Vaginal Odor Overview
No one likes to talk about vaginal odor because it is embarrassing and unpleasant. Fortunately, a woman with vaginal odor doesn’t necessarily have a severe medical issue. But it can cause her to get unwanted attention from others around her.
Vaginal odor typically means a woman’s body is experiencing or has experienced hormonal changes due to things like menopause, physical activity, sweat, menstruation, and sexual activity. The odor fluctuates based on which bodily activities take place.
There is a mild level of acidity in a woman’s vagina to prevent yeast and bacterial growth from getting out of control. But when a woman experiences significant hormonal changes, the acidity level in her vagina will change. And without properly balanced vaginal pH levels, it could lead to a vaginal infection which causes a nasty fish-like odor.
The worst part about it for the woman is an itchy vagina and burning sensations that usually follow as the infection progresses. Bacterial vaginosis is the name of the vaginal bacterial infection affecting most women with vaginal odor. The other condition causing a foul vaginal odor is a sexually transmitted disease called trichomoniasis, which results from a parasite invading the vagina.
Vaginal Odor Treatments
If you have a vaginal odor and itching and burning sensations, you should make an appointment to see your primary care physician immediately. Your doctor can run tests to diagnose the problem and devise a personalized treatment plan to eliminate it.
Usually, the diagnosis will come back as bacterial vaginosis or trichomoniasis. But don’t worry because treatments are available to mitigate both conditions. However, if you’re only dealing with vaginal odor without any itching or burning, you may be able to eliminate the odor using natural remedies at your house. Then you can save yourself the time and expense of seeing the doctor.
Here are the top 6 methods for eliminating vaginal odor without professional medical treatment.
1) Vaginal Probiotics
Everyone has good and bad bacteria in their bodies. The good bacteria do things to help you stay healthy, such as adequately digesting your foods and absorbing essential nutrients from them. But when you consume antibiotics or experience stress or disease, it creates an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria. As a result, the bad bacteria will cause you health problems. Pro-Fem is the leading vaginal probiotic which includes the most clinically probiotics studied strains GR-1 and RC-14.
Probiotic-based foods and supplements help add more good bacteria to your body. Furthermore, they can help a woman restore her vaginal pH levels to prevent bacterial infections and vaginal odors.
There are many good fermented foods with probiotics, such as sauerkraut, yogurt, tempeh, kombucha, and kimchi. But if you wish to consume a probiotic supplement as a capsule, it is a faster and easier way to build up the good bacteria in your body. Then you should see an improvement in the health of your vagina and digestive system.
2) Boric Acid
Boric acid comes from our natural environment in things like plants, soil, and water. It is a chemical with antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which means it is suitable for treating conditions involving microbes or fungi.
For instance, if you suffer from a vaginal yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, you could use vaginal boric acid suppositories to treat the condition. Intimate Rose Boric Balance is a popular vaginal boric acid suppository many women use to treat vaginal yeast infections, restore vaginal acidity levels, and eradicate vaginal odor. Fem-Rx is a pharmaceutical-grade, physician formulated boric acid suppositories for women.
3) Tampons
Tampons are better to use than menstrual pads because they don’t carry as big an odor as the pads. But if you have to use menstrual pads, change them often to avoid forming a powerful vaginal odor.
4) Vaginal Cleanliness
Regularly washing and cleaning your vagina is critical for managing vaginal odor issues. But be careful not to create problems with the pH balance of the vagina because too many scented soaps and tampon usage may result in a vaginal pH imbalance.
The best way to clean your vagina is to use unscented soap with warm water. This should have less effect on your vaginal pH levels.
5) Wear Condoms
When you have sex with a man, condom usage is essential because his semen can alter your vaginal pH levels. But with a condom in place, the semen won’t make contact with the vagina. As a result, the pH levels are protected.
Don’t forget to urinate after sexual intercourse because it’ll help wash out the vagina internally. It is just one more way to take precautions in avoiding vaginal odor.
