{"id":1018,"date":"2021-05-27T17:22:42","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T17:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missinformed.ca\/post\/help-my-vagina-smells-like-a-vagina"},"modified":"2026-02-24T00:46:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:46:29","slug":"help-my-vagina-smells-like-a-vagina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/help-my-vagina-smells-like-a-vagina\/","title":{"rendered":"Help! My vagina smells like a… vagina?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Often, the healthcare-related questions we ask do not have simple answers. What happens<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

during my period?<\/u><\/a> Should I do a breast self-exam?<\/u><\/a> What causes PMS?<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in the case of cleaning your vulva and vagina, the answer could not be easier. To clean your vulva, all you need is warm water and to clean your vagina, you need absolutely nothing. I know\u2026 sounds too easy! But it\u2019s true, both during your period and otherwise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, a quick note on anatomy. The vulva<\/strong> is the external<\/em> sexual & reproductive anatomy for those assigned female at birth (1<\/u><\/a>). This is the part of your genitals that touches your clothing. It includes the mons pubis, labia minora, labia majora, clitoris, urethral and vaginal opening, and perineum. The vagina<\/strong> is the internal passageway that extends from the vaginal opening to the cervix (2<\/u><\/a>). The vagina is a component of the internal<\/em> sexual & reproductive anatomy for those assigned female at birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is nothing inherently \u201cdirty\u201d or \u201csmelly\u201d about your vagina, vulva, or your period. The smell of your vagina and vulva is completely normal. During your period, your vagina doesn\u2019t have a \u201cfunky odour.\u201d It smells exactly like it is supposed to \u2013 your vulva and vagina shouldn\u2019t smell like Hawaiian Breeze or Vanilla Clementine or taste like a Cherry Creamsicle to be considered clean, healthy, or desirable. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, the problem is with them not<\/em> you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are ever concerned about vulvar or vaginal odour, this is something you should discuss with a medical professional, and not something you should try to \u201cfix\u201d with scented products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vagina: Leave It Alone!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To put it simply, you should not be using anything to clean your vagina. Nothing that claims to clean your vagina, no matter how enticing and scientific the product description sounds, works. Your vagina is self-cleaning both during your period and otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the vagina, there are vaginal flora which are essentially healthy bacteria that live in the vagina (3<\/u><\/a>). These bacteria are the first line of defense against vaginal infection; they either directly kill harmful bacteria or outnumber them significantly so harmful bacteria cannot survive. When you put anything inside the vagina which supposedly \u201ccleans\u201d the vagina, it disrupts the flora that are living there. Douching, which is \u201ccleaning\u201d out the vaginal canal with water and other fluids (such as vinegar and baking soda), is an example of a process that can severely disrupt these healthy bacteria (4<\/u><\/a>). This leads to an increased risk of infections as you\u2019ve essentially killed off or impaired your first line of defense. An example infection is bacterial vaginosis<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may notice a clear or slightly milky discharge in your underwear or on toilet paper after you wipe \u2013 this discharge is coming from the vagina and it\u2019s your vagina\u2019s way of getting rid of old cells and fluids (5<\/u><\/a>). This is another way your vagina keeps itself clean and healthy! Vaginal discharge is completely normal when it is odourless or has a mild odour. If the odour smells distinctly \u201cfishy\u201d or if you are worried about the odour of your discharge, it\u2019s a good idea to speak to a medical professional. It is not<\/em> a good idea to try to mask the smell by using vaginal\/vulvar perfumes, deodorants, or scented wipes\/sprays. These products can irritate the skin of the vulva and can disrupt the vaginal flora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vulva: All You Need is Water!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Keeping your vulva clean is also super easy, both during your period and otherwise. All you need is warm water to rinse the vulva (6<\/u><\/a>). It\u2019s best to wash with only your hands, as washcloths and loofahs can be harsh on the skin. During your period, you do not need to do anything extra to keep your vulva clean and healthy. If you feel uncomfortable or if there is dried blood on the vulva, you can rinse with warm water more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wipes, sprays, deodorants, or perfumes do not clean your vulva any better than water. In fact, these products often have ingredients that irritate the skin of the vulva. This is especially true for scented products as fragrances are commonly abrasive on the skin. A survey of 1435 Canadians (98.6% cisgender women, 0.1% transgender women, 0.6% transgender men, and 0.8% provided no gender information) found that respondents who used a vaginal\/genital hygiene product had 3 times higher odds of reporting a history of bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections<\/u><\/a>, urinary tract infections<\/u><\/a>, or sexually transmitted infections<\/u><\/a> (7<\/u><\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you regularly use wipes, sprays, deodorants and other such products, we know it can be really hard to stop using these products right away. You can try slowly decreasing your frequency of use from every day, to every couple days, to once a week, until you feel comfortable not using them at all. In the meantime, you can wash your vulvar area with warm water a couple to multiple times a day if it makes your transition away from harmful products easier. Although it is not strictly necessary, you can also use a gentle, unscented soap on the vulva (always keeping an eye out for allergic reactions or skin irritation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vagisil, Summer\u2019s Eve: We see you and we don\u2019t like what we see<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite the fact that water is all you need to clean your vulva and although you need literally nothing to clean your vagina, there is an entire industry claiming to address this need. A plethora of products out there are designed to supposedly \u201cclean\u201d your vulva and vagina, and entice vagina owners using false claims and targeted branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Importantly, this industry depends on a historical script \u2013 the vagina and vulva are inherently dirty and shameful. This became very apparent when Vagisil launched a new line of products called \u201cOMV!\u201d which is presumably a play on \u201chip\u201d acronyms like \u201cOMG\u201d that young people use. This new line of products, which include a wash, no-sweat wipes, and an anti-itch serum, are designed specifically for teens. All I can think is… \u201cOMG why does this exist?