Discharge smells like feces: Why Does My Vagina Smell Like Poop? An Expert Explains
Why Does My Vagina Smell Like Poop? An Expert Explains
Health
Antonio Grandi : EyeEm, Getty Images
There could be an easy solution, but there could be something more serious happening.
by Cat Bowen
Updated:
Originally Published:
If you’re noticing a particularly fecal smell emanating from your vagina, you’ve every right to be concerned. This is certainly not a normal or desirable aroma to be experiencing. And wondering why your vagina smells like poop may not be something you’re comfortable asking your BFF about as you chat over mimosas and french toast at brunch.
While many vaginal smells are easily explained away, a fecal smell from your vagina is not only embarrassing, but also can be worrisome if you’re unsure why it’s happening. No one wants to think about their downtown smelling foul, but it does happen.
If you find yourself wondering why your vagina smells like poop, you probably want some possible answers before heading into your OB-GYN. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.
Your Vagina Is Really Close To Your Rectum
While it’s not terribly common, “the bacteria from the bowel — the lower intestines — indeed can easily become the bacteria in the vagina,” Mary Jane Minkin, an OB-GYN at Yale University, tells Romper. She emphasizes that this issue does not mean you aren’t taking care of yourself or that you necessarily have bad hygiene, noting that “it’s just that the vagina is literally right next door to the rectum — very close — and the bacteria can give the odor.
“So this would likely be a variant of bacterial vaginosis — when the ‘bad guy’ bacteria predominate over the ‘good guys’ of the vagina,” Minkin says. She explains that the Lactobacilli in the vagina make lactic acid that keeps the vaginal pH low-acidic, which is considered healthy for the vagina.
When this bacteria is out of balance, problems occur.
Now, a strong fecal aroma around your vagina might be something as simple as a bacteria imbalance, but there are times when the issue can be a bit more complex.
Other Reasons Your Vagina Smells Like Poop
Nurse Practitioner and lecturer Dr. Tara Carpacci of New York City tells Romper that while this is not a normal smell, it can happen — especially after giving birth. “Sometimes, there’s some damage done to the anus or the muscles in the region that might cause some leakage and make you think that the smell is coming from your vagina because gravity pulls it that direction every time you stand.” She says if you notice any discharge at all around your rectum, this is likely the case.
“There’s also a chance that it’s some sort of infection that’s happening, or you might have forgotten a tampon and it’s beginning to rot, which may smell vaguely like poop before it begins to putrefy in earnest.” She notes that this is not as uncommon as you think, and moms especially are given to distraction and having this happen.
If your period smells like poop, this could be the culprit. “If you have twin 2-year-olds banging on the door while you’re trying to change your tampon, as I did, it could easily happen. In fact, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened to me yet.” (Side note: it’s also possible to forget you’re wearing a diva cup and think you’re just wearing a pad. Trust me.)
Anna Efetova/Moment/Getty Images
Unfortunately, a poop smell from your vagina is not always so simply solved. “There is something called a retrovaginal fistula, which is an opening that forms between the rectum and the vagina, that can cause your vagina to smell like feces. While it’s rare, it does happen, and it has more implications to your health and wellbeing than smell. It also means you can get pregnant from anal sex,” Carpacci says. She adds that this problem can only be fixed surgically, and healing is not a fun process.
How To Get Rid Of A Poop Smell In Your Vagina
So, how do you solve this embarrassing issue? Well, a quick Google search of the subject about this particular subject could lead you to a dark place.
Tons of message boards and really bad advice could lead you to many remedies that of course include essential oils, crystal healing, and various other accouterments that Gwyneth Paltrow thinks you should hold in your vagina while steaming your butt and eating mushroom powder. In a word: don’t. Your vagina is a precious thing that can serve as an escape route for babies and give you orgasms; don’t mess with the magic — talk to an expert.
“One way to help keep a good flora is to try a product like Pro-B, which is a combination of probiotics very similar to the ‘good guys’ of the vagina,” Minkin suggests. “Another way to help is to actually acidify the vagina directly — a product like RepHresh, which is available as an over-the-counter vaginal gel, can be inserted every two to three days to maintain a good acidic pH.”
While these products may help, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before using any over-the-counter medications that could impact your health. Minkin says that if the odor persists, your health care provider would likely perform an examination and testing to determine a course of treatment to get your vagina back into balance and smelling more like it should.
“No matter what, this is not an issue you can self-diagnose or self-treat. You need to see your provider and get a full evaluation to determine what is causing the smell and how it can be remedied,” Carpacci says.
