How a Yeast Infection Smells (Candida Odor)
Yeast infections often may have absolutely no smell at all. If you have a more severe infection, you may also have a cottage cheese like discharge from the vagina. This whitish ooze is simply yeast and it can smell like fermenting yeast--as you would also smell in fermenting beer or bread. Yeast, if it has a smell, will smell like the yeast you buy from the store to leaven bread; or, it could smell like beer to some extent. But, if you are noticing a vaginal fishy smell, this is highly indicative of bacterial vaginosis. Yeast infections will not cause a fishy vaginal odor.Bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections can occur at the same time. So, if you seem to have all the classic signs of a yeast infections, and you also have a foul or fishy vaginal odor, this can mean you’ve got two forms of vaginitis. Also, trichomoniasis, a common sexually transmitted disease (STD), can also cause a foul vaginal odor. So, if you have had some risky sexual activity lately, your bad vaginal odor could be due to this STD.
To help better understand what your symptoms mean, the following research will discuss the various symptoms of common forms of vaginitis. But, if you have a cottage cheese like vaginal discharge, and you have no vaginal odor--or a slight “yeast” smell from the vagina--you may just have a yeast infection.
Vaginal Odor Research
One study discussed the various symptoms of common causes of vaginitis; one of which was Candida. The study was published in the journal American Family Physician [83.7 (2011): 807-815]. As far as the symptoms of vaginal yeast infections go, the study cited thick, white vaginal discharge; burning, pain during urination, pain during sexual intercourse, frequent itchiness, and a lack of vaginal odor as indicators of a yeast infection. Vaginitis that carries an odor was caused by trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis. Both trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis would cause a “fishy” smelling vagina. Also,bacterial vaginosis will often present with a homogenous, thin vaginal discharge. Thus we see most yeast infections will have no smell. The following chart was taken from the study and relates the primary symptoms of common vaginal infections.When your vagina doesn't smell like itself, something else might be going on
While feminine odor is not exactly something we like to discuss over dinner — and Lord knows those Vagasil odor-block protection wash commercials make the best of us cringe while in the company of the opposite sex — it's a fact of life and happens to everyone.
We all have a distinct "brand" that's a combination of the natural bacteria that reside in your vaginal tract, diet,
hygiene, clothing choices, and gland secretions — so when your personal
odor suddenly takes a turn for the worst, it's a little unsettling.
Yes, you may want to ignore the smell and just pray that it goes away
ASAP, but it's extremely important not to brush it off — a change in
odor can actually be an indicator that you've got some health problems
going on.
Here are five of the most common reasons (and one less common reason) that the smell of your vagina might start to change.