Embarrassing problem

[Minemineyours]

Ok I'm aware this is anonymous but I still feel so embarrassed posting this but I'm at my wits end.
My vagina smells fishy! I've had a baby 7 months ago and about 2 months ago I started smelling very bad, a month after that my period returned and I thought ok maybe it was hormones but since then the smells returned and nothing I do gets rid of it.
So I know everyone is going to say its BV! I have done 5 tests for BV and all came back negative, 3 of the tests were from somewhere they were doing research into BV so they were 3 different types of tests.
I use rephresh and caneston every month but the smell still comes back.
I'm on probiotics and I don't have much sugar in my diet at all, I do have lots of Greek yoghurt.
I cant get an appointment at the gp yet but has anyone got any idea what else I might try?
I have had BV once before many many years ago and that was cleared up with antibiotics.

Could it be related to what you are eating or drinking, or the products you use to wash with? Just a thought, I'm not a nurse or doctor but hopefully someone will come along with better advice for you 😊

Any chance there's something stuck up there?

I haven't changed the way that I wash or changed anything I eat or drink apart from the fact that I've completely cut back on sugar from about the time I was pregnant basically because it would give me reflux.
I just feel so self conscious about it that I don't want to leave my house at all.
I shower and change my clothes every day and am a bit of a germaphobe in general so it's definitely not linked to hygiene

@FuncaMunca nothing up there as I inly just got my period a month after the smell started and I used pads plus I haven't put anything else up there that I can remember 😅
Also not had sex since I got pregnant as I'm single but that's a whole another issue

Are you sure you smell of fish?

I would dip a tampon in water with apple cider vinegar and out it in

I would also treat for BV after this anyway if it didn't resolve

Does it happen when your partner has ejaculated in you or just anyway?

I use wet wipes and I literally smell of soap even at the end of the day xx

Are you washing your vulva with soap in the shower daily? If you’re being really zealous with washing I think that can upset your ph balance/microbiome which might actually be making the smell.

( I have had BV and the fish issues in the past too, it was the sperm just making me smell bad)

When I say are you sure I mean have you asked York partner does he agree?

Could you possibly have some retained product in your uterus from pregnancy? If there's tissue rotting away up there, that will cause a terrible smell??

OP is single so nothing to do with semen, and it's not the senem that smells as such, it upsets the PH balance. You are probably overly washing, you are not meant to wash or use products really, as it upsets your PH. Try to reduce the washing, just swill with cool water, no soaps, not even femine soaps

Have you got an iud? That can cause bv

Did you have any stitches when you had your baby? Is it possible that one hasn't dissolved properly or something?

(Disclaimer: I am not medical and have no idea if that's possible, but I know when I had a mole removed some of my stitches needed removing manually as they didn't all dissolve completely).

Otherwise, agree with others that it could be linked to over washing upsetting the pH balance in some way.

I only wash with water I've never changed the way I wash and I've never smelt before.
I can smell it when I move and my 4 year old dd asked why she could smell fish when she sat next to me 😫
I dont have a partner or an IUD, no stitches and nothing retained as far as I know because they showed my ny placenta and the sack after they did my c section

I had a bv test done at GPS and they said it was negative and that just wait it out..its been over 2 months now though

Oh and I have some clear discharge, not a lot and not of a consistency that without the smell would make me think anything was wrong

Have you used a balance activ type thing? Sooooo sorry you're going through this

Wear cotton pants too as the synthetic ones smell

I've used balance activ twice but maybe I need yo do a full course?
I've put it off as I'm up and down from the baby's room all night and it falls out so I've only done it twice overnight then once in the day with a tampon in

Could it be fish odour syndrome (not being rude honestly)? No idea as to why it would occur only now but I believe you can look into dietary changes to try minimise the odour, worth a Google if you're sure it's not BV.

I was getting recurring thrush & BV & have found that taking Garden of Live Vaginal Care raw probiotics really helped a lot, don't think I've had either since I started taking this

If you can't get a GP appointment, what about a GUM clinic?

Whilst I was pregnant I wore a lot of the soft material leggings (I think they were saffron leggings from amazon) I always used to smell my own fuff smell and it was strong and distinct smell. Couple months after I had DS I got back into my jeans and I couldn't smell it anymore. I thought maybe it was hormones or maybe the leggings? No idea but just thought it was worth a mention xxx

Oh & I'd suggest going to a sexual health walk in clinic, BV tests aren't 100% reliable, you can get a false negative. They'll be much more thorough

Its your soap/shower gel/detergent. Switch to a 0% one like the Simple Refreshing clear 0% one, Faith in nature fragrance free 0%.

Or the plain kids bath/body one in tesco thats like a pale creamy yellow bottle.

And if you've only ever washed with water it might be time to try something else as your PH is out of whack, whatever is happening.

I would advise against putting something so acidic in your vagina and also how can you insert a tampon that’s wet?