How do I get rid of smell from my vagina after a period?

Answer 1

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Douching can cause UTIs and/or yeast infections (I forget which).

Answer 2

DO NOT DOUCHE. Douching can get you infected; it introduces bacteria into your body that's not supposed to be there and upsets the delicate pH balance of your vagina's insides. It's an unhealthy practice and upsetting that so many women do that.

Soap and water works externally; you may want to use Summer Eve or another product especially made for down there. Also, putting a little powder in your panties may help. Don't put anything IN your vagina though -- contrary to popular belief, your vagina cleans itself out, and you don't need to put anything in it to do that.

Lastly, this is not a sick question, so don't feel ashamed. People need to get over themselves and realize that a vagina is just a body part like an arm or a leg or something. Damn people, grow up.

Answer 3

You may want to see your OB/GYN it could be a bacterial infection cause by your hormones. Its called Bacterial Vaginosis.
Here are some of the details: Bacterial vaginosis is an abnormal vaginal condition that is characterized by vaginal discharge resulting from an overgrowth of normal bacteria in the vagina. Although it may cause some disturbing symptoms (discharge and odor), it is not dangerous and cannot be passed by sex. Diagnosis becomes important to exclude serious infections like gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Many treatment options are available such as oral antibiotics and vaginal

Answer 4

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 and that menstruation is smelly and dirty, 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.

A bad smell is a symptom of a vaginal infection, these can be more common during or after menstruation because menstrual blood is a different pH to your vagina's normal environment, if the pH of your vagina is already a little off then menstruation can further push that problem, and when the ph is effect the normal bacterial balance is in turn effected leading to infections.

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 5

Proper hygiene will take care of most of it. Drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated.

I'm personally a bit iffy on douches... I've heard too many horror stories and my OBGYN has never recommended them.

If it's a truly nasty smell, it could be a sign of something that need medical attention.

Answer 6

Try taking a bath with epsom salts added. Maintain a healthy diet and avoid spicy food. Don't dooche as this kills off the vaginas natural bacteria.

Answer 7

Yeast Infection Cure Secrets : http://YeastCured.uzaev.com/?BScy

Answer 8

Shower

Answer 9

Rinse with White Wine...Sparking Chardanay

Answer 10

There are alot of things you can do in order to get rid of the smell. (i.e) Shower and use soap. If it persists, see your doctor.

Answer 11

Squeeze some lime juice in some water and use a small towel to wash using your finger.