Hi everyone! This is going to be a little TMI. Has anyone ever struggled with vaginal discharge odor? I shower at least once a day and wash with sensitive fragrance free body wash. Typically I wear cotton boy shorts, but occasionally I’ll wear cotton thongs. I find that it does sometimes depend on the clothing I wear, but I work 12 hour shifts at my job and find I start to smell an odor after hour 3-4 or so (I wear cotton boy shorts and scrub pants to work). Does anyone have any recommendations? I’ve struggled with it since I was younger and am not sure why it is happening.

* I never douche down there, just wash the outside area when showering!

Vagina will smell like vagina. Having an odor is normal. If it smells foul, like fish, or like yeast then you might have an infection.

yes i’ve struggled with it since going on the pill, i’ve tried everything, i now wash with sanex zero, drink LOTS of water and it’s reduced it but it’s still there

100% normal & I also have this. I have tried to monitor how eating impacts it but haven't really figured that out yet 😂 I do believe that your diet has an impact on it though

Thank you everyone! I just feel like I never smell anyone else’s.. so I don’t know if other people can smell mine during long work days and I get very self conscious about it. I’ve considered using tampons during work days so that it’s reduced, but it seems excessive to wear tampons 3-4 days a week when I’m not actively bleeding.

I agree, I've never been able to smell or noticed anyone else's so I would try to not let that cause you stress! In my experience using tampons when not bleeding can be very uncomfortable. Maybe you could carry perfume and put one spray on the outside of your pants midday so you feel more fresh? Or carry a dryer sheet in your pocket.

@Lemongrass_ Hey, there are pills you can take that help with this

@Lemongrass_ if you can't smell other people's odor they probably can't smell you. Or worst case they would just chalk it up to regular body odor. Have you tried using wet wipes to freshen up periodically during the day? Do not use tampons when you're not bleeding, that increases your risk of TSS. Keep in mind the creation of body odor as "abnormal" or "gross" that needs to be completely eliminated stems from less than 100 years ago and it was framed as a "problem" so that deodorant/perfume companies could sell products. Before that, everyone knew that body odor was a normal part of life.

@aurielle you’re absolutely right, it’s likely mostly in my head but there is some strong odor. I’ve considered using wipes throughout the day, but I feel like most of the odor comes from the discharge sitting in my underwear (which I do wipe off when I go to the bathroom, but at that point the odor is already trapped). I’ve also tried pantyliners and changing them throughout the day, but that seems to worsen the odor. I completely understand that everyone has vaginal odor and that it is 100% normal, I would just like to do what I can to lessen it.

@Lemongrass_ you could try skipping underwear completely?