Do you belong to that group of women that no matter how well they take care of their vaginal hygiene it still smells bad?
There are several reasons for this, and a few ways to deal with this problem. The most important thing is to find the cause, and you will know how to treat this problem.
“Unfortunately, there are not enough studies and researches that deal with the problem of vaginal odor, nor is it explained exactly which smell is considered to be normal, and which is not,” says Rahiv Gala, a professor from the department of gynecology at the medical school in New Orleans. However, you should know that if you notice a very strong smell, chances are that infection is probably the cause of your problem. Also, you should know that some infections cause unpleasant vaginal odor, and some do not.
Bacterial vaginosis – excessive bacteria growth in the vagina – which releases a strong smell, alike the smell of fish. The same odor is produced by trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease caused by the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis.
But, in about a third of women who have a vaginal odor, the cause is some kind of infection – writes Huffington Post.
“Chronic constipation, excessive sweating, poor hygiene and urine on your underwear can cause unpleasant odor,” explains Gala and adds that wearing tight clothing can cause an unpleasant odor as well, and this is because the sweat and bacteria remain trapped on the skin.
Also, the cause may be excessive weight: if there is excess skin, in those places sweat becomes trapped and causes unpleasant odor.
Vaginal odor can vary during the menstrual cycle. Also, it often happens that women while exercising can face a problem with urinary incontinence, while wearing pads at this point can cause unwanted odor.
If a woman is concerned about vaginal odor, she should see a doctor to find the cause of the problem through routine tests and to find out if the problem can be resolved without therapy.
On the other hand, if the cause of the smell is infection, patients will need to take antibiotics or other undergo some treatment to eliminate the cause of odor.
“If you want to prevent this unwanted odor you need to wear cotton underwear and to regularly change it as well, and avoid clothing that is too tight,” advises Gala. Weight Loss will also help if the cause of the problem is excess skin around the vaginal area.
While you might fall into the temptation to buy a product that would mask the odor of the vagina, Rahiv Gala advises not to do it, because from such products you have no medical benefits:
“They can offer you a short-term solution and relief, but there are indications that they actually increase the risk of Bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, and pelvis inflammation” says Gala.
