vagadminIf you are one of the many women who have noticed that their vagina smells like garlic, don’t worry. You are not alone.
There is a lot of misinformation about what causes this smell and how to get rid of it.
While we all smell slightly different, the scent is usually mild and natural. When you smell something strong and unpleasant coming from your vagina, it can be an infection or a health problem.
We know for sure that vaginal odour can be caused by bacterial vaginosis (BV), which can lead to an unpleasant scent. The good news is that BV is very common and treatable with oral antibiotics or other medications such as metronidazole or clindamycin cream, so if you think your vaginal odour resembles garlic, it may just be a case of BV!
Causes of unpleasant vaginal smells
As mentioned before, every vagina has a smell of some sort, but unpleasant odours can occur for several reasons.
A lost tampon
It’s essential to remove tampons at the end of each period, or people may begin to notice an unpleasant odour. The stench can occur whether or not there is discharge.
Hygiene
The vagina keeps itself clean naturally by producing a discharge. However, a person should regularly wash the vulva with warm water to remove any discharge and keep the area free of harmful bacteria.
Strong urine
Urine sometimes has a strong odour, which people may confuse with a vaginal odour, especially if there is undetected urine leakage.
Hormonal changes
The vaginal odour usually becomes more noticeable when there is an increased hormone estrogen level in the body. This will occur when a person uses certain hormonal contraceptives as well as during ovulation and pregnancy.
The amount, texture, and scent of vaginal discharge can also vary over time. Vaginal discharge will not usually have a strong or foul smell. If it does, this may be a sign of infection.
Trichomoniasis
Trichomoniasis is an infection that can cause an unpleasant vaginal odour. However, most women with the condition do not have any symptoms, or their vagina discharge may be yellow or green, and the vulva may feel irritated.
Yeast infection
Yeast infections will cause a vagina to have an unpleasant odour, and it may also be accompanied by vaginal itching and/or redness and swelling of the vulva.
How to treat garlic smell of vagina
Garlic is known to be a natural antibiotic. It may even help with yeast infections! The smell can come from foods, especially garlic and onion, but it could also mean something more serious.
Your breath might have a musty or rotten-eggs like odour if you have severe liver disease. Compounds that are transported through the blood can also be released through your sweat glands. Stress can make your armpits and skin smell terrible. When you get stressed, sweat may release compounds that smell bad. Sometimes, you might get a vaginal infection. Infections can make your vagina smell like fish or ammonia.
A healthy vagina usually has no strong odour and smells somewhat musty down there because of the natural bacteria present in it. Sometimes changes to this internal environment may cause an unpleasant smelling discharge.
