Can a woman's scent change?
Dear Dr. Kate,
My question is this: I have a friend that is a 26-year-old married man. He's been married for about five years and has three kids. We were talking the other day in a circle of friends and the subject (as usual) turned to sex. He said that the smell and taste of his wife's vagina had changed dramatically since she had given birth and the odor was quite pungent no matter what. I have since been horrified--will my vagina have a strong odor and/or bad taste in the future when I decide to have children? I asked my friend about it and he said it happens to all women. Say it isn't so!
Odorless in Orlando
Dear Odorless,
I'm so glad you wrote--your email is horrifying. To set the record straight: every woman has a particular scentand taste to her vaginal secretions. Unless she has an infection, she should consider them normal and a part of her. So many things can change this scent--your diet, your hormones, your workouts. But childbirth won't necessarily change it. And in the end, it's not something you can really change, or should really even want to. How you smell and taste is as much a part of you as your shoe size (or cup size, for that matter). Do you think that men worry about if their spunk tastes funky? (After childbirth,do you need physical therapy--down there?)
Just for good measure, make sure you don't douche, even if you're worried about your odor. Unless your friend is a gynecology researcher, I'm amazed he feels confident speaking for "all women." As someone who IS a gynecology researcher, I can tell you that you can NEVER lump all women together (beyond "we all have breasts and a vagina"). Try not to worry too much...and try not to end up with such a know-it-all jackass.
Have any of you heard about changes in your secretions after childbirth?
Related: How do you feel about decorating down under?
MORE FROM DAILY BEDPOST ANDGLAMOUR:
