Vaginal secretions and the accompanying odor are a part of the normal female experience. The normal vaginal smell is difficult to describe just as the smell of a fresh breath. Most people describe it as a fresh, slightly sweet smell. There is nothing offensive about it. If at any time the odor becomes strong and foul, then it is definitely abnormal. In some cases the fix can be as easy as increased hydration to dietary changes. Other times there is a shift in bacteria milieu requiring the expertise of a vulvovaginal specialist to direct proper therapy. Occasionally, there are serious causes such as presence of STD or cancer.
Vaginal Odors – Benign Causes
Vaginal odors most commonly are a result of a shift in vaginal micro-flora to favor anaerobic bacteria as in the case of bacterial vaginosis. This is a fairly common vaginal infection, which is caused by bacterial imbalance in the vagina. The vaginal flora includes a mix of good and bad bacteria, with the good bacteria typically keeping the bad in check. A more indolent form is known as noninflammatory vaginosis (NV).
However, there are many instances in which other overgrowth of bacteria occur including aerobic bacterial overgrowth leading to altered vaginal micro-flora patterns of inflammatory vaginitis (IV) or desquamative inflammatory vaginitis (DIV). Most gynecologist are not familiar with the spectrum of altered vaginal micro-flora patterns because of lack of training, no financial incentive to see women with vaginitis due to the reimbursement codes and the finding are better visualized under more sophisticated microscopes then the standard light microscopes typically used in gynecologist offices.
Treatment Options
Despite conventional treatment options of vaginal and/or oral antibiotics, some women only get transient relief and then their symptoms relapse. These women can now benefit from the expertise of Dr. R. Stuart Fowler of Fowler GYN International (FGI) who uses advanced phase-contrast microscopic diagnostic techniques to tailor treatment and provide the vaginal nutrients to restore the natural bacterial balance in the vagina.
At FGI they achieve an accurate diagnosis, by doing a Vaginal Fluid Analysis (VFA) test to analyze the altered micro-flora patterns in the vagina. Based on these findings, they are able to successfully treat the vaginal odor using vaginal rejuvenate therapy. If you notice that the discharge from your vagina just doesn’t smell right, don’t hesitate to make every effort to stop that vaginal odor.