Experts:
Mary Jane Minkin, MD, OB/GYN at Yale University
Dr. Tara Carpacci, nurse practitioner and lecturer
This article was originally published on
Five Common Vaginal Odors (And What They Mean)
Teen Vogue shares important information about your vaginal health.
Earlier this year, economist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz analyzed Google data to figure out what Americans are really thinking about sex. And guess what? They’re all pretty insecure about their genitals. According to his findings, which were published in the New York Times, men are most concerned about penis size, while “women are most frequently concerned that their vaginas smell like fish followed by vinegar, onions, ammonia, garlic, cheese, body odor, urine, bread, bleach, feces, sweat, metal, feet, garbage and rotten meat.
” I don’t know about you, but my high school health class was mostly about avoiding drugs and preventing STDs. Nobody taught me about my vagina. I didn’t know what labias should look like, if discharge is normal (it is), or what a vagina is supposed to smell like.
The truth is, there is no single way a healthy vagina should smell, and that’s normal. “Every woman has her own scent and it’s a totally normal part of who she is. You are most sensitive to your own natural odor, and it’s very unlikely that anyone else around you can smell it,” explains Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Vice President for External Medical Affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Many women would describe their healthy vaginal odor as being musky, and despite comparisons to gardens and flowers, vaginas will never smell like a bed of roses. That said, a healthy vagina shouldn’t smell fishy either.
There are a few factors that can lead to changes in vaginal odor: infections or STIs, exercising and sweating, hormone levels in your menstrual cycle, and changes in the pH of your vagina.
When should you see a doctor? Dr. Cullins says, “an unpleasantly smelly odor can be a sign of an infection that needs to be treated right away, especially if it’s accompanied by an unusual discharge.” Your body is smart. When your vagina’s trying to tell you something, don’t ignore it.
Below is a list of five common vaginal odors to look out for, explained with the help of Dr. Vanessa Cullins and Dr. Debora Nucatolah, Senior Director of Medical Services, at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
1. Fishy
Possible cause: Bacterial Vaginosis (BV for short)
Treatment: Antibiotics
Dr. Cullins says: “There are many different kinds of bacteria growing in your vagina. These bacteria are completely normal and keep the vagina healthy. However, bacterial vaginosis (BV for short) is caused by an imbalance of different kinds of bacteria. Sometimes BV has no symptoms at all; other times, symptoms may include a thick, frothy discharge that’s usually white or grey, a strong fishy smell (especially after sex or washing with soap), and itching.
“
2. Bread or Beer
Possible cause: Yeast Infection
Treatment: Antifungal medication (one option: Diflucan)
Dr. Nucatolah says: “Yeast infections are caused when a yeast called candida (CAN-di-duh) grows too much. Most people have small amounts of yeast in their mouths and intestines. Healthy women have yeast in their vaginas. But sometimes this yeast overgrows and causes a yeast infection. The discharge looks like cottage cheese. It can be so thick that you might notice a thick white coating in and around your vagina.”
Very bad smell:( What to do? 3
#
Thyroid surgery
25,432 answers
Life after cervical cancer
20 599 answers
Women’s alcoholism Help me I’m drinking too much
26 615 answers
Cystitis just got.
.. ia. How to live with it?14,547 responses
Early menopause
2,511 responses
aroscopy
2447 answers
Breast cancer (breast cancer). What research is needed?
8916 responses
Advanced neuritis of the facial nerve urethritis … No more strength
19 352 answers
.. ia. How to live with it?84 answers
Last –
Go to
#2
#5
#6
90 002 #7
CAN FLUCOSTAT?
#8
#10
#11
#14
And guest #1 had fun 🙂 008, 12:03
#17
This is just one of reasons!
#18
#19
Well, who will cure you on the Internet then? You eat useless antibiotics and you will only plant a liver.
GO TO THE DOCTOR! GIVE THE ANALYSIS! Well, they already wrote, bacterial vaginosis (but you never know what else), well, you still have to go to the doctor! At least describe here all your details, unpleasant, moreover …
#20
#22
#23
#24
What did the author expect? That after describing her story, her bad smell will disappear? Or what? Maybe a conclusion with a diagnosis? Treatment recommendations? Well well…
0003
#25
#26
# 27
#28
Great knowledge in this area?))
#29
Woman.
ru experts
Shchipko Ekaterina
Psychologist-sexologist
40 responses
Dmitry Olegovich Surotkin
Psychotherapist
39 answers
Sergey Katyshev
Nutritionist
85 answers
Shakhova Natali
Psychologist-consultant
22 answers
Egor Mazurok
Clinical psychologist
22 answers
Sadovnikov Ernest
Psychologist.
