Why Does My Discharge Smell Sour

Why Does My Discharge Smell Sour

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Smelly discharge – i.e. if yours is suddenly a whole lot funkier than is standard, for you – can feel a little alarming. What if it points to a nasty infection, STI or some sort of UTI? But try to dispel your more alarmist thoughts.
According to consultant gynaecologist Ms Tania Adib, smelly discharge has seven main causes – some of which are more common than you might like to think. Plus, some of these are incredibly straightforward to treat.
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common vaginal infections, says Adib. Indeed, according to the Family Planning Association, one in three women will experience it at some time in their life.
It occurs when the natural balance of bacteria in your vagina goes amiss – instead of all your good bacteria leading the way, the bad stuff gets on top, making what should be a slightly acidic environment more alkaline.
Whilst some of you will be ‘lucky’ enough to have no symptoms, others will be hit with a thin and watery, and fishy-smelling discharge. Good news is, over-the-counter meds can sort this one out.
Also known as ‘Trich’. According to Adib, this STI is caused by infection with a parasite called Trichomonas Vaginalis.
‘It can make the vagina look like a strawberry,’ Adib says. Think swollen and red. Plus, you may produce more discharge than normal, which could be thick, thin or frothy; yellow-green in colour; and have a fishy odour. It might also hurt when you wee – or have sex.
You'll need the professionals to nix this issue – head to your GP and they can prescribe you a round of antibiotics.
Although ureaplasma bacteria are part of the bacterial population you naturally have living in your body, if they get out of balance – for example, if you’re run-down and your immune system is weakened – it can lead to health problems.
Adib suggests watching out for symptoms such as pain or itching around your vagina, or smelly discharge; ureaplasma can lead to BV and urethritis. Again, head to your GP if you suspect you are dealing with this issue and get prescribed antibiotics.
‘Retained foreign bodies such as a tampon can cause smelly discharge,’ Adib says. Why? Forgotten items can lead to infection and smelly discharge is a sign that something’s not quite right down below.
Another STI and another cause of smelly discharge, says Adib. It might be thick and green or yellow. You may also feel pain when you pee or have spotting in between periods. Or you may experience nothing at all; almost half of women with gonorrhoea have no symptoms.
Nip to your nearest sexual health clinic, or your GP, for help with this one.
Had unprotected sex within the last three weeks? Then this is another STI to be aware of, says Adib – especially if smelly discharge has started to get you down.
Other symptoms can include painful periods, irregular bleeding, pain during sex or when you wee, and an itchy burn-y sensation around your vagina. Left untreated, the chlamydia infection could spread to your womb causing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and infertility. Again, the sexual health clinic, or your GP, can help, here.
Perhaps not the first symptom you’d association with this type of cancer but, says Adib, it’s one to have on your radar - alongside irregular bleeding, pain during sex and lower back pain. If you are worried, head to the doctor.
For infections such as BV, your chemist is your safest bet. Suspect something more serious? Then it's to the doctor's, for you.
If you have taken over-the-counter meds for over a week with no change, Adib suggests you head to your GP.
One thing to note: if your discharge is smelly, do not be tempted to douche.
‘It’s commonly thought that cleaning inside the vagina or douching can help treat smelly discharge,’ says Adib. ‘But don’t. All you should use are pessaries (or any treatment given by your GP). Then, if it isn’t better after the recommended course, seek further medical advice.’
A subtle smell is totally not an issue. It's when you notice dramatic changes in your discharge – or a really strong, foul smell – that your body is likely trying to communicate that something is not right.
If a super sour, fish-y smell is on the cards, then this could be a sign of BV. Head to your chemist for some over-the-counter meds.
Thanks to the decline in oestrogen levels you experience as you go through the menopause, the pH of your vagina can change – which might play with the smell of your discharge.
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Originally Published: July 5, 2017
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Whether it’s the smell of roses or vanilla, everybody has their own signature scent — even for down there. But sometimes, all it takes is one whiff to know that something has gone wrong with your girly parts. If you’re wondering why your vagina smells sour , there could be a few reasons why — and all are fixable.
