Musty smell

[jessielou1]

I've been on HRT patches for around 12 months . Just recently my vagina is smelling so musty it's just awful .
Has anyone else experienced this please x

Yes. Sorry to ask but do you have slight incontinence? I ask because I do and I was told the smell was due to micro- leakage so you may have the same issue. Its definitely worth speaking to your doctor. I'm sure it's nothing serious but I do understand it messes with confidence.

No I have no incontinence issues thankfully but I'm always sore and itchy around the area too .
Visits to the doc on previous occasions have only resulted in being given Canestan which doesn't help

I would push doctor for more test you may have vaginosis or an allergy.

Lichen sclerosis? That can cause itching and odour (or pain, white patches & a whole host of other symptoms)

I've no answers but also have noticed I have more of an odour.

I shower daily. Had my cervix and uterus removed several years ago and basically the top of my vagina sewed up. I use pessaries twice a week (can't think what they're called but they are in a blue stick) and I'm convinced I'm more smelly down there!

Fecking menopause!!

What do people wash with ? I know soap and shower gel is not good but how can u feel clean with just water 🤷🏽‍♀️

If you are sore and itchy, after excluding any other issue, I'd ask to use oestrogen cream and maybe pessaries there.

There's also a cooling gel I use that helps the itching (mostly aloe Vera) which I'll try to find the name of too.

My GP prescribed Dermol 500 and said ‘nothing below the waist that bubbles’

If you want something more than water to clean with, maybe a 0% soap wash, I think Sanex do one. Not for internal use, but to freshen up around the vagina

Being a bit tongue in cheek, how can you smell yourself down there? :)

Is it your underwear that whiffs?

Has your GP done swabs and checked for BV?

@JinglingHellsBells I can smell it when I go to the toilet, I'm partially deaf and have a very good sense of smell (put it down to the deafness don't know why).

I use soap, always have. Perhaps that's the problem. I might try this week just with water and see what happens.

Definitely leave off the soap.
Go back to a different gp if it persists.
Are you washing your pants in water hot enough to kill bacteria?

If you are sore and itchy it's probably either or both of these

1 washing too energetically with soap (drs say don't use soap, just water.)

2 You have vaginal atrophy so need some estrogen cream (Ovestin) to apply externally on the sore bits.

I think the soap and shower gel could be my problem . Naturally if you feel unclean instinctively you feel the need to was more so it's a vicious circle .

Interestingly I didn't use soap yesterday and things were better so I'm avoiding soap around my vulva area and I'll see how it goes.

Yes no soap. There’s a moisturising cream thing my friend was given as she too was told no bubbles. It’s a bastard this peri menopause malarkey isn’t it, one unexpected thing after another

I had this - a kind of mouldy smell, but it sorted itself out within a week of starting HRT though.

I'm on HRT patches and if anything mine has got worse tbh .