Vaginal odor or am I just crazy?

[Sisterluv]

I've had a weird vaginal smell for a few years now. I've been to a pediatrician a few times and only went to a gyno for my second time back in May. I had burning down there so I thought it was UTI. The doctor made me pee in a cup and turns out I had a bladder infection. I told her about the smell and sometimes itching and bumps I get occasionally. (Which I also get on my underarms.) So I thought it was a yeast infection. She took some swabs to test for other infections and stuff. I was negative for ever thing except BV. She had already prescribed me some antibiotics to take that would help get rid of whatever the problem is. So the medication works on multiple things. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't have a strong fishy odor but it's not pleasant to me either. I used to wash down there with soaps and spray sweet smelling sprays down there after I showered and I thought it was helping get rid of the smell but it didn't. When I'm on my period of course it's not gonna smell pretty but I have this weird discharge I get all the time. It's a white substance. Sorry to be so graphic but it seems to collect around where my clitoris is. I'm always finding myself cleaning it out when I'm showering. I don't know what the deal is with that. Now that I know I'm not supposed to use soaps down there I just stick to water. I know commercials for feminine products pray on insecure females who don't like their smells and whatnot but I'm one of those insecure girls. I'm so desperate I'm looking online trying to find anything that'll possibly help me either calm the smell down or get rid of it totally. Again it's not a horrid rotten smell it's just not much of a pleasing smell. I hate thinking about being intimate with a guy when I'm having an issue like this. I know girls have natural smells down there and i don't know if this is mine or if I'm really smelling bad. I wear loose Cotton underwear. I keep the area as dry as possible. I wash all the time. I'm just at a loss and truly losing my mind over this. Ie talked to my mother about this but instead of her trying to help me she just says that I'm crazy and that she feels not so fresh too on some days. Mine is more like everyday and it seems like she doesn't care. I don't know what to do anymore. It's like I'm borderline depressed. Help.

[morramber]

I dont think she has to suffer. There is probably a reason for all of this.

[Sisterluv]

But what if it is gone? There's no explanation for the smell. I don't know if it's amplified because I smell it everyday so it's just worse to me than anybody else. I don't know.

[Sisterluv]

I don't think she'll stop being like this. I think it's the way she is, sadly..

[AnnieBrooke]

The time I had BV (which is not an STD, it is a bacterial infection), the antibiotic run to make it go away was 10 days.  Go back to your doc and say it is not gone.

[morramber]

Okay, so we are happy it isnt an STD. Was mistaken in your question. Thought you were having sex. Its hard to tell or not what it could be. I hope you get some answers and your mom can help you out. Im sorry shes being like that.

[Sisterluv]

I was tested for BV and it came back positive. She prescribed antibiotics that would get rid of it but they would also get rid of a number of things if i did have anything else. It was only like 3 pills that I had to take one a day. I feel no different.

[Sisterluv]

I'm don't remember if she tested for STD's or not but she tested for a lot of things. I've never had sex before so I don't know how it could be that. Like you were saying about the discharge you had, I sometimes get that too. Sometimes it's a white cheesy substance and sometimes it's clear like there's hand sanitizer there.

[AnnieBrooke]

Get checked specifically for BV.

[morramber]

I completely understand your insecurity about it. Its horrible to think about if anyone else can smell you and how to approach intimate situations. You are correct about women and men all having their own unique intimate smells. But if you feel as if yours is an odor which you find "unattractive" there could be something else wrong. Have you been tested for STDs? I have went through a similar situation before. For one year, I noticed I had an odor that was so strong and gross that I was completely embarrassed to be around anyone long enough for them to be able to smell me. Im being honest here because it can happen to anyone and we all react differently with our bodies. I also noticed I had a funky discharge. Unlike a normal woman whose discharge can range from white and sticky, mine was more of a clear, water like discharge that made me have to clean myself and change my underwear multiple times a day. Suffering for more than I wanted to and too embarrassed to ask about it, I finally was able to talk to a friend to see if she might know anything. With no solution, I ended up going to a womens health clinic that had told me I had BV. I have had BV two times since I was 15. Im now 21. Thinking it was over and my life would go back to normal and it would stop, it eventually came back just days later. Thinking it was something I just had to live with, I continued on with my life. A few months later I decided that there had to be something wrong. My friends had all said theyve never experienced anything like what I was going through. So again, I went back to the clinic. Long story short, it turned out I had Chlamydia. I have been sexually active since I was 15 but had talked about disease with my partner. Not to worry since we both were clean. But that was not the case. I figure he had contacted it without knowing and passed it to me. Easily done because STDs can take years to show any effects. So if you are sexually active, get yourself tested as soon as possible. It scared me more than ever because the longer the disease goes on without being treated, can cause you to become infertile. So get tested as soon as possible. I hope I helped you in some way and that you find something to ease your situation.