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The idea that vaginas "smell like fish" is used so often to put them down, it's almost hard to talk about the times when this particular vaginal odor can signal a real medical problem. So when do you need to see a doctor, and when do you just need to switch to all-cotton underpants? Read on and take a whiff, friends. So how do you tell the difference between an OK change in vaginal scent, and one that means you might have a problem? The only way to get a handle on the way your vagina smells when it's unhealthy is to get very familiar with how it smells when it's healthy, so that you have a baseline for what's normal for you and what isn't.īut even if you haven't put in hours cataloging your own vaginal smells, there are still times when you can tell that your vagina smells a bit off. Other times, it may simply mean that you've just finished up your period, or some other totally healthy and common occurrence.
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Sometimes, an unusual odor coming from your vagina can signal a health problem, like a lost tampon or bacterial vaginosis infection.
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While a scent is a sign that your junk is healthy and has its pH properly balanced, a change in smell can sometimes be a sign that there's trouble, right here in Vagina City. Good guy bacteria are strains like lactobacillus, which help keep your vagina at a naturally acidic level, while things like candida are a bad guy, so to speak, since they overgrow if not kept in check by lactobacillus. Mary Jane Minkin, a clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine, tells Bustle. "Vaginal odors are very common, and may be due to an imbalance of the 'good guy' and 'bad guy' bacteria of the vagina," Dr. But make no mistake: Your vagina has a scent, always. And our vaginal odor can be altered when we sweat, or if semen or other bodily fluids come into contact with it (scientific terminology: "Gettin' love goo all up in there"). Some people naturally emit stronger vaginal odors, while others don't.
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#What is your vag supposed to smell like full#
In fact, healthy vaginas emit a full Sephora's worth of different scents throughout the month, with stronger and more subtle variations of your unique smell appearing during different parts of your menstrual cycle. Before we begin, let's get one thing out of the way first: Your vagina is supposed to have a smell, despite what rude sexual partners or all those companies that make weird crotch perfumes may have told you in the past.
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