a foul odor, check in for a retained tampon (something folks forget to take out at the end of their period). If they find one and cannot remove it, call the health care provider to remove it. That's one of the few times a douche would be helpful , and then follow it up with some RepHresh, an over-the-counter solution that helps keep the pH levels healthy."
As far as smell goes, Dr. Minkin says, "There are times I do see women who complain of an odor, and I don't smell anything abnormal. The one thing I strongly discourage women from doing is using scented products in the vagina, because that tissue is the most delicate in the body, and the most sensitive to irritation like an allergen."
For the most part, don't mess with your vagina. It knows how to take care of itself. If you do see or smell something that doesn't seem right, have a health care professional check it out.
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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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