My vagina stinks

[timewarp6]

I can't live with it anymore, it smells horrible even 2 minutes after showering. I don't use soap down there and I don't have an STI. I have been treated for thrush and no change.

It's worse in the hot weather but I'm feeling self conscious all the time. I can smell it when I'm sitting down on the sofa. People say it's normal to have an odour but when does it become abnormal?

I can't even describe the smell - it isn't fishy but it's unpleasant

@F0RESTGRUMP

Anything other than vaguely musty is wrong. (Mine smells quite nice ). Probably BV.

And I don't use soap anywhere as I have eczema and warm water works fine. I do not smell. People are obsessed with soap.

My vagina certainly doesn't smell like sea shells I wash every four days (otherwise my skin bleeds) and again... I do not smell

Have you found the cause op?

By vaguely musty I only mean if you stick your head down there actively aiming to smell it. It should not emanate. The loo should not smell.

How can being on the loo, sitting down or doing any activity leaving a smell be not cause for alarm for anybody? Like seriously, do the finger test.

Not being funny but you soap dodgers should also check your belly buttons. They can be smelly little bastards too.

This thread is 10/10

I got told off on page 2 or 3 I think. Mental.

Best. thread. title. ever.

How do people even wash the vagina with water let alone soap.. and then those who dont wash the outside and just rinse with water. Imagine the pee, blood, poo residue and all sorts.

Two things made me do that hysterical snort laugh and then burst into tears:
1 - the bacon sandwich
2 - that koala meme

I think lockdown has broken me.

@creativecringe one poster recommended rinsing it out with the shower because soap etc makes its way up there in the bath, that would probably create a soapy wash 😬. I'm also still aghast at spraying the area with Mitchum. That's the whole other end of the scale to only using water on the exterior areas 😆

Haribo sorry just saw your question and no I have only tried ointment but client's suggestion looks good with the Sanctuary wet skin jelly. I've eyes that myself and will try!

I think recently more and more vagina seems to be used to describe the hole lot, inside and out. Which always irritates me as it's just not the case. Get a Biology textbook and look it up, you eejits. (I mean those eejits doing that, not any of us here!) - Ah no that's my showing my age!! 😅 Google 'female anatomy'!!

@ponchek get the jelly one which is a clear bottle. The others are good but don't have exfoliating acids in which shift the dry skin. My arms are so smooth!

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/how-to-clean-vagina-vulva-soaps-nhs-advice-gynaecologist-douche-do-not-a8988066.html%3famp

Good article. I think it covers everything. Basically you don’t need soap, but if you want to use a mild un-scented one that’s fine. For those who were comparing vulva washing to hand washing - it even explains why that’s really not the same thing.

But @Pinkblueberry the opening words are

"Making women feel like they need to invest in making their vulva look/smell/taste more appealing is big business"

Washing with just water may be enough for basic cleanliness, but the vulva will still smell unpleasant. The message of the article is why women feel they have to smell more appealing. They and you don't "have" to of course.

"But the fishy smell, absent a vaginal infection, comes from that vulva not the vagina. Women need to take responsibility for understanding their anatomy, and cleaning it"

Exactly. I was responding to a poster asking why there even needs to be advice on washing the vulva and not the vagina. There needs to be explicit advice because some women still don't understand. And, as we can see on this thread, advice (even from 'experts') is contradictory. It's no wonder some women are confused.

And yes, knowledge about women's genitals is poor. Remember how some women were aghast when they learnt (from OITNB) that women have three holes and don't pee out of their vaginas? But when women admit to know knowing, they are subject to ridicule. Look at this thread
Op says her vagina stinks. Others ask "do you wash?", she says she washes with water only and she's rounded on by people insinuating that she's disgusting.

I don't know if I've been explicit enough with my daughter about how to keep her vulva clean and healthy, aside from the "don't use soap in your vagina" advice so thanks to this thread I'll be revisiting that with her.

"Making women feel like they need to invest in making their vulva look/smell/taste more appealing is big business"

Washing with just water may be enough for basic cleanliness, but the vulva will still smell unpleasant. The message of the article is why women feel they have to smell more appealing. They and you don't "have" to of course.*

Perhaps the issue is why women think the normal smell of their vulva is unpleasant or at all noticeable to other people. Even the sodding NHS website tells women to use soap and men to use just water.

Seriously SerenDippitty? That's pretty shit.

the vulva will still smell unpleasant.

@woolyrab Unpleasant to you maybe. I don’t think you can speak for everyone’s vulva. They may not all smell like flowers but that doesn’t mean they are ‘unpleasant’. They just smell like vulvas. Whether that smell is pleasant or not - or most likely just a neutral smell (I don’t think it has to be a case of either ‘unpleasant’ or ‘wow, I want a scented Goop Lab candle to capture this!’) is for the individual to decide and you can then use soap or not as needed. I think your use of the word ‘unpleasant’ in relation to all vulvas perfectly illustrates the kind of insecurities the article was talking about.

This thread is just playing into womens insecurities about how they smell down there.And it's from other women.Sad.

Pre-menopause my vagina was more smelly, not awful but stronger & muskier. Since menopause, vagina is dryer and less smelly - swings & roundabouts.

@CorianderLord when you say you wash every 4 days do you mean your whole body? If your skin is bleeding after washing then something is very amiss, have you seen a doctor?

Many years ago I was having problems with small tears in the skin of my vulva and the nurse at the villa clinic told me to never wash with femfresh or soap, but to use aqueous cream instead. She said it's ok to wash the outside near your groin etc with soap, but not your vulva.

I disagree @happyandsingle. There are posters on here who think you should be able to smell your own vagina when you are sitting down. Unless you are a contortionist, then no, you shouldn't. A bad smell from any part of your body is a good indicator that something is not right.

If you don't wash between your legs and outer labia (vulva) then the sweat and dirt will build up in the crevices and create a smell, even in those with a thigh gap.

Absolutely no one on here is suggesting washing the actual vagina, but the outer skin, the pH5.5 skin that's the same as the rest of your body, that skin needs washing.