Smelly Vagina: Why Does My Vagina Smell like Fish?

As women, most of us are used to having at least some vaginal odor, which we can keep on top of with normal hygienic methods. That is, shower regularly, and wash the vaginal area with mild soap and water, rinsing thoroughly.

However, there are times when you definitely be find that you have more odor than usual, and we may have pain, burning or itching in addition to it. In these cases, you may be suffering some type of infection, and this is not something to be taken lightly. This is especially true if you have a so-called “smelly vagina” despite your best efforts at keeping up on hygiene.

What types of infections occur to cause a smelly vagina?

Most often, a vaginal infection is probably a yeast infection, as this is a very common type of infection for women to get. Yeast infections CAN be taken care of with over-the-counter remedies, but you should never, ever self treat a yeast infection until you’ve been to see a doctor first to make sure that it is absolutely a yeast infection.

That’s different types of infections require different types of treatment. Another very common infection (the one that causes that “fishy vagina smell”) is called bacterial vaginosis.

Bacterial vaginosis can have a sort of “fishy” odor to it (hence the “fishy vagina” smell), and the discharge may look different than that of a vaginal yeast infection. Nonetheless, can still be easily mistaken for a yeast infection, but it’s not.

What is bacterial vaginosis caused by?

Several different species of bacteria live naturally in the vaginal area, and when the vaginal pH is normal, all of these bacteria coexist happily, causing no problems. However, when there’s a bacterial imbalance, one or more of the bacteria “take over” the others, causing overproduction and therefore infection. One of the most common types of infection is that which causes bacteria vaginosis.

Is it serious?

Generally, bacterial vaginosis is not serious unless you are pregnant; if you are pregnant, it can cause you to pass the infection onto your fetus, or it can cause premature labor, miscarriage, etc. For women who are not pregnant, though, it is not a serious problem. Nonetheless, it’s very embarrassing because of the odor, and of course it can be uncomfortable because of the itching and burning it can cause as well.

Symptoms

Bacterial vaginosis’ symptoms generally include: a grayish white discharge and a fishy, very strong smelling odor. In some cases, you may have bacterial vaginosis and not experience any symptoms.

Getting bacterial vaginosis diagnosed and treated

You’ll need to go see your doctor, and he or she will perform a pelvic exam to make sure other more serious problems are not causing the difficulty. A sample of the discharge will be examined under a microscope to determine what it is, and this is where the actual diagnosis will take place. Your doctor may also perform what’s called a “sniff” test or “whiff” test, whereby a strong fishy order will be emitted if a drop of potassium hydroxide testing solution is added to a sample of the discharge.

If you are found to have bacterial vaginosis, you’ll be given antibiotics to clear the infection up. Usually, one course is all that’s needed, although some people may experience recurrent symptoms within a month; at that point, a second course of antibiotics may be given.

Final notes

Of course, when you take antibiotics to cure a bacterial problem in the vagina, this may actually cause a yeast infection because it wipes out all of the “good” bacteria necessary to keep yeast and other infections in check. Because of that, your doctor may also advise you to include probiotics in your diet, such as yogurt with live, active cultures; in that way, “good” bacteria don’t get wiped out along with the “bad” bacteria during treatment.

If you want to get rid of your smelly vagina, read this article called “bacterial vaginosis treatment”

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