Odour issues (first post, I cannot believe I'm typing this).

[pookykabuki.livejournal.com]

Okay, so for the last few years, only off for short periods of time, I've had vag odours that I cannot stand;  I don't stand too close to people sometimes for fear that they might smell something weird and figure it out. My discharge seems normal, and I'm on Diane 35 for my skin; I'm not sexually active. I've only had my doctor look down there once because I thought I had a sore (I didn't) and he didn't think anything was abnormal.

I'm still too shy to describe it (I will if you ask - erk) but do any of you have a vag odour you dislike? I really don't think I have a yeast infection, but maybe you guys have better insight. Do you know of any way to minimize vag odour?

Comments

[indigodye.livejournal.com]

Does it always come at a certain time of the month?

Also, don't worry - unless it were really, really bad (raging infection, etc) I highly doubt people standing next to you could smell you and figure it out. You are MUCH more aware of it than anyone ever would be :-)

[pookykabuki.livejournal.com]

Nope! It seems to be there for months at a time. Sometimes I'll turn in my seat and smell it and think "Oh. My god. They can too." I hate it; I love nearly everything else about myself, but this I cannot stand.

[indigodye.livejournal.com]

Do you have a regular GYN? It may be worth it to go get checked out for BV or a YI. Sometimes you don't know that you have either except for an odd symptom or two.

[pookykabuki.livejournal.com]

I think I'll try to do that. Unfortunately, I work 8-5, M-F, and so does my doctor! He's also an hour away due to traffic. It gives me a lot of excuses not to see him; the first and only time I've gone to see him, I cried my eyes out like crazy (I was 17.)

[indigodye.livejournal.com]

If you haven't been in a while, it never hurts to get a check up. If you need anyone to talk to, or ask questions to, you can message me on here or IM me on AIM as RebBelle1. I go every three months.. trust me, it gets better :-) Now I'm an old pro. Or at least I feel like it :-D

[pookykabuki.livejournal.com]

Can I add you on LJ? I feel like a dam has burst; it's relief!

[indigodye.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! I'm going through a shitty time right now (it's just one of those life things) so my posts are kinda emo.. I promise they all aren't like that!

[hiriel1804.livejournal.com]

I do the same thing. I notice my smell very easily, I don't really like it, and think "hmm, can everyone else smell this..?"
But I have a very nice boyfriend I can talk to about everything, so I just ask him "Is my vagina smelling weird?", and he says it's impossible to notice any smell at all unless he sticks his head right between my legs. So I think you're generally a LOT more sensitive to your own smell, so probably, no-one else will notice it :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/__recidivist/]

Well, it might help if you did describe it. Some types of infections have pretty characteristic smells. Chances are, though, that if it's been going on for a few years, it's your smell.

The best things to do (in addition to making sure to wash lightly once a day with water or maybe occationally a mild soap and to generally avoid douching once) is to drink a lot of water and to wear loose-fitting cotton underwear. Some people find that cutting down on meat, garlic, and onion and eating more fruits help them to smell (and taste) nicer.

I know that I smell my vag pretty often, but I usually have to smelling for it, as it were. Sometimes I like the way I smell, sometimes I don't.

[pookykabuki.livejournal.com]

It's musky and, uhh, salty, if that's a description of a smell. I still can't believe I'm typing this! Haha, I think it did actually smell worse one night after eating garlic (I will definitely time my garlic-ey nights better then, if not stop).

[nmbr5wthabulet.livejournal.com]

totally within normal range of vag scent. if it were fishy or bready/yeasty smelling or differently textured/colored it would be cause for concern but what you described is perfectly normal.

[pookykabuki.livejournal.com]

Is fishy normal during periods?

[indigodye.livejournal.com]

Yes! Sometimes my "period smell" is gag-worthy. That's why I always giggle when the boyfriend suggests trying period sex. He doesn't know that there's a very valid reason I don't do it!

[http://users.livejournal.com/__recidivist/]

Sometimes mine smells musky and salty, sometimes like white glue, sometimes distinctly like this chocolate cake they used to serve in my elementary school, other times just like vag. They're all part of what's normal for me. Sounds like musky and salty is normal for you.

Really, my advice is not to get too worried about it. If you have a good friend, you could find a way to ask her or him if she or he smells anything, but I really think that most of the time it's one of those things that we tap into way more than other people do.

[krisssa.livejournal.com]

I wish mine smelled like chocolate cake sometimes!!! :)

[awriterswindow.livejournal.com]

Me too! Wouldn't that be awesome? :)

[archangelbeth]

The only time I can smell my own scent is when it's decided to smell like coffee. I don't even drink coffee! Ever! (But I do like how coffee smells, so I don't fret about it on my own sake, and no one's probably going to notice coffee scents, so I don't have to fret about that, either.)

And then there's the sweetish blood-smell during "reboot of the reproductive system."

[sexlexia.livejournal.com]

Try drinking more water (2 liters a day), and eat more fruits and vegetables.
That won't actually do anything if it's caused by an infection though, so maybe mention it to your doctor too?

[exxxactly.livejournal.com]

Not to be gross but.. have you taken a mirror and looked down there to see if you have any smegma build-up in your vaginal folds?

Also I use Always feminine wipes to wipe in the creases and "freshen-up" and I've found that really helps.

[ms-kitsch.livejournal.com]

Seconded-- it's always a good idea to take a look! And not gross at all! : )

[chiyo-no-saru.livejournal.com]

You're probably fine. It's really unlikely that anyone else can smell it--women are almost always more sensitive to their own smell changes than other people are to theirs. There have been loads of times when I'm on my period, and I can smell the blood, and I'll ask my roomie if I smell weird or anything, and she'll say I smell totally normal, like my deodorant.

If you want try cleaning the area, though--not inside the vagina!--just use water or, if you really need to, a super, super gentle soap. Make sure you get between all the folds and that you dry very well afterwards.

[awriterswindow.livejournal.com]

Do you wear underwear that breathe, like cotton ones? Sometimes people wear underwear that really doesn't let your vagina get any air. Like when I wear those god-awful control-top panties, I noticed that when I took them off I smelled awful. Even my boyfriend smelled something (he didn't know what it was, thankfully!).

[mainie.livejournal.com]

if you eat a lot of meat, that can make it smell funky. if you increase your fruit intake & try to eat healthy, it makes your vag smell better too..

[rembrandtfan.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree that certain foods can affect how it smells down there. Coffee always does it for me. Or fish (yuck!)

I second checking for BV to be sure.