http://users.livejournal.com/--trying/ ([identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/--trying/) wrote in [community profile] vaginapagina2007-12-03 10:26 am

What's up?

I smell. It hasn't always been like this, and it's definitely not due to the fact that I do not wash. Because I do, so much. But, for some reason it just does not smell like roses down there. I have sex every day, or every other day. Could it be because I'm not going pee after I have sex? I am clueless as to why it is such a bad odor. And, am embarrassed. Please help, suggestions?

[identity profile] cbackson.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
What kind of odor is it?
A fishy smell can be associated with BV. However, in my experience if I don't shower for a while after having sex (like, sex in the morning and I don't shower until the evening), it also smells a touch fishy down there.

A yeasty smell or a bread-like smell may be a yeast infection.

[identity profile] tisha313.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
So sex can make a woman have vaginal odor?

[identity profile] tornattheelbo.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
sure, you're intermingling all that bacteria from yours and your partner's genitals, not to mention ejaculate, if you don't use condoms it takes days for it to leak out of you, and that can be pretty stinky business.

[identity profile] tisha313.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow. I had no idea. Kinda look at sexually active women & sex in a different light now.

[identity profile] tisha313.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I didn't know vaginal odor is created from having unprotected sexual intercourse. It just puts a not so nice image in my head..

[identity profile] loonylupinlover.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Everyone has a natural vaginal odor anyway though. Sexual intercourse is not the ONLY thing that creates vaginal odor. Being alive and warm creates vaginal odor. Menstruation creates vaginal odor. Having condomless sex creates vaginal odor. Infections create vaginal odor. Douching creates vaginal odor. Never rinsing off the vulva creates vaginal odor.

Some vaginal scents are good and healthy, some are indicative of infection. Everyday vaginal odor, menstruation odor, and odor from intercourse are all healthy, natural odors. Odors that are extremely strong or foul (like with very poor hygiene), or accompany itching and burning, such as those that come with bacterial vaginosis, are not, and those are the only ones that smell bad and are unhealthy.

[identity profile] atalanta0jess.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Dude, look. Vaginas have their own odor. Penises and semen have their own odor. If you mix several odors, you usually get a different odor. That's all. It's ok, it's not gross, it's natural and normal and fine.

Sex is a good thing. It is.

[identity profile] this-parachute.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Mhm, seconded.

[identity profile] imnotyourstarx.livejournal.com 2007-12-04 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
amen!

[identity profile] cbackson.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I think you're assuming "odor" is a bad thing. Sexually active women have an odor. Non-sexually active women have an odor. Regardless of anyone's odor, that should change the light in which you look at the person. It doesn't mean ANYTHING about that person regardless of just that. Honestly. However, whatever it makes you think about sex shouldn't make you think differently about the person.

The primary cause of a bad odor down below is some kind of infection--often BV. A lot of women develop BV after sex, but some women get it without sex. YIs cause odor. Lots of women who've never had sex get them. Not washing up properly after sex can cause odor. So can not washing up properly after exercise. Honestly, it's just a smell. Just. A. Smell.

[identity profile] queensugar.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I'm not sure that it usually takes "days" for semen to exit the vagina. I know that I almost always push it out using my pelvic muscles following sex, but even on the odd occasions where I don't, it's all out of there by the next morning, usually within the first 30 minutes of me standing up and walking about.

Others' mileage may vary, of course, but at any rate it's certainly not true that condomless sex always produces days of semen leakage for all people. :)

[identity profile] loonylupinlover.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
In my boyfriend's case, his semen smells/tastes like bleach. Add a bleach-smelling substance to vaginal discharge that doesn't smell like bleach, the smell's going to change at least for a bit. Mine seems to go back to normal a few hours after going to the bathroom -- I've never noticed a prolonged odor from sex. But right afterwards it's very different than anything I could produce myself.

[identity profile] atalanta0jess.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
This has been my experience too...It smells (and feels) a little different, but not BAD. Just different.

[identity profile] tornattheelbo.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
i'm sorry if this is graphic but here goes:

i occasionally get a rank smell coming from between my legs, i attribute this to my skin not shedding properly - a symptom of PCOS apparently, and it's really just old skin, sweat, bacteria, and yeah. it can get pretty ghastly. But i find if i exfoliate the perineal area and the creases of my thighs well with cleanser and scrubby gloves, then dry the area REALLY well, like with a hairdryer i stay a million times fresher. It's also doing wonders to keep the ingrowns away from shaving. My poon is a million times softer and more lovely than it had been before i figured out the amazing wonders of exfoliation and the miracle of scrubby gloves.

[identity profile] -crys336-.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
//the miracle of scrubby gloves.//


LOVE the scrubby gloves. :D

[identity profile] misskrisha.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
is the odor strong?
does it smell like anything in particular?
is it something you can always smell?
perhaps washing "so much" is throwing off the balance of pH in your genital aera...
have you tried urinating after sex to see if the issue resolves itself?

without some more background, it's hard to say what it COULD be. your vagina isn't supposed to smell like roses.

[identity profile] loonylupinlover.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
More details would be helpful. What is the smell like? You definitely shouldn't smell like roses! Is it just normal vaginal smell but rather stronger than you're used to, or is it actually an offensive odor? Does it smell fishy or like bread? Do you wash inside your vagina with soap (big no-no, and will make you smell worse because your vagina will be working overtime to correct the pH imbalance)? Without some additional info it's hard to say what's going on.

Semen + my vagina makes my discharge smell rather bleachy, because that's what my boyfriend's semen smells like, but I haven't noticed it being an issue for longer than directly after sex.

[identity profile] drownophelia.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
perhaps you are over-washing, and causing the Ph balance to get off, and teh flora to get upset. try just rinsing your girliebits with water, and using a gentle soap on the OUTSIDE of your vuvle.

it is also a very good idea to always to pee after sex, as soon as possible.

also, vaginas are not supposed to smell likes roses.

[identity profile] atalanta0jess.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Sounds to me like you might have an infection of some sort. I'd get checked by a doctor. :)

[identity profile] queensugar.livejournal.com 2007-12-03 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Generally, foul vaginal odours are associated with vaginal infections. Many infections, including bacterial vaginosis, can often demonstrate only one symptom: a foul odour (in the case of BV, it's generally described as a very "fishy" smell).

So given that you've been experiencing this foul odour for awhile, I would highly recommend seeing a health care professional to get a swab done and test for a range of vaginal infections.

Urinating after sex shouldn't make a huge difference, since the urethra and vagina are not connected. It might wash away a bit of the post-sex fluids on the vulva, but it wouldn't affect your vaginal odour in any way.

However, I second as well that sometimes, if semen is not "pushed out" after sex using the pelvic muscles, that it can sometimes get kind of rank the next day. Usually, to minimize any smell and leakage, I either head to the toilet or keep a towel next to the bed so I can push all the semen out following sex.