VAGINAL ODOUR

Millions of women all around the world suffer of vaginal odour. Would you recognize vaginal odour when it happens to you? If you notice any of the followings, then you might have vaginal odour:

• Offensive vaginal discharge that is yellowish or gray in colour
• Fishy, pungent vagina
  
  l odour of the vagina
• Stains on your panties
• Pain, itching and swelling of the vagina’s labia

If you happen to see and experience any of the above mentioned symptoms, it could be caused by inflammation or be it a bacterial vaginal infection. Before you pick up your phone to call your gynecologist for an exact diagnosis, you might want to consider what may be causing this fishy odour emanating from your vagina.

 CAUSES OF VAGINAL ODOUR

Poor Personal Hygiene

When you have bad personal hygiene, it tends to lead to a powerful vaginal odour. Be sure to wash your private region with warm water (not hot water) and use an unscented, mild soap. Keep your pubic hairs trimmed, as thick, long pubic hairs will retain moisture. This is ideal breeding ground for the bad bacteria and tends to lead to evident vaginal odour.

Medicines

There are some medications (ex. Anti-fungal ointments and creams) that are used in treating yeast infections that could also cause an odour to emanate from the vagina. The reason is that, they kill off the bacteria that caused the yeast infection.

Yeast Infection

This is one of the most infections women suffer of. This condition causes very serious burning sensations and itching, produces a thick vaginal discharge that includes a strong odour. There are several anti-fungal vaginal creams and inserts that can successfully treat this condition, many being over the counter.

Bacterial Vaginosis

The vagina itself is powerfully loaded with natural good bacteria that assist in maintaining the pH level and prevent infections. However, when the good bacteria is flushed out (ex. Douching, body wash, scented perfumes), bad bacteria can multiply and cause bacterial vaginosis.

The symptoms include:

·         Grayish white discharge

·         Bad, fish smell

 Vaginitis

Basically, this is the inflammation of the vaginal region. Many vaginal odour causes, like bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, are grouped under it. Vaginitis inflammation may also be as a result of a sexually transmitted disease.

 STDs

There are several sexual transmitted diseases (ex. Gonorrhoea, syphilis, Chlamydia, genital herpes, AIDS, Trichomonas vaginalis, candidiasis) that cause vaginal infections and the odour. Common STDs symptoms include burning sensations and stomach pains (lower abdominal pain) during sexual intercourse and urination, swelling and bad smelling vaginal discharge. Condoms can help keep the spread of gonorrhoea and Chlamydia down. However, other STDs such as genital herpes can still be spread even if you are practicing safe sex.

Cervical cancer

The symptoms of cervical cancer are typically hidden under the guise of PMS (premenstrual symptoms):

·         Abnormal heavy discharge (water or milky and thick)

·         Dysuria (pain during urination)

·         Unusual bleeding

Every woman is different, so the symptoms of cervical cancer will vary from every woman. It’s possible that cervical cancer would not be discovered until the disease has become advanced.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

 Commonly called PID, this disease might cause little to no symptoms in the beginning, only rearing their head weeks afterwards. The common symptoms of PID are:

·         Vaginal discharge

·         Vaginal odour

·         Stomach pain

Abnormal bleeding can be a factor for PID. Women who don’t treat their PID can suffer with fertility and pregnancy issues down the road.

Other Causes

There are other reasons why you might have vaginal odor such as using certain chemicals like antibacterial soaps or scented body washes, wearing tight clothing, douching or excessively washing the region. These practices can irritate your private region and cause the vaginal odour. If you eat a lot of spicy foods, it will also affect the vagina’s smell

Millions of women all around the world suffer of vaginal odour. Would you recognize vaginal odour when it happens to you? If you notice any of the followings, then you might have vaginal odour:

• Offensive vaginal discharge that is yellowish or gray in colour
• Fishy, pungent vaginal odour of the vagina
• Stains on your panties
• Pain, itching and swelling of the vagina’s labia

If you happen to see and experience any of the above mentioned symptoms, it could be caused by inflammation or be it a bacterial vaginal infection. Before you pick up your phone to call your gynecologist for an exact diagnosis, you might want to consider what may be causing this fishy odour emanating from your vagina.