So... what odors are "normal"?

This is SO. embarrassing.

I know this can probably vary from woman to woman, but I was just wondering what constitutes a "normal" smell from "down there" and what is too strong, or strange... I just feel really self-conscious because I feel like I kinda smell bad. Really... bad. And I worry other people can tell.

*dies of embarrassment*

kinda depends on if its associated with other things. you should start paying attention to the kinds of secretions there are and how they change over the period of your cycle. smells and secretions are going to change over the course of a month so its important to know your own body depending on what time of the month it is. and, like you said, everyone is different. if you start noticing really thick, white or yellowy secretions or you notice that you are really itchy that might indicate a yeast infection. i dont know how old you are but girls in their 20s and 30s can develop yeast infections for practically no reason. (i learned that the hard way when i got one!) and it was even MORE embarrassing for me bc my BOYFRIEND had to point it out to me! I had no clue what to look for so I had to hear from him that I had something going on.

so if you see that you have more than just the smell i would see a doctor. its a really quick check to see if you have one and the medication for it is just 1 pill and its gone. im not sure if otc treatments work as well seeing as ive never used them but if you think something might be wrong you should get it checked out.

hope this helps! and don't be embarrassed! we all have those questions.

Yes, every woman does have a scent about her that is her own.... and we all share that not so fresh some what fishy smell at one time or another, but as long as it is not strong as far as offensive goes or sour/foul smelling - all should be fine.

So, I have my own question about yeast infections... As Saluki said, they sometimes just randomly occur for no reason, but do they also get better on their own? I assume that medication would be much faster and not as annoying to deal with, but I was just curious if your body naturally took care of them itself if there is no medication present...

well yeast is naturally occuring in your body and what happens is that your natural defenses get lowered and the yeast kind of takes over and grows in too high of quantities. thats why its so easy to get them if youre on antibiotics. the antibiotics also kill off your own naturally occuring bacteria which keeps the yeast in check. so, naturally, like anything else, once your body's defenses get high enough and, if you clean it regularly (NOT DOUCHE!!) i will get better on its own. but like anything else, that also means that, if you don't nip it in the bud, it could get to the point where it wont clear up on its own. just like a UTI or any other infection.

i know that ive felt the onset of them and just made sure to clean very well and in a few days its gone but thats when ive gotten to it before it could get bad. im not sure if yeast infections can get to that point or not, im sure they can. so if you think its past the point of no return id go to a doctor. but if its not unbareable and you can tough it out for a few days to see if just soap and water works then go for it.

and i really can't stress this enough - do not douche! all this does is throw off your body's natural pH and make it easier to get a yeast infection. it's not good for you and its not medically required.

Agreed! NO DOUCHING!

Okay, douching is out (I absolutely hate that word, it even sounds nasty!) but is there a way, besides being really cleanly, to mitigate unwanted smells? Like... a product, or a special soap, or something? I heard about this stuff called "repHresh," but I don't know if it works or not. o.O The website is pretty convincing, but I dunno...

i don't really trust any kind of gel or anything like that. everyone's body is different so you never know what something will do until you try it. but the way i figure is that stuff like that, eventually you have to use it all the time. i think the best plan of action is to just get the area cleaned and keep it that way. artificial stuff like gels are only a temporary fix and you want to fix the problem, not the symptoms. and if the problem is not being clean then all youre really doing is getting rid of the smell, not actually cleaning it. and i would talk to a doctor before using any otc products like that. websites are made to be convincing and you can make numbers go any way you want. only the obgyn knows what really goes on with products like that. and im sure, if all you want to know is if a product works, you can just call and ask instead of making an appt.

Vagisil Anti-Itch Medicated Wipes Odor Blocking Formula. I keep a box of individually wrapped ones, they're so relieving and feel/smell much fresher.

You might also research foods that affect vaginal odor. I don't know if they do, but you might find some info that will help. Here's a few links:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Vagina-Hea...alth&id=236846
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...8114633AAciGXr
http://www.wdxcyber.com/nvulva07.htm
http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/...inal-odor.html

thats a good point maven. it would only make sense because i know that foods effect a guy's taste and smell (if you get my drift) so its possible that it could effect women also. good thinkin!

I wonder if we can taste like chocolate?

I have heard a lot of dairy can change the smell/taste. I think a nurse told me that once, along with that plain yogurt can cure yeast infections.

The things you pick-up camping in the interior... haha.

If it smells like beer or bread- if it smells yeasty- then you could have a yeast infection. I could be mistaken, but I think it can also smell sour. And I have also heard it can smell "musty"- NOT musky, which can be perfectly normal, but musty. Yeast infections often don't cause detectable odor, however. If it smells like fish, it could be bacterial vaginosis or Trichomoniasis. I have also seen Trichomoniasis listed simply as causing a strong odor. Certain foods do alter scent of the discharge and scent of the urine. Asparagus for one. Asparagus is said to make urine smell funny, but let me tell you, it makes discharge smell funny, too. I like asparagus, but it makes me smell like I have garden fresh deli down there. It's not a bad smell.....but I don't know that I particularly like my vulva/vagina smelling that way. It's sort of an herbal scent or a produce smell. If your vulva smells of urine, it's prob. a urinary issue. If you know you are wiping well and not leaking, consider if your urine has a strong scent. If it does, maybe that smell is lingering on your vulva. Maybe consider the possibility of a urinary infection of some sort- or again, foods can affect this. Also, certain vitamins and medications can alter urine's scent. Sweat could be the issue. You may be sweating an unusual amount, known as hyperhidrosis. I did a websearch to see if I could find something else, and I want to quote vagisil's site, so here's the link: http://www.vagisil.com/stewart_article.shtml
Anyway, here's the quote: "…Loss of urine (incontinence) can be another source of odor, as bacteria act on even small amounts of urine in the underwear. Sometimes a woman may be losing urine in small quantities without even being aware of it. To check, a clinician can give a substance that colors the urine orange (Pyridium); then the woman can see if there are orange stains on a pad that she wears after taking the medication." That goes back to the urine issue. Anyway, they also mention retained tampons (if you forgot to remove one and it's been in there for awhile- and it does happen).

