According to experts, the smell before, during and after critical days is the norm for women. During menstruation, there is a discharge of the mucous layer of the inner uterus, which is rejected in the form of blood clots. This fluid contains iron. For this reason, the discharge has a characteristic smell of raw meat. Normally, it is weakly expressed. Why do menstruation stink? The reasons for this phenomenon are considered in the article.
When does a woman not need to worry?
Critical days are a normal process, which consists in the passage of the inner layer of the uterus, and it occurs every month, provided there is no pregnancy. In healthy women, the bloody discharge has a meaty or metallic smell. It usually does not cause discomfort and is felt only when changing hygiene items. The period of use of one gasket should not exceed four hours. Otherwise, the proliferation of harmful microorganisms will begin to occur in menstrual blood. This process will be further accelerated if the girl did not wash off the vaginal discharge for a long time. Some women are interested in the question of why menstruation stink.
Unpleasant odor can be associated with pathologies as well as with other reasons not related to disruption of the body.
Ignoring hygiene rules
Speaking about why menstruation stink, it should be noted: this phenomenon is often explained by the fact that a woman does not pay due attention to the purity of her body. Each representative of the weaker sex during critical days needs to be washed at least twice a day and regularly change pads or tampons.
If the girl has an acute sense of smell, in order to avoid discomfort, she is advised to choose flavored hygiene items. They include deodorized gel. This substance helps to absorb the smell of bloody discharge. Any product should be replaced as it is filled. The optimal period of use of one pad (swab) should be equal to four hours. Why do menstruation stink? Subject to hygiene standards, any pungent odor of bloody discharge is not the norm. It indicates the presence of inflammation or other pathological process in the body.
Concomitant signs of disease
Often, the unpleasant smell of discharge during critical days is accompanied by discomfort and a significant deterioration in well-being. The woman has the following symptoms:
- Sensation of itching, burning and red tint of the external genitalia.
- Discomfort in the lower peritoneum, pain in the lumbar spine.
- Irregular cycle of menstruation, a change in the amount of spotting.
- Feeling of weakness, which is accompanied by an increase in temperature.
In the presence of the above symptoms, a woman is recommended to consult a doctor and undergo examinations. After laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures, the specialist will be able to establish why menstruation stinks and prescribe adequate therapy for the ailment revealed in the patient.
The inflammatory process in the vaginal mucosa
In many cases, the unpleasant and pronounced smell of menstrual blood is accompanied by a change in the general condition of the organs of the reproductive system, the consistency and shade of the discharge. One of the causes of this symptomatology is colpitis. Various microbes, bacteria, fungi can provoke such a pathology. This ailment causes a change in microflora in the vaginal area. It is often found in women who ignore hygiene rules, suffered mechanical damage or surgery, have latent foci of infection in the body, diseases of the urinary system, intestines.
Before the onset of critical days, hormonal changes occur. As a result of this process, bacteria begin to multiply rapidly. Bloody discharge during menstruation also has a negative effect on the inflamed walls of the vagina.
Colpitis is one of the reasons why menstruation stinks. Pathology is accompanied by swelling, a red tinge of tissues, a feeling of discomfort.
Gardenenelez
This ailment is also called bacterial vaginosis. In the genital tract of a healthy girl there are bacteria that do not adversely affect the organs of the reproductive system. Imbalance leads to the appearance of gardenenesis. The factors that provoke the development of the disease include: weakening of the immune system, exposure to low temperatures, emotional overstrain, hormonal disruptions. Too frequent hygiene procedures (douching), the use of intimate cosmetics, which include artificial components, as well as the uncontrolled use of antibiotics also increase the likelihood of growth of harmful microflora.
The condition of patients with gardeninosis worsens during the period of critical days. At the same time, the blood has the smell of stale fish or meat, contains yellow or greenish blotches. A woman feels a burning sensation in the vaginal area, discomfort during sexual intercourse. Gardeninosis is one of the possible reasons why menstruation stinks rotten. If there are signs of pathology, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner and begin treatment to avoid complications.
