Hi all, I was wondering if there is any natural vaginal odour that happens during our monthly cycle ...Like does ovulation cause odour for a few days etc....like a so called "scent" .....because of hormones etc more so than bacteria or yeast...??? Thank you for any thoughts debbiepxx

I'm no expert, but when i've had infections, i can usually smell them without needing to physically lift my underwear up to my nose. When i'm infection free i can only smell a very slight scent if i actually "try" to smell any discharge by bringing it up to my nose area to check whether in my opinion it smells "healthy". Everybody is different and some people will have a discharge with a stronger odour which wont necessarily mean they have an infection. They may also experience more discharge as they get closer to their period and i always think the more discharge the more chance of an actual scent.

If the odour does change to something questionable, i always visit my doctor for him to do a culture of the vaginal mucous.

Appart from my doctor, my husband is good at telling me whether alls well as he'll normally say things smell great down there with a big smile on his face :D Women can become very paranoid about scents around the vaginal area, thinking there shouldn't be any scent at all, when in fact everybody has some form of scent. I've never really taken so much notice about varying times of the cycle, appart from noticing more discharge before my period.

I've heard that b/c of hormonal changes the "scent" can also change - which is also affected by bacteria. I've been diagnosed with Bacterial Vaginosis which is caused by hormonal & bacterial changes in the PH level of the vagina. It crops up near the start of my cycle - it has a VERY fishy odor, is this what you're talking about? It's very common - so you might just ask your gyno about it. There are a few different treatments.

I have found that at different times of my cycle the smell may be a bit different. Nothing major--but normal odor from the vaginal area shouldn't offend the nose. It should be light and "barely there" is my belief. If the odor is strong, sour, offensive or fishy see your Dr. could very well be either bacterial or yeast infection.
Good luck
Magna