girls only please help me?

Question

I have a strange smell from my intimate place, i am a very clean person and am in no pain. Its kind of musty and started a few weeks ago but bathing etc has not gotten rid of it. Can anyone tell me what it might be please?

Answer 1

There should not be a bad smell from your vagina, even after menstruation; as long as your vagina is clean and healthy there is no reason to do anything to it as your vagina is self-cleaning so it takes care of itself. A lot of women are brain-washed socially into thinking that their vaginas smell bad, this is not the case, if you do in fact have a bad smell then you should see a doctor to get it tested and treated - it is important to get tested if you do not know what it is, it could be a simple infection but it could also be an STD.

It may be that you have bacterial vaginosis; this is a common vaginal infection but can be difficult to deal with because it is not just a case of treating the infection but also making sure there is a normal healthy bacterial balance again. Bacterial vaginosis is when anaerobes [bad bacteria] take over from lactobacilli [good bacteria], the symptoms are a bad smell similar to fish, excessive discharge, runny discharge, grey coloured discharge, but these symptoms are not always present. Treatment normally comes in the form of antibiotics, best avoided as they can trigger of yeast infections, or with pills or creams depending on what your doctor feels is best. Do not leave it untreated because if left untreated it can cause serious vaginal health problems.

Bacterial vaginosis can be helped by a few home treatments;
Put tea tree oil in the vagina, this may tingle a bit, to help kill off 'bad' bacteria. Put plain live pro-biotic yogurt into your vagina at night and washing out the next morning, this will not deal with the infection but will help introduce a healthy balance. Use boric acid in 00 sized capsules, put into the vagina once a day for a week, this will kill off the 'bad' bacteria, although it may cause some discomfort, if this is too uncomfortable for you then remove and consult a doctor.

Some information on bacterial vaginosis;
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/vaginosis/a/bacterialvagin.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/std/BV/STDFact-Bacterial-Vaginosis.htm

If you use tampons then this will also cause infections because tampons prevent normal vaginal cleaning functions, keep blood in the vagina where the tampon can give bacteria the perfect place to multiply, dry out the mucosa causing vaginal splitting and in the case of commercial tampons contain chemicals that can effect vaginal pH. Some pads such as commercial pads can also cause infections because the synthetics prevent aeration of the vulva meaning yeast naturally present can overgrow in the warm moist environment, commercial pads also contain chemicals that can again, effect the natural pH. If you use pads I would recommend switching to organic pads, cloth pads, homemade pads or padded panties, if you use tampons I would recommend you switch to organic tampons, sponge tampons, homemade tampons, or better still switch to menstrual cups or softcups, these are internal like tampons but a lot safer and more hygienic.

http://www.natracare.com - Organic tampons and pads.
http://www.lunapads.com - Cloth pads and padded panties.
http://www.divacup.com - Silicone menstrual cups.
http://www.keeper.com - Rubber menstrual cups.
http://www.softcup.com - Softcups.

Your vagina is very good at taking care of itself, it is self-cleaning so does not require soap to wash with, in fact as soaps and washes can effect vaginal pH these will be more likely to cause pH imbalance that will lead to infections, in turn infections will make you smell bad. Feminine washes are no different, they too can cause infections, and they are simply marketed to play on women's insecurities about their vagina and the way in which their vagina smells.

Do not douche, this is harmful not only because of the effect on vaginal pH but also because it washes away the discharge that helps keep your vagina clean and the mucosa of the vagina moist so to avoid vaginal splitting, douching will also push harmful bacteria further up into the vagina that can create serious vaginal health problems – it has also been shown that douching increases susceptibility to STD's.

Dangers of douching - http://www.thebody.com/tpan/septoct_00/douching.html

To summarise;

Do not douche
Do not use soap
Do not use tampons
Avoid commercial pads
See a doctor

Answer 2

To me, it sounds a bit like a yeast infection. But most yeast infections irritate the skin and you would be itchy down there. My next question is, are you sexually active??? If so, you may have come in contact with an infected person, and have an STD. If you gave more details, it would be easier to determine. But a musty smell sound like Chlamydia. ( Which is curable...no worries) I would advise you go see a doctor IMMEDIATELY. If you do in fact have an STD, you need to get it treated. An untreated STD can cause major problems. For example, Chlamydia has been linked to cervical cancer if untreated. If you don't know, go get it checked. Be smart, play it safe, because you never know. And, I'm not a doctor.... We can only GUESS what you have. A doc can tell you what you need to know.

Answer 3

It sounds like it might be bacterial vaginosis (BV). Is the smell particularly strong after intercourse and/or is the smell fishy? It isn't much to worry about or be embarrassed about. It is easily treatable with anti-biotics. Many women get it at some point in their lives. BV is associated with an imbalance in the bacteria that are normally found in a woman's vagina. The vagina normally contains mostly "good" bacteria, and fewer "harmful" bacteria. BV develops when there is an increase in harmful bacteria! It may also be possible that if you are using soap to wash inside your vagina (as some women do due to religious reasons) it could be making the problem worse as you will be washing away the "good bacteria".

Having said all this it is not for definate that you do have BV and the only way to be sure is to go to your GP and get it checked out.

Hope this helps

Answer 4

It sounds like cases of bacterial vaginosis- a very common infection resulting in an imbalance of bacteria, no particular reason- it just happens. It's not an STD and it's not the same as thrush so Canesten won't do anything. It's is easily treated with antibiotics but you will need to go see your GP.

My friend is a nurse in a gynae clinic and she sees it all the time, women come in just saying there's a strange smell, sometimes a little itching and that's it. Don't worry, just go to the doctor and it will be sorted in no time.

Answer 5

My best guess would be some kind of infection. Do you have any other symptoms, for example discharge or itchiness..
Best advice would be go to see you local nurse, she will be able to take swabs and have an answer for you in a few days.

For infections like thrush, (which can be caused by taking a course of antibiotics as it decreases thae natural bacteria usually there to fight it), a salt water bath might help, OR and I know this sounds a little unorthodox, smearing natural yoghurt around the area could help as it replaces some of the natural good bacteria..

Answer 6

I think it may e possible if you use them of course,that you may have a tampon still inside you.(or a condom possibly) This can happen very easily.The smell will not go away with all the washing in the world.
If you can insert your fingers inside yourself,(the best place to try this would be in the bath)and see if you can feel anything inside.If so try and get it out yourself.If not I'm afraid you will have to make an appointment to see the nurse at our doctors surgery.Don't be embarassed though,it happens to lots of women.

Answer 7

You probably have some type of infection. This doesn't mean you are not a clean person. Sometimes they just happen-yeast infections, etc. You could also have bacterial vaginosis. You should see a doctor and they will give you medication to clear it up.

Answer 8

Possibly one of two things, a) yeast infection b) unprotected sex resulting in std.
You would be best to visit your gp or go to std department at local hospital. If you want to try home remedies for a)yeast infection do not use soap in that area, natural yoghurt can improve any ''imbalance''. However, as it is impossible to tell which one is the problem - get medical advice.

Answer 9

More than likely an infection, which is quite normal for women to get multiple times in their life. Just go to the doctor and they can diagnosis it and get you the help you might need. And sometimes, some people just have a predisposition to having "smells".

Answer 10

Well you may have vaginitis......like a yeast infection or other type........I would suggest an exam but if you want to give it more time try showering and if you must bath use apple cider vinegar in bath.....restores ph levels down there .......and also start taking cranberry capsules for urinary tract........also remem you are what you eat.........if you eat pineapple you can smeel sweet etc.........maybe it is also what you are eating drinking.....how this helps