Any strong or bad smelling vaginal odour is not normal. You may even sometimes notice a specific characteristic to the odour e.g. a fishy smell.

The abnormal vaginal odour may also often be accompanied by changes in vaginal discharge, including abnormal coloured or increased volumes of vaginal discharge. There may also be other signs of infection, such as itching, bleeding when you are not having your period (intermenstrual bleeding), or bleeding after sexual intercourse (post coital bleeding).

Abnormal vaginal odour is most frequently caused by an underlying vaginal infection. Specific infections such as bacterial vaginosis (which occurs due to an imbalance in the natural vaginal flora) and trichomoniasis (a sexually transmitted infection) may can give rise to prominent abnormal odours.

Bacterial vaginosis in particular is classically associated with a fishy smell.

These infections may also co-exist with other more serious vaginal infections like chlamydia and gonorrhoea which can give rise to deeper pelvic infections. We provide Comprehensive Women’s STD screening & Rapid STD screening for chlamydia and gonorrhoea (Next Day Result)

Other causes of vaginal odour include poor hygiene or a retained tampon.

Rarer but serious causes of abnormal vaginal odour include cervical cancer or structural abnormalities such as recto-vaginal fistulas where there is an abnormal connection between the rectum and the vagina.

If your vaginal odour is associated with any of the abovementioned symptoms, tests to investigate an underlying infection may be warranted. A high vaginal or endocervical swab test performed in clinic will be useful.

As part of routine cervical cancer screening, you should also undergo your regular PAP smear.

Treatment of the underlying cause will in turn help get rid of the abnormal vaginal odour. This includes appropriate treatment of any existing vaginal infections. Vaginal pessaries or oral antibiotic tablets may be prescribed.

Beyond this, other steps which can be taken to minimise vaginal odour include good personal hygiene with regular washing of the external genitalia, avoiding douche washes, and wearing light, breathable cotton underwear.

While it may be tempting to use scented products to mask a strong vaginal odour, scented soaps/washes or menstrual products contain chemicals which may irritate the skin and cause further problems.

Regular washing of the external genitalia with water and small amounts of a gentle, unscented soap will suffice.

One should specifically avoid scented soaps as they may contain chemical components which cause skin irritation.

Feminine douche washes should also specifically be avoided.

The vagina is a self-cleansing organ and douche washes may disrupt the natural pH and balance of the vaginal environment, placing you at increased risk of bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections.

There is no hard research evidence to suggest that specific dietary modifications will help with vaginal odour.

However, the ingestion of probiotics may help in maintaining healthy vaginal flora, which in turn minimises abnormal vaginal odour.