I stink

[soapysoapsoap1]

I’ve been really struggling with this and I don’t know what to do.

I used to shower once a day (a proper shower, not a quick wash) but I found that by the end of the day I smelled really badly, as if I haven’t showered. I’ve tried everything type of deodorant and antiperspirant, and I’ve tried every shower gel and scrub and wash and soap. I’ve also tried using no products at all. NOTHING makes a difference.

I usually shower twice a day because if I don’t, I smell so badly it’s noticeable and obviously I can’t have that. I’m not particularly sweaty (I do sweat but not an abnormally amount) I just smell. It’s a BO/musty smell and really horrible. if I shower before work I can actively smell myself later on.

ive even tried Mitchem, no difference

Am I just a total freak? This has been going on for a while and I’m too embarrassed to get a boyfriend because I can’t stay at someone’s house or hang out for too long without having a shower.

any help or advice would be really appreciated, thank you in advance x

My parents are extremely fussy about cleanliness

You sound almost obsessive about washing too. Have you asked a trusted friend or family member if you smell?
Perhaps you’ve become fixated and paranoid about your body odour?

Agree with others you need to have the cause of your absent periods investigated. That’s not normal and indicates a hormonal imbalance which needs treating. X

Yeah I’ve had it confirmed by other people.

I’m really sorry about this because I know I’m drip feeding but it’s just as I’m explaining it all the dots in my head are joining up, but i also get BV (or what I think is BV anyway) a lot. Again, I’ve had people close to me discretely tell my I smell of fish and I know for a fact the smell is vaginal because I can smell it easily when I go to the bathroom, get changed and so on. I’ve had all the usual BV treatments and I’ve also been treated for thrush but the smell is always there and I just assumed I was unlucky and just smelled more than normal. Again, I wasn’t sure if that was just a red herring because the BO smell is completely different and definitely comes from my armpits/body.

sorry for the drip feed, there’s just been a lot of separate things and I’d never appreciated they could all be linked

and as I’m reading this all, it’s becoming very very clear why I don’t have a boyfriend!

I had this problem, eventually I discovered that it was caused by my taking evening primrose supplements! I stopped taking them and that sorted it within a day or two.

Nobody actively went up to me and told me I stink, but I asked my friends (several different ones who don’t know each other and couldn’t have known I was going to ask) if I smelled and they were really kind but said sometimes but not terribly, but I would ask them to quickly smell me and they would say I smelled. It’s not horrific where I walk into a room and everyone is like ewww what’s that smell, but it’s enough that other people can notice it standing beside me and i don’t want to be like this, especially when I’ve only showered a few hours beforehand.

as for my breath, that’s my family or friends who have noticed it, usually when I’m sitting beside them at the table or talking. I can also sort of taste it myself, my mouth just feels and tastes really off x

A fishy body odour is a genuine medical condition- you really need to see a doctor.

How much water are you drinking? TMI but is ur pee clear ?

OP have you considered washing less, or using a more gentle cleanser?

I got BV after washing with soap as my skin is way too sensitive for it. Instead I now wash with Dermol 500 lotion (you can buy it from pharmacies) which is a very gentle, antibacterial soap substitute for people with sensitive skin.

Often if you overwash, you strip away the 'good' bacteria that fights odour and will smell worse. If I was you, I'd try washing with something like Dermol rather than soap, and use the sure deodorant I linked above for under arms.

Also if you have BV currently, then go to a drs to get it treated. As other pp have said, I'd mention all this to a Dr anyway, in case there's something underlying linking all these symptoms

& are you 100% sure it's not your nose? Long covid has known to alter how your nose works. Don't mean to sound patronising, but have you asked others if you definitely smell?

Sounds like you have a health issue coming from the inside OP. You need to back to your GP and insist on investigation.

Dr Google says: rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/trimethylaminuria/

I'd push to be tested for premature ovarian failure.

I think the fishy odour is vaginal rather than body, my body definitely smells more like unfreshness/BO. I definitely don’t have any STDs either (I can guarantee that with my life, pretty obvious why!)

I’m not actually sure how much I drink but quite a lot but not so much that it’s unusual (I think anyway!) I don’t drink anything else other than water so I drink a lot of it. I drink it at breakfast, lunch, dinner, before bed, during the night and throughout the day too. My pee is usually a normal yellowy greeny colour x

No periods, bad BO, bad breath and a strong vaginal smell? See a doctor. A better one that your current GP!

I use triple dry deodorant. It's the only one that's workrc for me.

Shield soap is brilliant for Body odour

sorry but who is telling you you smell of fish? Your parents?
Thats not caused by BV if you’ve followed medical treatment and the smell is the same.

Youre still young and living at home. Can you confide in your mum? Is she not concerned about your lack of periods?

How’s your immune system? Do you get ill lots or never at all? Do you get skin infections etc? It sounds like some kind of systemic weakness to me so you have yeast/bacteria out of balance causing various things in different places.

How are your gut bacteria, do you take probiotics/kefir stuff like that? Look at boosting your immune system, I’d say. Also get your menstrual issues checked as your cycles are indicative of general health.

Antibiotics for BV don’t always work. I know someone who has had three courses and still suffers with it and the awful smell.

Hi Soapysoap.

i'm so sorry you're having to deal with this, life can be mightily unfair sometimes. My quick google search turned up this result - does it sound like this could be you? www.nhs.uk/conditions/trimethylaminuria/#:~:text=Trimethylaminuria%20(TMAU)%20is%20an%20uncommon,are%20things%20that%20can%20help.

Go speak to your GP there is probably an underlying issue which is easily fixed so don't live miserably in the meantime, it could be hormonal.

I would go to see another doctor.
Wee should not be green!
Your periods should not be AWOL.

A fishy BO smell is actually a medical disorder.
You need to see a different GP. A BMI of 20 shouldn't be enough to stop your periods, mines 18 and i still get them.

Also if the BO smell is lingering on your clothes a bit of white vinegar around the pits etc then wash in the washing machine will sort them out.

Can I suggest a probiotic, or Acidophilus tablets. It could be that you have a gut imbalance. xx

Have you been to the GP for the BV and been swabbed? Is it definitely BV?

I think you need an appointment with a different GP.

i had noticed it when I was getting changed but I didnt know if it was normal (everyone is different after all and I thought I was just unlucky to be a bit more smelly than normal) and I asked my mum honestly if she could smell it when gathering the washing and she said she noticed it a few times off my jeans and leggings, she wasn’t smelling them obviously she was just sorting out the washing and putting it into piles and she noticed it, I also asked someone else close to me (at that time not anymore) if it was noticeable when I was sitting down beside them and wearing a skirt and they said a bit.

My mum was the one who made me go to the doctor in the first place for my periods, they checked my blood and it was ok so they said it was from being skinny or playing sports. My mum wasn’t convinced and still isn’t but I wasn’t too bothered so I was happy the GP wasn’t worried x