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

Go to your GP my lovely. No need to be embarrassed as they will have heard it all before and it may be a symptom of a hormone imbalance or something else that is totally treatable.

Absent periods and migraine headaches - can be caused by, eg, tumours in the pituitary gland, OP. It’s seriously negligent of a GP to tell you that your absent periods are normal at your age (in fact, worse than negligent, it’s a lie, it is not normal). You have a massive list of symptoms indicating something abnormal may be going on in your body and you need to find out why. And yellowy-green urine is not really normal - yellow, yes, green, no - so that could be linked to the fishy smell?

You’ve just responded to a post that said op is in her 20s!

@Obki - it is actually possible for someone to have a premature menopause in their 20s.

I might have missed this but are you on any medication?

Have you only seen one GP? You need to see another.

I also wonder if you’re glossing over your low weight and period loss…? It must be really low to lose your periods and I’m willing to bet that’s why your mum suggested the GP.

Are you eating a balanced diet with enough calories?

Try Asepso soap - my poor OH gets this weird, vinegary smell in the summer. I researched it, it's just to do with the specific bacteria that lives in his skin. This soap sorted it out.

Also to be on the safe side, and to not reinfect yourself from your own clothes, a scoop of Mio Fresh nappy cleanser in the laundry (for whites / stuff you're not too bothered about), or at the least Dettol, if they're clothes that are nicer, that you don't want to fade.

Just read the other comments - Asepso and Mio Fresh, along with going to the doctors.

Wow I can’t actually believe all the replies, thank you all so much.

just to answer a few questions

I’m actually not that skinny at all, and I haven’t lost weight recently I’ve always been roughly the same BMI. Im not meaning to come across like I’m boasting- I don’t think I’m particularly skinny but I don’t think I’m fat either. I don’t look skeletal I’m very much in the normal category and I most definitely have fat on my legs and tummy! I eat more than anyone else in my house haha I’m definitely eating enough calories. It’s a running joke that I’m basically a human dustbin. When I was saying I was skinny I just meant thats what the GP said could be the reason. I definitely don’t have an eating disorder and I’ve just weighed myself and checked and my BMI is actually closer to 21 now.

the period problem is longstanding (I only had a handful of periods in total over my teenage years) but until now it’s just been dismissed as puberty and my mum took me to the doctors but they told her that these things can take time to settle and normalise. But obviously I’m not going through puberty anymore, so she took me back and they said it could be thyroid problems or pcos so did a blood test and it was actually fine. That’s when they said it’s either weight, sports or just good luck! But my friends are skinnier than me and play more sports and they don’t have this problem.

and I know I just said my urine is yellowy/green but I hadn’t appreciated that’s not normal 😦 now I’m questioning whether it even is yellowy green at all! I’ll look later on and double check but I’m almost certain it is, it’s never yellowy brown it’s definitely more like a yellowish lime colour.

A couple of people have flagged up diabetes and some or your symptoms seem to align. That would be worth mentioning to your doctor.

Diabetes:
-drinking a lot of water/ increased thirst
-strong urine
-frequent fungal infection/thrush (vaginal and oral thrush)
-eating a lot but not putting on weight
-fatigue

Please be persistent with your doctor.

In the meantime, please don’t let this stop you living your life and having fun. Bear in mind that you are far more conscious of this than anyone else. Even your close friends have said it’s an occasional faint smell.
Many men smell quite strongly at various points in the day and it doesn’t stop them getting out and having relationships!
Good luck x

Not read the full thread yet, just OPs posts, but you don't say what brands you've tried other than mitcham (which is shite IMO)

Try perspi-guard if you haven't already, it's a spritz not a spray or roll on, dries quickly and genuinely lasts 2-3 days and keeps me properly dry underarm even in summer. It's a bit pricey but it lasts fairly well and worth it for one which actually works

and have you smelt the pits of your shirts after washing when they're still damp? Shirt underarms can definitely hold stink which isn't noticeable when it's dry but one you've worn it for a bit and warmed it up the smell is released!

It doesn’t matter how big or small your friends are in comparison.nor how much exercise they do. Far too often we compare bodies.and how ours should be.but yours is yours and will react and be in its own way.so they could be doing anything the same or different to you and you would react differently.

You're not on an Atkins type diet are you? I know you've said you're not underweight but from a few things you've said like not drinking alcohol, only drinking water, lots of exercise etc makes me think you like to try and live a very healthy lifestyle. I remember when Atkins was all the rage it was notorious for giving people bad breath and odd odours as people were constantly trying to keep themselves in 'ketosis'. The bv may be a symptom of overwashing due to you worrying about the bo smell?

I would try Dettol soap in the shower until you have diagnosis of some sort. That might help.

No, im not on the Atkins diet or any other specific diet for that matter, I definitely try to be healthy but I’m not obsessed and it’s mainly by default, I don’t like most other drinks apart from water and I live fruit and vegetables so I end up eating a lot of healthy food. I definitely eat a lot of unhealthy food too though (crisps, chocolate, sweets, everything!)

im not health obsessed but I try to stay healthy in moderation x

OP, you mention sports or being sporty quite a bit, are you an athlete (as opposed to say a runner or, idk, a tennis player)?

oh no I’m definitely not! I just thought saying sports would be any easy way to explain it but I’ve been a bit misleading, I’m definitely not an athlete though. I go running occasionally, I go waking a lot, and I exercise frequently (I play and lightly train for an active sport 3 ish times a week, it’s recreational and lightly competitive but not Olympics or anything like that!) but not everyday. I’ve always been sporty but I’m absolutely not an athlete. Sorry I didn’t mean to be misleading! x

Trimethylaminuria. Ask for another GP appointment and a specialist referral.

Gotcha, and no, not misleadingat all; it's just that the amenorrhoea and being an active exerciser (don't have to be an athlete as such) makes me think of something along the lines of RED-S (relative energy deficiency in sport) syndrome or LEA (low energy availability) but body odour isn't a feature, that I can see.

Echoing what others are saying in that, notwithstanding the body odour, absence of periods in a healthy, active 20-something isn't normal and another appointment, probably with another GP if pos, would be a good idea and hopefully give you some answers.

Hey there, it must be so frustrating for you having all these issues with your body and not finding a solution.
Have you been tested for Trimethylaminuria?
It is supposed to be rare and was misnomered 'fish odour syndrome ' at one point.
Sufferers smell of all sorts of things and the smell is excreted in sweat, vaginal fluids, saliva etc.
It's a metabolic disorder and you can go some way to controlling your odour by avoiding certain food and taking regular antibiotics.
It also has connection to hormones and you may find you smell worse during menstruation.( but if your periods have stopped then this is not so much of an issue).
Like others have said, see your gp and write a list of all the things you are experiencing beforehand so you can tell them or show them the list.
Best wishes to you