cloth pads and smell

[lost-almost.livejournal.com]

effercakes asked a question about smelling differently during menstruation and I am somewhat worried now. I use cloth pads. My flow tends to be somewhat light after the first day and I tend to change typically at the end of the work day. 

I am worried now that other people can smell me. So my question to you is: How often do you change? Should I change more often? And most importantly, is the menstrual odor of a pad user noticeable/distinctive to most folk. Or to put it more frankly, can people smell me? *mortified at the thought*.

In my experience, I have never been able to tell, but maybe I am olfactorily challenged.

Comments

[senseikrystal.livejournal.com]

I have to say...I can't think of one time in my life where I've ever smelled another woman (at least *that* smell). There's got to be lots of women in the world with more smell than you, right? Have you ever smelled them? So don't worry about it, I'm sure you're fine! =)

[poppleshatesyou.livejournal.com]

i agree with this comment. I think our own personal smell is much stronger to us then to anyone else.

[mermaiddrowning.livejournal.com]

I have, once, it was my sister, she doesn't always have the best hygeien practices. But that was also in our home. In public at school or work I've smelled body odar but never anything more persoanl than that.

Also, maybe you have someone who you know will be honest to ask, a best friend, a sister or maybe your mom?

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Exactly. As worried as I've been about my own period scent -- and as much as I've been able to smell it on myself -- I've never noticed it on another person.

[carat04.livejournal.com]

I sometimes have the same fear of people being able to smell me. After the second day of my period I could leave a junior light tampon in all day and it wont be full at the end of the day so I dont bother. It's basically one day super heavy flow, one day regular flow, and then three days of heavy spotting.

As far as smell, unless someone has their face particularly close to your crotch they shouldn't be able to smell it.

[memorygilded.livejournal.com]

The ONLY time I was able to smell a girl on her period was my roommate who didn't shower on an average basis. It was foul, to say the least.

There's really nothing to worry about, IMO. But if you're still concerned about it, there are scented tampons and pads. While some people say that they're not good for you, I've never gotten a yeast infection from them and they make you smell nice.

[maramaria.livejournal.com]

Oh my! I once temporarily roomed with a girl like that..

To the OP, I haven't seen any scented clothpads myself but if you're really worried by any possible smell, maybe you could open the pad just a little and stick a piece of cloth or cotton with a drop of lavender oil?

[singindiva721.livejournal.com]

I had a roommate like that too...it's disgusting, isn't it?

Mine had a lot of sex with her bf too (he wasn't too clean either).

Pardon my french, but our room always smelled like nasty pussy! :-(

[brigittefires.livejournal.com]

Thank you for asking this!! I've always been super-concious of my odor too. And the point someone made above about us not being able to smell other women just kinda made me go *face-palm* lol I'd never considered that before.

well *I* feel loads better now!

In an effort to help answer your question: I literally went over 24 hours with one cloth pad in on my most odor-ific days of my period (usually the lighter ones) and had no odor. DEFINATELY less than I do with disposables. The cloth pads let your girlybits breathe more, which on the one hand would indicate more air to cause odor-bacterial growth and more air to carry the scent, but on the other it's not as much of a bacteria-happy environment.

So in other words: Take a deep breath and stop worrying! (that's my big plan)

[manycolored.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I can. I have a rather strong sense of smell.

If smell bothers you, no kind of pad is going to get rid of it, unfortunately. For that reason, I switched to the cup method. Mysteriously, not only does it eliminate odor on the outside, when I empty it, it smells kind of like... I don't know what. Kind of like a humid summer night, but really not much else.

[imindiaunajones.livejournal.com]

I can echo just about everyone here in saying that it's all in your head. In my experience, there are a lot of people out there who will comment about such smells in a rather...boisterous(?) manner. I went to an inner city high school where many people's heigenic practices were not good, at all. If people smelled something funky, they (loudly) let people know about it. I'm not saying that your work environment is like what my high school was like, but there are always people like that out there who have no inhibitions and will say exactly what's on their minds without thinking.
In all, it's not as if you are going an entire period without changing your pad. If this were the case, you might have some smell to worry about.
As everyone else said, I don't think you have anything to worry about. =)

[stenodork.livejournal.com]

i have a strong sense of smell and have smelled a couple other girls'.
and i hate to say it, but my husband has been able to smell me.
which really grosses me out.