When it comes to vaginas, there is no one-scent-fits-all. In fact, every vag smells differently depending on its owner. The interesting thing is that while a vagina can and should have an odor , it’s probably a very slight one, the Mayo Clinic reported. But unless there’s a real issue (like an infection), your vagina itself doesn’t really emit much of an odor — it’s the surrounding areas that do, OB/GYN Dr. Kim Langdon , MD tells Romper. “Rather, the external skin of the vulva can become contaminated with bacteria and over time, it reacts with secretions or vaginal discharge,” she explains. “When there are synthetic fragrances or other chemicals on the skin of the vulva, the skin bacteria reacts with it to create an odor.”
Still, there might be times when it seems like there’s a scent coming straight from the center of everything. So if you’re sniffing something slightly stinky, here are some reasons why.
As careful as you are to take out your tampons on the reg, you might still slip up and forget to swap it out — or worse, think that you did and insert another one in there. And if that’s the case, you could smell something akin to a stench, Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, MD, Clinical Professor of OB/GYN at Yale says. “A forgotten tampon can have a really foul smell, like really dead fish,” she tells Romper in an email. Get the tampon out as soon as you remember, but you might need to take it another step further to get rid of the smell. “This is one of the few instances that a douche can be helpful (just some vinegar and water) to help clear things out,” Dr. Minkin advises.
You might have moments when your vagina feels uncomfortable due to using a new soap or a fragrance. And then, there’s your vagine’s arch enemy, vaginitis. In the study, “ Vaginitis in Nonpregnant Patients ,” vaginitis is explained as either an infection or inflammation of your lady parts. It causes itching, burning, discharge, and (you guessed it), a fishy odor. Depending on the type of vaginitis you have , you might be prescribed an over-the-counter cream, an antibiotic, or a cream to help cool off your vagina and calm it down, the Mayo Clinic reported.
Since your vagina itself is inside the body, it doesn’t produce sweat. But the surrounding areas (think your crotch, legs, butt) sure do. And that’s why you might think it’s your vagina that’s smelling sour when it’s actually your nether regions. “Sweat can definitely cause odor that will affect the scent of the area,” explains Dr. Langdon. Thankfully, this is a simple fix — a shower should be sufficient to reduce the smell in the area.
Not to be confused with its wicked stepsister, vaginitis, bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the vagina, Dr. Minkin explains. Not only does it cause your girly bits to smell stanky, but it can be troubling to your health, too. “What is bad about BV is that it can lead to a higher risk of acquiring and getting sick with STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia,” Dr. Minkin explains. Apart from unpleasant odors, BV can be dangerous if you’re pregnant. The study, “ Association between preterm delivery and bacterial vaginosis with or without treatment ” found that there is a greater risk of going into preterm labor if you have BV.
How does it happen in the first place? Dr. Minkin explains: “The normal vagina has a significantly acidic pH (neutral pH is 7; a healthy vagina will have a pH of 3.5 to 4.5 or so),” she says. “If a woman's vagina starts becoming more basic, it may lead to the growth of nastier bacteria which will create an environment that favors the growth of what we call anaerobic bacteria.” And this is what leads to bacterial vaginosis — and a fishy odor.
If you are concerned about the smell coming from down there, you can always consult with your OB/GYN. An exam can tell you if you have an infection that requires medication. Another option, according to Dr. Minkin: “You can use an over the counter product called RepHresh which will help restore a better pH balance in your vagina,” she says. “And some women opt to use an oral product like Pro-B, which contains lots of the ‘good guy’ bacteria of the vagina, the good lactobacilli which make up the good vaginal flora.”
Your vagina is always going to have some sort of smell. Most are manageable, but foul odors like fish or sulfur (like a rotten egg) should be a cause for concern — and warrant a call to your doctor.
Shimaoka, M., Yo, Y., Doh, K., Kotani, Y., Suzuki, A., Tsuji, I., Mandai, M., Matsumura, N.
Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, MD, Clinical Professor of OB/GYN at Yale
This article was originally published on July 5, 2017

