Are you worried about your Vaginal Odour?

Vaginal Odour

A strong or unpleasant vaginal odour

Ordinarily a healthy vagina should have a naturally mild odour or no discernible odour whatsoever but sometimes you may develop a problem that can unbalance the body’s natural rhythm. A strong or unpleasant odour, often fishy, emanating from the vagina is usually a sign of an undiagnosed, underlying health condition particularly when accompanied by additional symptoms, like itching, burning, irritation, or abnormal discharge.

What can you do at home?

Vaginal odour is an unpleasant problem to experience but it is very common and unless accompanied by other symptoms it is usually not serious and can be easily treated with a short course of antibiotics. It is important that you do not attempt to flush out the odour by washing the interior of the vagina or use perfumed deodorant to mask the smell, as this can often cause the odour to worsen and additional vaginal irritation to occur. The advice below may help you avoid this problem in future or manage current symptoms.

Avoid using perfumed soaps and gels on your vagina. Instead using mild unscented soaps or clean water
Wash regularly and always wear clean underwear
Practice safe sex with condoms
If you are sexually active, visit your local sexual health clinic regularly.

You should also seek further medical attention if you experience any of the following:

In most cases vaginal odour can be explained by a mild and non-serious condition that will be easily treated. Unfortunately, sometimes vaginal odour can be a sign of a more serious condition particularly if you have noticed it is accompanied by other symptoms like vaginal itching or soreness, burning sensation during urination, blisters or sores on the genital area or changes to the colour, odour, or texture of the vaginal discharge. If you are experiencing any of these additional symptoms it is important that you contact your doctor immediately for a consultation. It is possible that your symptoms may reveal the possibility of a sexually transmitted disease like gonorrhoea, genital herpes, or chlamydia and in rare cases, it could be a sign of cervical cancer. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms below it is recommended that you consult your doctor as sexually transmitted diseases are highly contagious and if left untreated can cause serious complications like infertility. If you have any of the symptoms listed below you should contact a doctor regarding your symptoms.

If you have experienced vaginal odour in addition to other symptoms like, abnormal discharge, vaginal bleeding, genital sores or blisters, burning sensation when urinating, itching or soreness.
If you are sexually active and have had sex with multiple partners, particularly unprotected sex.
You have already tried over the counter medicines and your problem has persisted
It is affecting your quality of life