Have you ever had a smell down there?

Comments

1. Julzz33 says:

   July 11, 2010 at 9:34 am

   When you say you’re washing correctly and daily, I assume you mean you’re only using water to wash down there? If you’re using soap, that could be part of the problem… soaps and other beauty products that are not approved for use in the vaginal region can cause irritation and smell; the national OB/GYN foundation really only advises water for washing the area.

   That said; are you sure the doctor checked you for all types of infections, not just yeast? You may have a certain type of bacterial infection ("Vaginosis" or "gardnerella") that is difficult to properly diagnose. It’s important to mention the smell to the doctor, because sometimes that’s the only way they know to check for this type of infection. It’s also possible the infection is just BARELY there, and is virtually undetectable, but is causing the smell to be present anyway. Generally, the majority of the time, a smell coming from down there is a hallmark symptom of gardnerella. So it’s important that checking for this doesn’t go overlooked.

   There is a vaginal infection kit at the drugstore that can tell you what type of infection it may be – it might be worth using that to double check and see if your dr. missed something. It’s called "Vagisil Screening Kit".

   If you truly have no infection, it could simply be that the pH of your vagina is "off". This can happen during a cold or flu, from using soaps, lotions or scented products down there (scented pantiliners or tampons, etc.), diet changes (such as junk food binges), leaving wet or sweaty clothes on too long, leaving tampons in too long, not changing menstrual pads frequently enough, or from douching. (Yes, douching is actually a big problem – it’s currently recommended by OB/GYN foundation NOT to douche, as it is known to cause all kinds of vaginal pH problems – despite the claims on the box).

   Rephresh (from the yeast infection section of the drugstore) helps normalize the pH down there; I love it for that. It does help very mild bacterial infections also, as well as eliminating odor. Keep in mind you’ll have to use it for the full 7 days though, in order to see any results.

   You can also try adding probiotic pills to your diet – they work wonders for vaginal pH as well. I LOVE the one made by the Rephresh company, called Pro-B, but it’s expensive, so for a good alternative I’d recommend Gynatren (at the health food store, or google it – there are many places to order online) or for something from the drugstore, I’d recommend Culturelle or Sustenex.

   There are medicated wipes and powders made by Vagisil for eliminating odor – and they do work – but keep in mind they don’t eliminate the problem, and may in fact make the original problem (pH imbalance) worse long term, so they should only be used as "quick fixes" and not long term solutions.

   Stay away from douche if you can; like I mentioned above, there is no gynecologist that will recommend it, as it typically does more harm than good.

   If you really want to use soap when cleansing down there, they make special pH balanced cleansers for that area – one is Vidermina http://www.avariohealthcare.com/Vidermina_intimate_Cleanser.html
   Another is called HygiWash:
   http://xtremebeauty.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=351
   Summer’s Eve makes one also, which is at the drugstore, but tends to be full of chemicals that can be very irritating to the area.

   Reply
2. [NOLA_GIRL] says:

   July 11, 2010 at 9:34 am

   Maybe you should try douching every month or use a vagina moist wipe to get rid of the smell; Like, Vagisal.

   Reply
3. froggy says:

   July 11, 2010 at 9:34 am

   i douche everyday with water and it helps a lot especially with this hot weather in Africa.

   Reply