Featured image: @/poosh
Ahh, periods. Every woman’s favourite time of the month (note the sarcasm). The perfect blend of extreme stomach cramps, hormonal changes, breakouts, weight gain, bloating, and not to mention the peculiar smells down there. If you’re anything like me, you probably couldn’t give two F’s about what your vagina smells like. That is, until something smells… fishy. You know, you’re just minding your own business, on the toilet, and when it’s time to clean your hooha you get a whiff of funkiness, and suddenly, you’re reading Google results for “why does my period smell?” and “are smells during period normal?” until 3am.
And it’s not regular blood smells, it’s quite different. Different smelling periods could be telling us something. Here’s what I gathered from the internet so far. So keep your eyes and noses open.
Fishy
While period blood may take on a slightly fishy smell on top of the metallic scent, an overtly fishy smell is a sign of possible infection. This infection is better known as bacterial vaginosis – it is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in our vagina – even an imbalance of the “good” bacteria is not good news here. It’s all about balance, and too much bacteria means infection. It’s a good idea to see a doctor and seek what the best treatment plan is. It is not serious, but can become so if left unchecked.
Metallic
This is a more common scent around our time of bleeding, and that’s due to iron in the blood. This is from blood and tissue loss through the vaginal canal and is temporary. Occasional bleeding after or during sex is relatively common, as well, and will also be temporary. If the scent or any irregular bleeding persists long after your period, consult a physician.
Yeast-y
Smells yeast-y, like you’re baking a loaf of sourdough down there? Then you probably have a yeast infection. Other tell-tale signs include cottage cheese-like discharge, and intense itchiness of the vagina and vulva. And since warm and wet environments are a good place for yeast to grow, you can also get ’em from working out and sitting in your sweaty underwear. Most yeast infections can be cured with OTC antifungal medication.
Sweet
Your diet can affect the taste and scent of your vagina. That’s why you’ve probably heard your friends suggest eating pineapple before someone goes down on you. While we can eat plenty of fresh and tropical fruits to make things a little sweeter in our honey pot the rest of the month, our period is an exception. However, a slightly sweet and earthy aroma is typically due to the presence of bacteria – good bacteria.
Also, pssst, check this article out: ‘’Is It Safe To Have Sex While I’m Menstruating?’’