…
228 answers
Margarita Halter
Psychologist
63 answers
Julia Lekomtseva
Cosmetologist
284 answers
Nosachenko Oksana
Psychologist
35 answers
Sretensky_Andrey
Psychologist-consultant
17 answers
#30
#31
At best they won’t help! Why the hell wasting time + money + starting a disease?
I don’t believe that the author doesn’t have time to go to the KVD or some kind of laboratory – almost every yard now has them, pay from 500 to 2 thousand re (depending on where) and find out the result in half an hour! Kindergarten ***
#33
#34
9 0002 Real Stories
My husband and his children and grandchildren piss me off.
..1,754 answers
1496 answers
This salary – I don’t want to work
898 answers
Lies 22 years long. How to destroy?
1 122 answers
Husband left, 2 months of depression… How will you cope if you are left all alone?
218 replies
..
2
#36
#37
#39
#40
90 002 Cherubina, and you seem to have a miscarriage due to an infection, and not vice versa…
#42
I’m in tears.
………………………
#43
#44
#45
#46
New topics
Headache, as if reading smart books all night
5 answers
Should I go for a colonoscopy?
No answers
I want a baby during my period
7 answers
Who is the best person to contact? Oncologist or dermatologist
9 answers
How much to draw in a syringe?
1 reply
#47
Warning
#48
Back
1
.
..
…
2
Next
Next topic
Recipe for those who want to resist and not smoke
34 answers
Previous topic
Girls how do you live with genital herpes?
69 responses
what they talk about and what to do
Even pleasant scents can mean bad health. We will tell you what is the reason for the change in the smell of a person and different parts of his body.
Tags:
Health
Health problems
What do these symptoms mean?
Getty Images
We all smell, that’s normal. We can smell bad after sleeping or exercising, and this is also normal. But what to do when you notice that you have to wash more often than usual and spend more deodorants? Sometimes a change in smell means health problems.
Do not self-medicate! In our articles, we collect the latest scientific data and the opinions of authoritative health experts.
But remember: only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment.
A change in body odor is not always a disease. When is it okay?
Feet, underarm and perineal odor is completely normal. These places should smell stronger than others. But if, with the same regularity of washing, you began to smell or the smell of your hands, chest or legs changed dramatically, it’s time to pay attention to this.
Smells that should not be ignored
There are very specific odors that require a visit to the doctor if they are heard for more than two days in a row. A single appearance or change in smell may simply be due to unusual food or the use of new spices.
ADVERTISING – CONTINUED BELOW
No. 1. The smell of urine
Normally, urine does not smell of anything at all, it is sterile, or smells barely perceptible. A strong persistent smell of urine appears either from an overabundance of drugs, or from problems with the kidneys or bladder.
If you feel a burning sensation during urination when the smell of urine changes, you are very likely to have a urinary tract infection.
No. 2. Breath odor
We don’t all smell like daisies in the morning. But if you’re hearing your own bad breath and it’s terrible, two main reasons are likely: dry mouth or sleep apnea. In addition, a change in breath odor to bad breath can be caused by problems with the liver, kidneys, bronchitis, and so on.
No. 3. Very smelly feet
After a whole day in shoes, everyone’s feet smell. But if you smell them even after a shower, then such a change in the smell of the feet means a foot fungus. You don’t have to go to the gym to pick it up from someone. It develops even in those who spend a lot of time in sweaty shoes.
It is treated with over-the-counter antifungal aerosols and shoe disinfection. But if this does not help, you need to consult a doctor.
No. 4. The smell of feces
Yes, our feces always smell bad.
But if the changes in the smell of feces are too sharp and come after you have eaten cheese, cottage cheese or drank milk, you may have lactose intolerance.
No. 5 Fruity Breath
Incredible as it may sound, fruity breath often means diabetes. Such a change in smell to a pleasant one can be misleading. If others or you yourself feel it, you should see a doctor.
No. 6. Extremely smelly sweat
Sweat stinks. However, the strong smell of sweat in unusual places, such as the chest, abdomen and legs, may mean that you have problems with digestion. The reasons for the change in the smell of sweat should always be discussed with the doctor and not wait until it “passes by itself”.
#7 Vaginal odor
Every vagina smells, but normally not much. Consult your gynecologist if you notice changes in odor, intensity, unusual or very strong perineal odor.
- A sour or musty smell may indicate bacterial vaginosis.
.jpg)