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

Also white vinegar dabbed under arms with a bit of cotton wool in the morning helps a lot. It doesn’t smell once dry, but does prevent sweat odour.

Completely agree with the advice to seek medical attention and it might help (as suggested) to take your mum so you're not fobbed off. Unfortunately a lot of doctors don't take "women's problems" seriously and you need to be persistent.

It took my best friend years going back and forth to doctors before being diagnosed and treated for endometriosis. Her debilitating agony every month was dismissed by her male doctor as "normal period pain"

You've mentioned "my sports" a few times. What does that entail? A punishing schedule may well be a factor.

Sorry, once again I’ve not read all the replies, just your posts. But have you had you PH levels checked? Not sure if someone has already mentioned this. But high PH levels can cause BV and underarm BO.

I would echo what others have said and say definitely visit your GP and insist on seeing someone different. It would be worth writing down the various symptoms as bullet points and showing it to them so they don't focus in on just the one aspect. I would also insist on a double appointment as you have a range of symptoms that you need to discuss.

An old work colleague of mine had a similar problem and it turned out he had type 1 diabetes and would have slipped into a diabetic coma in a matter of weeks if he hadn't gone to the doctor.

It's shit that you need to fight for proper care but unfortunately that's the way it is with the NHS in its current state. You need to advocate for yourself and don't let it lie. None of this is normal.

Here's a link which describes the various medical conditions which can cause BO problems: thompsontee.com/blog/medical-conditions-that-cause-body-odor/

Sorry to be alarmist. I usually only lurk on here but I am just so shocked at how you've been fobbed off by your GP, I had to say something - it's unacceptable.

I hope it's nothing serious but please get checked out soon.

Sorry if someone else has mentioned it but have you been tested for any allergies/intolerances? As you sound pretty healthy it may be that there’s something you’re inadvertently consuming that your body doesn’t react well to. Might be worth talking to a GP about or if you have the financial means, doing privately. There’s lots of at home tests you can do to check for allergies, often a pin prick blood sample which will then be analysed and you’ll be sent the results.

You can get prescription deodorant. Also Botox in the armpits stops sweating I believe.

This sounds far more medical than any hygiene issue.

Bad breath with health tteeth is usually tonsil stones or gut issues but they don't usually cause any of the other issues.

A guy know has botox injections for excessive sweating and his first source of help was an endocrinologist.

Go back to GP or get another one and insist on a referral. You deserve to get an answer to this.

Could be an infection in the womb, a possibility if your general hygiene is good, definitely go to the gp.

This 👆 for cleaning your body and an excellent deodorant too. All depends on if your clothes are carrying the ‘scent’ to be honest

I'd say it's a sign of food intolerance of some kind. I'd try cutting out meat and dairy

Also eat sauerkraut, miso, tofu etc, fermented foods to improve gut health

Don’t let your doctors fob you off about your periods! That is bullshit.
the body odour plus no periods could be down to a hormone imbalance.

Maybe look into a pro-metabolic diet

Try Anhydrol Forte . You have to ask the pharmacist for it but you can get it without a prescription. It's similar to DriClor.

I was your age when I was diagnosed with hyperhidrosis [producing too much sweat] . The above worked for me ever since .

Hi op. I’m not comparing you to a dog but I raw feed my dog and he never smells. He has a sister who I look after sometimes and she smells when she comes to me. I raw feed her and avoid chicken and after a day, her coat stops smelling. I don’t wash her.

Many dogs are fed commercial dog food which is full of allergens for them and they end up with smelly coats.

So I wonder if it is the same in humans ? Your intolerance or allergies to something makes you smell?

And you need to do something to bring your periods back I think.

But see a specialist because your GP is of no use!

Wash with an antibacterial to get rid of the bacteria under your armpits and prevent it from building up during the day. This is what gives the smell of BO, sweat mixed with the bacteria. Remove the bacteria, remove the BO. Hibiscrub for example.

Hi OP, I think you should get your hormone levels checked. All of them including your prolactin levels. Hope you get this sorted, you seem a lovely person.

Sorry but it's really not normal for your periods to stop unless you're on certain birth control... I can't believe your doc wouldn't be worried about that. Even if it's from being slim and playing sports it's not something to ignore.

BV can be caused by showering too much. I lived in a hot country and I showered once in the morning and once in the evening when I got home. The problem started when I started going to the gym after school and showered there after my work out. The shower gels screwed with my natural bacteria and when my friend could no longer force me to go I committed to two showers a day max, the problem went away. Don’t wash there with any soaps, water only. She’s magic and self-cleaning so no douching either!

Your GP is an idiot. Absent periods in your 20s is not normal. And one blood test can’t tell the GP what is going on with your periods or lack thereof, as the whole point of a menstrual cycle is that your hormones should fluctuate through the month and you would need several blood tests to establish whether that was happening or not.

Have you been given anything to help protect you from developing osteoporosis? Because that is a common side effect of absent periods, particularly where caused by issues to do with body weight or exercise.

As for the smell - well, you already know bad breath, fishy vaginal discharge and BO, despite good hygiene habits, is not normal. So find a competent doctor, rather than a lazy one, and ask them to help.

have you tried an antimicrobial wash like hibiscrub or octenisan?

Completely agree with @SmileyClare! @soapysoapsoap1 , did you see a female GP re your periods? I only ask as i was fobbed off for years about my very irregular periods (like 2-3 a yr max) and i finally saw a new female GP, who got me a referral and i was diagnosed as pre-PCOS. If you have fewer than 2 periods a year, in the long term, it can lead to an increase risk of ovarian cancer later in life. My doctor (hospital endocrinologist) has told me that when i finish having my family, i should go on the combined pill to reduce the risk. I see in one of your updates, you talk about seeing another / private GP so please don't let them fob you off, but also maybe do some googling about PCOS in the meantime and see if any of it applies to you. Not sure if that solves the smell issue though.

So much brilliant advice on this thread - hope you get it sorted

Ultradex mouthwash online from Amazon will stop your breath smelling instantly it's antibacterial. It's amazing. My eleven year old dd has been referred to the hospital for her breath smelling, and she also smells musty. Perfect teeth. Showers daily. Never wears anything twice. I'm really at a loss too. Very worried. It's definitely her not clothes. I'm hoping it's just puberty.

Sorry if this is rude, but do you eat a lot of fish? Some people have a weird digestive quirk where they don’t have an enzyme (?) that digests it, and they get fishy smelling urine until it’s out of their systems. I have this and so does my mum - my gran on her side did too.

I went to the GP thinking I had BV, got tests, didn’t, then realised it only ever happened after eating fish. My DP doesn’t eat fish at all so we never have it at home, and I now only ever eat it if he’s away and I know I have a day at home afterwards. I can guarantee I smell fishy for about 24 hours after if I do though.

Botox can prevent underarm sweating. Google it.

You say your periods have basically stopped, which makes me think you could have PCOS? I was misdiagnosed with it so I don't have it, but at the time I did a lot of research and some women said they had body odour that they just couldn't get rid of.