BV - but without the fishy smell?

[TresInquiete]

Good evening,

NC for this as it’s an embarrassing one.

I am sick with worry! For the last 5 days I have been suffering with extreme, watery discharge. Color is an undefinable pale brown grey. I am going through 2-3 pads a day, and am generally feeling a little unwell - a bit like a mix of being on my period (mild lower back and groin pain, my typical symptoms), and sort of like I am getting the flu (joint pains etc… but no fever).

My period ended around 2-3 days before this started. I have/had no unusual bleeding or spotting, nor pain during intercourse, and also no itching or burning. My last smear was 6 months ago, and all clear.

My first googling straight away led me to Bacterial Vaginosis. However - and this is the main source for my concern - I do NOT have the seemingly typical tell-tale fishy smell associated with BV. The smell is rather foul/rotten - albeit not overly strong or overpowering. And this is what has me worried sick that it might be Cervical Cancer!

The question has come up if a tampon was forgotten, but I highly doubt it. I don’t use them a lot as I dislike them and generally can’t wait to remove them again. I also tried looking for a string but couldn’t find one.

Now before anyone says “you need to see your GP” etc - I know that! I had a virtual appointment this morning, and have my referral letter to see a gynecologist hopefully in the next couple of days!

But whilst I await that - can anyone talk me down please? I can’t handle another sleepless night. Has anyone ever experienced BV without the fishy smell? Is that possible?

I am 40 years old and married, with no reason to believe my husband is being unfaithful in case that matters.

Thanks in advance.

Hopeful bump? 😳

Could still be BV, I once had it with no symptoms at all, only discovered by a swab when I had medical treatment for a missed miscarriage. If you’re up to date with your smears it’s less likely to be anything sinister, and your other symptoms do sound more like infection. If you’re really stressing yourself out you should be able to pick up a Canesten home swab kit from a pharmacy (maybe even supermarket?) tomorrow.

I had BV without the fishy smell.
I didn't really have any symptoms except clear watery discharge, it was picked up on a swab during fertility investigations.

BV would not make you feel systemically unwell

Thank you Sunbird24 - I was thinking about that, but if the self test came back negative I would literally get a nervous breakdown. I’d rather have an expert to talk to straight away, in case it’s not BV if that makes sense. Gosh, I have never before longed for a stinking, fishy vagina.

Have you left a tampon in?

@AnyFucker - I am not actually 100% the two are related as my youngest was quite ill with fever and a cough last week, so I might have picked sth up from him as well.

@Suzi888 as mentioned in my OP, I doubt it very much but cannot rule it out completely of course. But surely I’d feel the string if I searched for it?

I had similar symptoms and it turned out to be cervical polyps. I had them removed and it cured it.

@fairgame84 thanks - the thing is I do have a very obvious, foul discharge. Just the smell is wrong. Gosh I am so worried now.

I’ve went down the google rabbit hole and heard of so many women you had cervical cancer despite clear smears. Honestly freaking out.

@AnyFucker oh interesting. Need to read up on that. So you had foul smelling discharge (and a lot of it) as a result?

Happened to a work colleague- she became very unwell. She smelt bad, her husband could smell it. She thought she hadn’t left anything in there, but she had. It took some time to retrieve, I would have a serious rummage if I were you. Please don’t leave it.

It wasn’t foul smelling but it was constant thin greyish discharge that chafed and made me very sore and miserable

Thank you! I will definitely speak to the gynecologist about this possibility. But my feeling is I would be much worse by now (fever etc) and the symptoms would be getting worse rather than staying the same. Honestly I hope it’s that!

NHS - If you forget to remove your tampon (for example, at the end of your period), it can become compressed at the top of your vagina.

This can make it difficult for you to feel the tampon or pull it out.

Don't panic if a tampon gets stuck inside you. It's not possible for a tampon to get lost inside you and it'll stay in your vagina after you have inserted it.

Try using your fingers to grab the string of the tampon or the tampon itself.

If you still can't get the tampon out, go to your GP practice or nearest sexual health clinic as soon as possible. Healthcare staff will be able to remove it for you.

I don’t think cervical cancer presents like this, love. It sounds like an infection or an erosion or something like polyps.

Sounds miserable! Well my smell is not overbearing - I need to get quite close to smell it. So could maybe be a possibility.

Literally just made me feel tons better!!! Thank you 🖤

Run a warm bath and soak in it for a while. Then squat low and bear down hard. Everything down there should be softened and if you rummage as high up as possible you feel a tampon if there is one there.

She felt unwell but still coming in to work etc, dealing with her children, carrying on, no fever, she just felt yuck and stank! She tried thrush treatment, natural yogurt etc I think it was in about 3/4 weeks.
Your body OP, only you really know- just don’t leave it as it’s definitely not right.

When something is getting you down (and something like this will) you may be catastrophising any smell.

Any abnormal (for you) discharge will pong a bit, especially if you are hyper vigilant.

I had BV, self test was negative, doctors swab was positive so still a possibility

@Suzi888 holy sh*t - 3/4 weeks??? No fever? Ok definitely sounding more like a possibility now. For the first time in my 40 years on this planet, I did have a moment during my last period where I thought I’d needed to remove a tampon but then couldn’t find the string. Thought it was weird I couldn’t remember removing it but moved on quite quickly. Now thinking maybe this is a possibility.

Could be Trichomoniasis Vaginalis OP. Easily treated with antibiotics 🤗

Googling now…