Dr. Dunn A. (M.B.B.S) - Written or Reviewed on January 4th, 2017 in Women Discharge , Women Health , Women Infections , Women Problems
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Last updated on July 28th, 2018 at 04:58 am
Foul smelly discharge is a common problem experienced by women. It is an offensive odor down there in the vagina that makes women uncomfortable. Smelly discharge is abnormal discharge and due to vaginal infections.
Do you have a smelly discharge? Is it brown, white, yellow or watery smelly discharge? This guide will explain what causes smelly discharge in women, how to prevent it and how to get rid of it.
Normal vaginal discharge is not smelly, though can come out in different colors. A vaginal discharge is important because it cleans your vagina and prevents vaginal infections. It consists of different kind of cells like bacteria (lactobacillus), fungi, vaginal cells and cervical mucus. It may be bloody discharge, yellowish discharge or pinkish brown discharge and still normal.
Bloody discharge is due to the mixture of blood with your discharge. It does not smell or cause any form of vaginal itching. It is normal kind of discharge in women during ovulation and implantation.
A vaginal infection commonly causes yellowish discharge. It could also be normal due to oxidation of your discharge when exposed to air or stress.
Pinkish discharge or brownish discharge is also due to the mixture of discharge with blood. While pinkish vaginal discharge is normal in most women, it can be caused by other diseases like cervical polyps, cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease or your birth control pill.
Also, the normal discharge can be thick or watery depending on your menstrual cycle.
Don’t know what a menstrual cycle is? It is the difference in days between 2 of your periods.
During your menstrual cycle, your discharge may be thick, watery, creamy white or egg white discharge. Normal discharge does not cause an inflammatory change to the vulva or vagina. There is no pain, swelling, itching of the vagina.
Foul smelly discharge is an abnormal discharge that is caused by gonorrhea, chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis.
This is an infection that affects both men and women. In women, it can cause smelly discharge. Though not all women will show symptoms of gonorrhea infection, it can still cause complications in women showing symptoms and those not showing symptoms at all.
How is gonorrhea transmitted? Though there are other routes of transmission like during childbirth, the disease is a sexually transmitted infection. If you’ve had any unprotected intercourse, then you can have gonorrhea infection. Common symptoms of gonorrhea are
If you don’t treat your smelly discharge due to gonorrhea early, it can cause Infertility, PID or easily get infected with other STDs.
Chlamydia infection of the vagina can cause smelly discharge in women. Symptoms of chlamydia are:
If you don’t treat your smelly discharge due to chlamydia, you can develop PID which can affect your tubes causing ectopic pregnancy or infertility.
Bacterial vaginosis can cause fishy smelling discharge in women. It is not sexually transmitted and is caused by Gardnerella vaginalis.
Any insult that affects the vaginal normal flora will cause bacterial vaginosis (BV) . They include the use of soap to wash your vagina, use of vaginal sprays, use of vaginal douche to clean the vagina.
These can cause lactobacillus, which keeps the vagina acidic thereby preventing infections, to be destroyed.
Symptoms of BV are fishy smelly discharge but no pain, no swelling of the vulva or vagina, no vulva excoriations or itching.
This is another infection that can cause your vagina to smell. It is caused by sexually transmitted trichomonas vaginalis. Though not all women show symptoms of trichomonas infection , it can cause serious problems like PID and infertility if not treated early.
Symptoms of trichomonas infection are
PID can cause smelly discharge in women. It is an infection that spreads up a woman’s genital tract from the vagina to the cervix, the fallopian tubes through the uterus. Both chlamydia and gonorrhea infections, when poorly treated or not treated at all, causes more than 90 percent of PID infections . Other causes are bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis.
These are some of the possible colors of your smelly discharge and what they mean
Normal: Yellow discharge can occur in women when their discharge is exposed to air or due to stress.
Whats Abnormal? Yellow smelly discharge is an abnormal discharge and requires treatment. It is mostly due to a vaginal infection. If yellow smelly discharge occurs in pregnancy, it can cause miscarriage or preterm delivery if not treated early.
Normal: Brown discharge is a normal kind of discharge experienced by women. It can be from mild vagina tear during sexual intercourse, ovulation, or implantation.
During sexual intercourse , the vaginal wall can tear with slight bleeding. This can come out of your vagina as brown discharge. It is normal.
During ovulation , rupture of the Graafian follicle (most mature follicle) will cause bleeding with brown discharge. This discharge due to ovulation has no odor and no vulva itching.
During implantation , there is slight spotting that causes brown discharge with no smell.
Whats abnormal? Brown discharge with smell can occur in women and its due to an infection. Cervical cancer can also cause foul smelling brown discharge.
Whats normal: Vaginal discharge at both ends of your menstrual cycle is thick white discharge with no smell or itching. If your discharge becomes clumpy white and cottage cheese like then it could be due to yeast infection. However, yeast infection does not smell but causes vaginal itching, swelling, and excoriations.
Whats abnormal? Smelly white discharge is usually due to vaginal infection. Vaginal infections from bacterial vaginosis can cause a fishy odor that is very unpleasant.
Whats normal: Watery cervical mucus is an indication of your ovulation. Sexual intercourse during this time will get your pregnant. It is not an abnormal discharge and does not cause vaginal itching or smell too.
What abnormal? Watery smelly discharge is likely due to bacterial vaginosis which has a fishy vaginal smell. It is abnormal and requires treatment.
If you notice any of this type of abnormal discharge, then you should inform your doctor.
This is due to PID infection in women. It is an abnormal discharge that requires treatment. You should tell your doctor.
If you want to get rid of your smelly discharge then you should also know how you can prevent it.
Most of the causes of your smelly discharge can be cured. It involves letting your doctor know about it. During your visit, samples from your vagina or urethra will be collected and tested. The cause of your smelly discharge will be treated.
Treatment of bacterial vaginosis is by use of oral metronidazole (Flagyl). It has an excellent success rate and cures the infection. Are you pregnant? You can be treated too with Flagyl as it is safe in pregnancy.
Treatment of PID, gonorrhea, and chlamydia is by use of antibiotics too. Though PID may require a combination of antibiotics and longer days of treatment.
Now it’s your turn . Do you have an abnormal discharge that smells? Let us know if it’s white, yellow, brown or any other symptoms.
Dr. Akatakpo Dunn is a senior medical officer at the Presbyterian Joint hospital.

He has done over 100 c-section and supervised the delivery of over 300 babies. He currently trains Comunity health extension workers (CHEW) in rural communities in Nigeria.

With lots of crap online, I Hope to quickly give reliable information about health.

Read more About Dr. Dunn A. A

michelle

March 21, 2019 at 1:04 am

Reply
I have a foul( NOT A FISHY) odour IT IS itchy yellow/brown discharge and I am ALSO NOT HAVING ANY PERIODS I CATHETERIZ
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