"My question is do you have any suggestions
for how women can maintain a "nice flora scent"
throughout the day without using douches frequently?
Sometimes usually by lunch time 12:00 noon, when I
go to use the restroom I notice a mild to moderate
urine smell. I do not currently suffer from a yeast
infection, and take acidophillus on a regular basis
to maintain a healthy urinary tract and decrease the
frequency of yeast infections. I also use a mild soap
without dyes or fragrance such as Dove in my genital
area to keep it clean and free from irritation."
" I am 31 y.o. and have never had children,
currently use Orthotricyclen® as my contraceptive
method and have pretty regular menstrual cycles. I
take no other meds."
anonymous
Odor is a very difficult medical topic to research.
It is not a topic of concern for most physicians.
Only rarely does it indicate a disease problem and
usually in those cases the disease is caused by a
bacterial infection. I really do not know any answer
to this specific question other than some of the following
observations and data about body odors.
What normally causes odor in the perineal and vaginal
area?
Perineal odor is caused by oils in sweat gland secretions,
vaginal secretions and urine if a woman is having
urine leakage. All sweat gland secretions are basically
the same components as urine so it is not uncommon
to have a urine "smell" in the vulvar area
which is really from sweating rather than from losing
urine. Some people would describe urine odor as somewhat
like ammonia.
Many of the foods we eat have odorous oils that end
up being secreted in sweat. The more fat we ingest,
the more oils are secreted. Vegetarians will have
less "sweat odor" than meat eaters unless
they are consuming a lot of pungent, spicy foods.
Skin bacteria can also react with sweat and produce
noxious odors although some scientists question that
this occurs to any major degree (1, 2). It is very
likely that some women have different genetic metabolism
than others so that they produce different acids in
sweat that give distinctive smells (3).
Finally, sweat glands can be depleted of their oils
(temporarily) after they are excreted during sweating.
After a vigorous workout, most women and men will
tell you that subsequent sweating does not produce
as heavy a body odor as when they first broke sweat.
You have probably noticed that yourself if you have
been outside working on a hot day and then go shower,
subsequent sweating produces less "smell"
than it did before the shower. In this case you not
only depleted the sweat oils but also reduced the
skin bacteria that convert some of the sweat substances
to acids and compounds that are odorous.
What about a fishy odor from the perineal area? What
causes that?
A fishy odor from the vaginal area can sometimes represent
a bacterial vaginosis. In this case the bacteria in
the vagina are releasing amines which give a typical
fishy smell.
There is also a metabolic syndrome called fish odor
syndrome (trimethylaminuria) which is caused by abnormal
excretion of trimethylamine in the breath, urine,
sweat, saliva and vaginal secretions (4). The trimethylamine
is produced by bowel bacteria that break down certain
amino acids, carnitine and choline that occur in high
concentrations in marine fish, egg yolks, soy beans
and liver. While this is a rare condition, it goes
to show that bowel bacteria, skin bacteria and your
own genetic metabolism interplay with ingested food
to produce body odors beyond normal sweat gland oils
and acids.
If you at all think that the perineal odor smells
fishy, be sure to see you doctor for a vaginal exam
to rule out bacterial vaginosis as well as eliminating
liver, fish, soy beans, egg yolks and any nutritional
supplements that may contain choline and carnitine.
I have heard of sex odors. How do those play a role?
We still do not know very much about pheromones which
are compounds that give a "sexual smell"
in both males and females (5). In women these substances
are thought to originate from the vagina but it is
more likely that they come from vulvar sweat glands.
What can I do practically about perineal odor? Can
I use deodorant sprays?
It is best to try to control body odors by natural
means rather than deodorant and antiperspirant cover
ups because many women can get an irritant vulvitis
from chemicals placed on the vulvar region. This does
not happen with all women but does with some. If you
think the odor is originating from vaginal secretions,
be sure to see your doctor to be checked for bacterial
vaginosis rather than using douche solutions. Chronic
douching can actually cause a vaginitis.
Other things to do to help:
have a daily aerobic workout before going to work
- this can help dissipate sweat gland compounds and
then
bath or shower before work to remove as much skin
bacteria as possible - this will help daytime odors.
avoid seafood, liver and egg yolks as well as pungent
vegetables such as onions, garlic asparagus etc.,
for awhile to see if this makes any difference.
minimize stress and any sweating at work if possible
- if you feel you have excessive sweating, ask your
doctor about medications to help this.
I know of no way to have a "nice floral scent"
in the perineal area by altering diet and skin bacteria.
You will have to use some type of covering deodorant.
Be very careful that you do not develop an irritant
vulvitis.
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