I have an embarrassing issue - crotch/clothes smell bad

[SummersBreeze]

Every day when I go to the toilet and pull down my pants, I can get a whiff from the crotch of my knickers/pants. Then at the end of each day when I change out of Mt clothes, I can smell it and it smells bad. I don't know how to describe the smell.

When I was younger I was able to wear the same pair of trousers for 2 or 3 days. Now I have to wear clean trousers every day and even then I do probably do with changing during the day.

It's awful.

I went to the local church mass yesterday. I sat two rows behind the old head mistress of my school. She used to smell bad in school. Like some BO issue. Every time the mass had the mass goers stand/kneel, I was able to smell something bad. I thought it was the teacher I was smelling. Now I am not too sure if it was me.

This is so embarrassing.

I am wiping myself after going to the toilet.

The staining in my underwear is a dark yellow. I wear cotton underwear. My trousers are usually cotton but sometimes viscose. Even when I wear shorts or a dress for airflow, there can still be a bad smell.

I haven't been to the doctor about this.

It does sound like you have some sort of infection. The GP will do a quick swab and prescribe something.

The Tena Lights liners are good.

Is it a fishy smell

It isn't a fishy smell. I think it's more of a strong musky smell.

Do these Tena liners stick?

I'd bet it's bacterial vaginosis too. I had a private test which picked it up and had a single dose of an antibiotic which fixed it. It is not necessarily an embarrassing cause, it's just something that happens.

Can I urge you really really strongly to go either to your GP or to a GUM clinic and get seen? This is almost certainly fixable and you are wasting an enormous amount of time worrying about something when professional help is available. If it's too embarrassing to ask about, write the question down and hand him the piece of paper.

Them not him. Autocorrect...

THIS! Go to Boots, get some Balance Activ gel and see if it helps.

@SummersBreeze when i suggested diet there are certain foods and spices that can lead to different body odors, lots of garlic or lots of curry spice for instance. grapefruit is known to change the smell and taste of semen for example. you might have to pay attention and see if there is a variation in smell based on meal's you've had the day before type experiment.

I think you have some kind of infection, please go and see a doctor as soon as you can. It sounds miserable to live this way but does not sound like something that cannot be fixed.

I have had exactly this since I was a teenager. I’m 46 now. I have been to the GP several times and tested for various things. Eventually I tried a vaginal wash and deodorant and it stopped. i was once flamed on mumsnet for saying I used vaginal deodorant, but it has changed my life.

Get ones with wings. They stick

but seriously, go to GP - you’ll have to cope with your embarrassment. No one on here can diagnose and shouldn’t.
Peri menopause does increase chances of all sorts of gynae and urology issues due to changes in hormone balances in the skin and membranes of vulva vagina etc. it is so common. GPs see it all the time. But you need to get on top of it as if you’re susceptible peri menopausally it’ll not go away long term without treatment.

Do you find it is worse some times of the month or form month to month? I get a skin infection in one particular area based on my hormonal cycling even now and I’ve been peri menopausal for years - that and now have interstitial cystitis. It is a bumer they don’t tell you about in sexy education- that’ll you’ll reach 50 something and have to live with your own set of frequent infections .

Bacterial Vaginosis?

How old are you op? Could you be peri menopausal?

Canestan do a BV gel too, worth a try.

If you get it checked out it would be great if you could update with what it is.

Please read the OP, she said that she hasn't been to the doctor. She's not asking for a diagnosis, she's asking about people's experiences with the same issue. She wants advice. Comments like yours is so unnecessary.

The Canestan BV tests are available from Boots, etc, they change colour if you are positive and you can then buy pessaries to restore the PH balance. If this doesnt work the GP can prescribe antibiotics which should clear it up in no time.