Cotton underwear is a good idea, because it lets your genitalia "breathe"- air out, in other words. And it also keeps it from being as hot and sweaty. Also, you might want to avoid clothing that is tight in the crotch area. Not to be too personal, but sleeping without underwear at night, isn't necessarily a bad idea. If you feel you need to wash it more than once a day, don't use anything harsh. This will irritate the vulva, and could lead to infections which can lead to smell. Also, not to be too personal, but consider the........discharge's appearance. If it starts to get really thick and lumpy (turning into a cottage cheese look), it's prob. a yeast infection. A thick, milky white discharge is normal at certain points in a woman's cycle, so there's no reason to be alarmed if you see this, unless you have other symptoms, as well. However, if the yeast infection has gotten bad enough that it literally looks chunky like the cottage cheese, yeah, you can assume you have a yeast infection. Yeast infections can make you itch, burn, feel raw, get redder than usual in that area, and feel sore and irriated. If you have a bad yeast infection, you will know it. Yeast infections may also be lightly yellow, I think, and may leave stains in your underwear.

Bacterial vaginosis, also known as BV (the fishy smelling one) can cause green discharge. Actually, after doing a websearch I see this one site says, "A white, curdlike discharge that looks like cottage cheese is a classic sign of yeast infection. Yellow, green or gray discharge is usually a sign of trichomonas or bacterial vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis also has an unusual, fishy odor.[1] Gonorrhea and chlamydia usually don't cause any symptoms at all. In some cases they present as a new vaginal discharge accompanied by fever, abdominal pain or pain during intercourse.

Itching is usually most noticeable with a yeast infection, though it may occur with any type of infection or irritation......"

So, any of these MAY cause itching, but esp. the yeast infection. Yeast infections are normally white, but can be lightly yellow. Yellow, grey, and green indivate trich or bv.

That site is here: http://www.doctorslounge.com/gynecology/forums/backup/topic-10613.html

If you hate the idea of seeing a gyn, you can buy kits now that let you test for some common bacterial infections.

Vagisil has a screening kit (click the link below- you may also be able to find one somewhere near you in a local store). It tests for yeast infections, and I believe other vaginal infections
http://www.amazon.com/Vagisil-Screening-Women-Vaginal-Infections/dp/B000ZIYXW8/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_1

Synova has a bv test:

http://www.amazon.com/Synova-Healthcare-Fem-v-Vaginal-Infection/dp/B0015TGOCS%3FSubscriptionId%3D14H876SFAKFS0EHBYQ02%26tag%3Dwwwcompuknowc-20%26linkCode%3Dsp1%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0015TGOCS

Also you will find other tests on amazon and possibly at a store near you and I'm sure, elsewhere online.

Monistat has an vaginal anti-fungal medication. See here:

http://www.amazon.com/Monistat-Vaginal-Antifungal-Treatment-Combination/dp/B0009Q634M/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_3

But I don't know if it trests bv or not.

Monistat does have yest infection medicines and I recommend them. I personally like the one dose kind because hey, it's one dose. It's a cream, and I prefer the internal kind because I hate the way it feels to put it on the outside. It feels like I have panties full of thick ick. But I know at least some of them come with external and internal cream and you can use the internal for healing and the external for temporary relief. If it isn't hurting or itching too badly, I prefer not to use the external at all because it feels so uncomfortable. You can use it at bedtime, and go to sleep while it works. Some of it will come out, and in the morning, you will have ick in your underwear, BUT at least you don't have to wear the ick for 24 hours while conscious. Part of it is when you are asleep. The lady I got on the phone said not to wash the ick off. Not for 24 hours. So, I use it at night, sleep, and the next day, have to wear the crud until it is the same time that night that I inserted it the first night. Then I wash it off. You can wash right before using it if you are worried about that. I think they prob. have external creams if you prefer those. Anyway, the one day kind doesn't cure you in a day, but it's one dose (meaning only one day with goop in my drawers), and it starts working QUICKLY. I usually feel somewhat better during this one day. I love it better than those pills the doctors give you. I thought I would prefer the pills- minus the doctor visit- because it means no goop, but those don't work for me and if they do, they do so too slowly. However, monistat yeast medication works for candida yeast- the most common form. It won't work on all forms of yeast. Search the web for it if you like (since I'm not posting a link with this one) OR search your local store. They sell it at Walmart, and I would guess places like rite aid and the dollar store. If you get the insertable kind, they have it in pure cream, or they have it in an egg type thing. Pick your preference- I just wanted you to know your options.

One note on yogurt for yeast infections. I am NOT a doctor, just to get that said, but I think it was on THE DOCTORS (which I don't like, but that doesn't mean they're not right much or at least some of the time) where they said DON'T put it in your vagina, despite that being advised by some people. EAT IT only.