Candidiasis
This common ailment provokes fungi. It occurs as a result of a deterioration in the functions of the immune system, hormonal failure, latent infection, improperly selected intimate cosmetics, or contraceptive methods. The cause of the onset of the ailment may be the abuse of drugs, especially antibiotics, exposure to excessively low temperatures. Fungi help reduce the number of beneficial bacteria, disrupt microflora in the external genitalia.
That is why patients with candidiasis ask a question about why menstruation stink of sour milk. Women with this disease feel itching, discomfort and burning in the area of the vagina, suffer from severe pain during urination and with intimate contacts. During the critical days, the symptoms increase significantly. An unpleasant sour smell becomes especially pronounced. After the end of menstruation, a white coating appears on the vaginal mucosa, resembling grains of cottage cheese.
Sexually transmitted diseases
The main sign of such infections is greenish or yellow discharge, which is observed in the periods between monthly bleeding. The remaining symptoms practically do not differ from those that arise with other pathologies of the reproductive system. Such diseases are one of the reasons why menstruation stink of rotten or rotten fish. An unpleasant and pungent odor is associated with the reproduction of harmful bacteria in the vagina.
Before menstruation, patients with sexually transmitted infections experience lethargy, discomfort in the lower abdomen and lower back, a feeling of nausea, and fever. The discharge after critical days is plentiful, especially in the morning. They smell unpleasant, have a yellowish or green tint. The process of urination is accompanied by a thread.
Such discomfort indicates a pronounced inflammatory process. Without adequate therapy, the infection becomes chronic or latent. A woman has a cycle failure, the amount of bloody discharge during menstruation increases.
Unpleasant odor after critical days
This symptom is also explained by various pathologies (thrush, genital infections, inflammatory processes in the reproductive organs). However, its cause may be ignoring the rules of hygiene, overweight, excessive douching, erratic intimate contacts.
Why does the discharge stink after menstruation? Often, women smell urine in the vagina. In some cases, it is explained by emotional shock. Sensitive overweight girls often experience stress incontinence. Even a small amount of urine causes an increase in pressure in the area of the peritoneum, is secreted during coughing or sneezing, with physical exertion. However, in some cases, the pungent smell of ammonia in the vaginal area indicates the development of diabetes.
Related circumstances
A woman who is interested in the question of why menstruation stink should pay attention to the following aspects:
- The presence of pathologies of a non-gynecological nature.
- Previously diagnosed defects in the development of the reproductive system.
- Mechanical damage to the genitals, surgical interventions.
These circumstances can cause various disorders of the reproductive system. Only a specialist can explain why menstruation stinks during menstruation.
Therefore, if a pungent odor regularly occurs during critical days and is accompanied by discomfort, then a woman needs to see a doctor. Unpleasant sensations can be reduced if you follow a few simple rules.
How to get rid of the pungent smell of secretions?
If this phenomenon is not accompanied by discomfort, the girl should only pay more attention to hygiene measures. You need to wash yourself with warm and clean water (you can add a small amount of potassium permanganate to it). The procedure should be carried out from two to four times a day, depending on the intensity of the bleeding. During critical days, it is advisable to abandon the use of intimate cosmetics.
Gaskets should be changed regularly. The use of tampons should not exceed two hours.
If hygiene procedures do not solve the problem
Why do menstruation stink even after washing? The presence of an unpleasant odor, which cannot be eliminated even in the case of regular washing, as well as the presence of concomitant symptoms of pathology is an occasion to consult a specialist. The woman herself is not able to determine the cause of the disease. After laboratory tests of blood and secretions, ultrasound and gynecological examination, the doctor can make a diagnosis.
Unpleasant odor is a symptom indicating the presence of pathology. The reason why menstruation stinks so much can be a reproductive system infection or inflammation. Lack of therapy leads to complications.