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Foul odor around clitoris

I am 19 years old and for a few years now i have had a foul, fishy odor around the area of where the clitoris is. I haven't had any problems with odor in the vagina though. I don't experience redness or itching either. I always wear clean clothes. I bathe everyday and use a gentle feminine cleanser but even right after a shower or bath the smell is there and it gets worse as the day goes on. I have been prescribed a cream to be used in the vagina to get rid of bacteria, but it doesn't help with the odor...I'm assuming because the odor is not coming from the inside of the vagina. I am not sexually active at this time but i am worried about when i am, because the odor is embarrassing. Any ideas or thoughts?
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Avatar universal
THE YOGURT WORKS! Guys, I realize this is so old but I googled what to do because I was having the same problem and it was making me not want to be intimate with my husband. I thought something was wrong with me because I am only 22 but I'm fine now. I put some Greek plain yogurt on my clit and left my legs spread apart for 15 mins, rinsed it off, and BAM-no smell! I'm gonna start taking probiotics and do this once a day for awhile hopefully. THIS IS SUCH A RELIEF, THANK YOU GUYS!
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Try putting hydrogen peroxide on your clit. Put it on a wet wash cloth and saturate your clit. Also Whitch Hazel peroxide works well too. I was amazed with the results.
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I had this same problem. At first I thought about trying the milk but then I thought about all the great things I heard about plain yogurt. After the first 15 mins of applying the yogurt, it was soooooo much better. I then applied it again at night and it's basically gone! Im going to keep doing it over the next 5 days just to be safe, but I feel think I have my body back!!
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What type of yogurt?
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Also ladies, excuse my bluntness but as a few have said in other comments, wash around the clitoris AND pull back the hood and wash! Yes we have to do the (uncircumcised) cleaning if you will! Just a reminder
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Milk works? I strongly suggest not inserting ANYTHING inside the vajayjay. Long ago, I tried the tampon and yogurt "remedy." Didnt cure at all! Truth is that it does come from labias and clitoral area! What powders CAN we use? Gonna try the milk in a few minutes! Pray for me
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Ladies please try this.  There is a foreskin around the clitoris that carries bacteria which emits the fishy odor.  Gently wash around the area until it is clear of the white bacteria, do this all the time when you wash and you will have no more problems. GYN doctors are really clueless in this matter so they give us flagyl, metrogel for no reason. THE FISHY SMELL IS COMING FROM OUR CLITORIS.  let me know if it works.  It has worked for me.
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Would you say too wash the area with soap or just water? I have had this problem for ages and have been too embarrassed too go to the doctors about it, so if it’s something I can get rid of my self that would be great!
Avatar universal
I too had this same odor coming from the clitoris. Could not figure out why.  So glad to hear about a remedy.  I have used so many unscented baby wipes a day to remove the odor to only have it return. Have changed underwear multiple times when the odor gets into them. I will try the milk soaked towel remedy. THANKS SO MUCH.
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I am about to go to the obgyn myself pretty soon. I do have this prob specifically. Vagina smells fine. Clit and labia smell horrible. and its a STRONG smell. And yes, I touched the areas to test it. The opening of my vag smells like a natural vag smell. Did the same thing with my clit and labia and of course it smelled horrible. Like fishy smell. It is embarrassing. And it makes me feel self-conscious around my bf.
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2 Comments
What did the doctor end up saying about what to do?
hi arh1122, welcome to the forum.  So, my suggestion is to take a small amount of antibacterial soap on a wash cloth and wash the folds of your vagina with it.  Bacteria can get trapped there.  Do now wash inside the vagina, just the folds outside. See if that helps.
Avatar universal
just lather a bar of soap on a wash cloth and then pool the peroxide in the wash cloth and wash it's a temporary fix but it will last all day and odor be gone!!!
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Im no Dr. sounds like bv try natural ways to cure it if it doesn't go away with what your Dr said mine didn't I am to a suffering its annoying iv been using vitamin c and garlic pills which helps with discharge a lot little to none iv been having bv for god knows how long and the smell is nothing nice shower daily at leas 2 times a day we gotta bet this!
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I had a hysterctomy this last August and the healing process is stinky, weeks of foul discharge. It's now been 5 months to the date no discharge but a foul smell from the clit and labia area.  Even after a bath or shower. My obgyn has always said not to use soaps or douches because they harm the chemistry of the vagina and labia......I suspect maybe its my urine...I don't know
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This is many, many, many years later, however, I thought I was alone. Most of you ladies have nipped the description of what I am going through right in the bud. I have this problem on and off and it is very embarrassing to admit to a gyn. I am a strong believer of remedies. So I will try what Mara suggested.
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I just want to thank MaraMay. Honey you are a genius. I never thought about it like that. You have to treat both areas. I feel like I've got my womanhood back..Much love & God bless
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It is called an-aerobic bacteria. Women sweat down there and we also have dead skin. when the vulva closes over the labia tightly(if you are overweight) bacteria will grow. My gyno told me to use some Betadine Solution in my bath water(don't use concentrate directly).
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You are right Alice--we dont' have other vaginas to compare to so we don't know what is "normal" perse since there are no scratch and sniff samples available lol!!  My reference though is how my body was for all those years and then suddenly changed which I think is what happened with some of the other women as well.  I knew something wasn't right.  But it's true when you don't know what you should be smelling or not smelling, it can cause anxiety for sure.
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You just dont know that what you say makes me teary eyed!  I've been searching blogs for a couple years now searching for help and while some ideas seemed pretty good, I wasn't enthusiastic about trying them because I knew that at one point I was fine so why do I suddenly need to make these radical changes washing the area lots of times a day and drinking weird tinctures lol.  I knew that the bad bacteria was overtaking but didnt know how to allow the good one to grow faster.  I was soooo ecstatic when I googled how to introduce good bacteria to an area.  I hope these posts will reach the ladies that posted years ago.  It's tough being a woman sometimes (make that all the time)--our bodies are so delicate. :-)  I'm just so glad we now have a solution.  I've been sharing the news with all the women I can--
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Avatar universal
It's posts like these that we are here for. Thanks ladies for this simple answer to an embarrassing question and situation.
Yogurt is our friend down there... Yippee!!!!!
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Avatar universal
To MaraMay & Jaime:

All I have to say is you all are my life savers!!! :) BIG TIME! Thank you so much! You just don't know how much you've helped me. It's comforting to know that I am not alone and that I am not crazy for noticing this same exact problem. This nearly brings me to tears. I signed up to this site just to post this comment! God bless you ladies!
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Avatar universal
Hi All,

MaraMay brings up such a good point -- that females are sooo hypersensitive to our own body smells, whilst our partners may not notice a thing. Keep in mind, that the only time a love partner has the opportunity to get close enough to us to detect anything they are already aroused and into lovemaking, so it is doubtful a strong odour would get in the way of that unstoppable force!! (assuming, of course that it IS indeed a healthy strong odour and not something truly pathogenic or illness-related!). I am an advocate of natural, dietary, and non-pharma answers to most problems. When you need drugs, please have your doctor guide you and take them, but realise that often times it is simply anxiety based on perception due to lack of reference. Case in point. I have rarely known a lesbian woman who complains about changes in vulval, clitoral, or vaginal odour unless related to BV, trich, thrush, etc.

Thx,
Ali
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Avatar universal
LADIES I'VE FOUND THE SOLUTION!!! I knew about how the vagina (inside) can have an imbalance of good bacteria vs bad and all of you, like me don't have the problem inside just the clitoris area.  So after reading all of your stories I knew I sooooo wasn't alone.  Like some of you, my husband didn't know what I was talking about, he couldn't smell it, and neither could my doctor and the cultures came back fine, but I knew I wasn't crazy! We all bathe often and well lol, and the problem just won't leave and for me sometimes it'd get even worse the more I scrubbed and concentrated on the area.  Well!! I looked up how I could introduce good bacteria to the vagina and figured I'd try it in the clitoral area.  I found results that said soak a tampon in yogurt or milk and insert it into the vagina for 15 minutes.  So what I did (skeptically I might add) was soak a wash cloth in milk to get it fully saturated then I placed it inside my labia so it'd be up against my clitoris and kept it there for 15 minutes.  IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Here we are two weeks later now and I'm still stoked because I'm back to my old selft after like 5 years.  I'm sure you guys have taken antibiotics too and we know it kills all bacteria, bad and good and while they will eventually come back, the bad grows faster so while we may have enough good to keep our vagina fine, the vulva area on the other hand, specifically the clitoris, suffers because there isn't enough good.  And everytime we'd wash vigorously, we'd kill the good AGAIN and so each time, the bad grows fast and the good just can't keep up, and it's the bad that causes odor. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE you don't know how happy I am and how HAPPY I AM TO SHARE SUCH GREAT NEWS!!!!!
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I tried it with yogurt (plain, non-fat) and it worked like a charm! Thank you MaraMay!! Yogurt is easier than milk since you can smear a little on and it stays put.
Avatar universal
It's normal fatty acid secretions from the apocrine glands that are digested by microorganisms on the skin.  Otherwise known as bacteria, which then emit a volatile or pungent sweaty smell.  Some people smell more than others.  It is not unusual. More people than you think are affected by this. Try to avoid coffee, tobacco and alcohol as all these are stimulants and make you smell more.  Also foods high in spice and red meat can make you slightly smellier.  Stress-not good either.  AS ABOVE - My suggestions - use a very high quality moisturising body wash.  Before you get in the shower without water just handful of bodywash give yourself a really good scrub around the genitals for a few minutes.  Then wash off and repeat.  Try not to dilute with water too much until you have repeated this three times.  Then shower as normal.  Do this twice a day.  Drink plenty of water. A powder with baking soda, or a powder helps.  I hope this helps.  I understand how embarrassing it can be, but you can manage it!!  Just for the record I still drink coffee and have a glass of wine in the evening and my hubby of ten years never complains.  
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Avatar universal
I too have this problem, and it's been bothering me for a few years, as well. I know for a FACT that it comes from the clitoris (I did the towel test that jamiedoll suggested, and sure enough...). I'm nervous about going to my doctor because this is SUCH an embarrassing problem, and I'm worried that he'll have to take a whiff himself (I don't want to have ANYONE smell this...). So has anyone with this problem gone to see their doc/gyno about this yet? If so, what was the problem? If I know what this problem is and how the doc will go about curing it, I'll be much less hesitant to go see my doctor because I know what's going on. Many thanks in advance!!
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Avatar universal
I have this problem too. I'm glad I found this forum because I was getting worried about it. I started to think I had an infection, but I knew that the smell was coming from my clitoris.
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Avatar universal
I have this exact problem as well but I have yet to visit the doctor.  Have you been to the doctor and they have not given you anything to help with the odor?  I figured it was an infection and I was going to go to the doctor but I don't want to bother if they can't do anything for me.
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