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors, especially OB\/GYNs, were not at all impressed with Vagisil targeting teens with these unnecessary products (8<\/u><\/a>). Dr. Jen Gunter led a Twitter takedown of Vagisil and the OMV! line. She specifically called out their marketing messages, which aimed to get rid of \u201cperiod funk\u201d and not let \u201cbikini itch get in your way.\u201d Using messaging which says your vagina and vulva need a \u201cglow up\u201d sends a very clear message that these areas are inherently dirty and unclean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Importantly, a problem like \u201cbikini itch\u201d is something you should talk about with your doctor, not something that should be covered up with a cream. Not only will these products likely cause further irritation, but they also cover up what could be a more serious problem. According to Dr. Tanouye, \u201cfragrance is the #1<\/a> cause of allergic contact dermatitis<\/u><\/a>\u201d which means that these products are likely causing your itch rather than curing it (8<\/u><\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, caution: just because products say they are gynaecologist-tested, that doesn\u2019t mean they are gynaecologist-approved or -recommended, and it most definitely doesn\u2019t mean that you need them (8<\/u><\/a>). For example, a company could have had one gynaecologist test the product and report that it caused irritation in their patients, and that product could still be labelled as \u201cgynaecologist-tested.\u201d These labels are created to show scientific validity which doesn\u2019t exist. If you are ever curious about a product, it\u2019s best to talk to your family doctor or gynaecologist directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Vagisil claims they created OMV! because teens and moms wanted personal care products designed for their needs, Dr. Jones suggests a more insidious reason in her Youtube video<\/u><\/a> about the line. \u201c[These products] catch [teens] early where it becomes something they think they inherently need for the rest of their lives\u201d (8<\/u><\/a>). While the OMV! products were (according to Vagisil) created in collaboration with teens and moms, that doesn\u2019t mean Vagisil tried to inform these teens and moms that such products are unnecessary. Instead, they capitalized on insecurities that those with vulvas and vaginas commonly have about what is normal and hygenic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Summer\u2019s Eve commercial<\/u><\/a> claims that \u201cfeminine hygiene\u201d is the \u201celephant in our bathroom\u201d and then says, \u201csome women think they don\u2019t need it.\u201d If you are that person, you are absolutely right. No matter how much they claim their product is \u201cpH balanced\u201d and \u201csafe to use everyday,\u201d the fact remains that you don\u2019t need it. <\/strong>Your vagina and vulva are naturally pH balanced (the healthy bacteria in your vagina are doing the work for you!) so these products are literally attempting to fix a problem that doesn\u2019t exist, and probably causing that exact problem in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, the health of our vaginas and vulvas are never the elephant in the bathroom (or any room) and we should never feel ashamed to talk about these issues. The only elephant in the room here is the insidious \u201cfeminine hygiene\u201d industry that preys on our insecurities and tells us what our vaginas and vulvas should look, smell, and feel like (which is basically impossible to achieve without using their products). The commercial finishes off by asking us to use their products for one week\u2026 no thanks, Summer\u2019s Eve, that\u2019s one week too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have any feedback on this post or any of the content created by missINFORMED, please reach out to us at info@missinformed.ca. We appreciate and welcome all feedback as we are committed to continuous growth and improvement of our organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our article! We hope you appreciated the effort that went into bringing it to you today. As a small not-for-profit, we are heavily reliant on generous donations to helps us stay afloat. <\/em>Please consider donating to help ensure we can regularly provide health information for young people across Canada.<\/em><\/a> Every donation makes an impact!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Goodman H, Cunningham L. Anatomy of the Vulva.<\/em> University of Rochester Medical Centre. Available from: https:\/\/www.urmc.rochester.edu\/encyclopedia\/content.aspx?contenttypeid=34&contentid=19522-1<\/u><\/a>. [Accessed 25 May 2021].<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Tsili AC. Vagina and Vulva. In: Forstner R, Cunha Tm, Hamm B. (eds.) MRI and CT of the Female Pelvis. <\/em>Medical Radiology. Springer, Cham; 2017, p.343-368. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/174_2017_44<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Lewis FMT, Bernstein KT, Aral SO. Vaginal microbiome and its relationship to behavior, sexual health, and sexually transmitted diseases. Obstetrics & gynecology; <\/em>2019, 129(4), 643-654. Available from: https:\/\/www.doi.org\/10.1097\/AOG.0000000000001932<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Cottrell, BH. Vaginal douching. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing; 2003, 32(1): 12-18. Available from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0884217502239796<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Vaginal discharge. American Family Physician; <\/em>2004, 69(9), 2191-2192. Available from: https:\/\/www.aafp.org\/afp\/2004\/0501\/p2191.html<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Vulvar care. Journal of Midwifery & Women\u2019s Health; 2012, 57(3): 311-312. Available from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1542-2011.2012.00183.x<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Crann SE, Cunningham S, Albert A, Money DM, & O\u2019Doherty KC. Vaginal health and hygiene practices and product use in Canada: A national cross-sectional survey. BMC Women\u2019s Health; <\/em>2018, 18(52). Available from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12905-018-0543-y<\/u><\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Blum D. When Vagisil Targeted Teens, the Backlash was swift. The New York Times; 2021 Feb 18. Available from: https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/02\/18\/well\/vagisil-omv-teens.html<\/u><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Often, the healthcare-related questions we ask do not have simple answers. What happens during my period? Should I do a breast self-exam? What causes PMS? However, in the case of cleaning your vulva and vagina, the answer could not be easier. To clean your vulva, all you need is warm water and to clean your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sexual-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1018"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1398,"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018\/revisions\/1398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missinformed.swooncreative.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}