The scent of a woman… isn’t always what you expect.
In fact, the notes of her nether region can actually change depending on what a lady’s nibbled on that day.
“People are often surprised by how much vaginal and vulvar odor can vary, including changes related to what they eat,” Dr. Kate McLean, OB-GYN and chief medical officer at Evvy told The Post.
“I’ve had patients come in worried that a new or stronger smell means something is wrong, when sometimes it’s simply a temporary change in their body odor after eating certain foods.”
It’s not necessarily coming out of your vagina, McLean explained. The whole area is exposed to sweat, urine, discharge and other bodily secretions, all of which contribute to the smell.
Here’s what to know about the biggest culprits, how to get rid of food smells in the region — and when odor might point to a problem.
Foods that can cast a stench
Garlic is a classic example, McLean said. After eating, the area might smell garlicky or like sulfur. Garlic breaks down into sulfur compounds that circulate in the blood and released in the breath and through sweat.
“Raw garlic tends to have a stronger effect because cooking breaks down some of the sulfur compounds,” she said. “When there is an effect, people may notice it within a few hours, and it generally clears within 24 to 48 hours.”
The amount of garlic needed to achieve such an effect varies a lot from person to person and from day to day — the amount of sweating, type of clothing, hormonal changes, and individual vaginal microbiome all contribute to any smell.
“A healthy vagina is not supposed to smell like flowers.”
Dr. Kate McLean
“I wouldn’t recommend trying to calculate a ‘safe’ amount of garlic to eat. If you love garlic, eat the garlic,” McLean said. “You don’t need to avoid nutritious foods because you’re worried about a temporary change in scent.”
Plus, there are lots of other foods that have a similar effect. Onion, asparagus, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, can all change the aroma around the vagina. All three give off sulfurous compounds.
Plus, spicy foods and coffee can make you sweat more and give off more smells of what you just ate, especially spices like curry, cumin, and fenugreek. Alcohol also breaks down into smelly chemicals released in breath and sweat.
What’s normal?
“A healthy vagina is not supposed to smell like flowers,” McLean emphasizes. Earthy, tangy, musky, or slightly sweet — and changing throughout the menstrual cycle with hormonal shifts — are all normal.
And while some foods are more likely to raise a stink, there’s no food that makes your vagina smell “better or sweeter,” she said. “You may see claims online that pineapple or certain fruits can change your vaginal scent, but there isn’t good evidence for that.”
Any food-related odor should go away within a day or two, and it’s nothing to be concerned about.
“If the odor persists for more than a couple of days, becomes particularly strong or fishy, or is accompanied by unusual discharge, itching, burning, irritation, or pain, that’s when I’d want someone to check in with a healthcare provider,” she said.
At that point, doctors will want to rule out something like bacterial vaginosis or another infection.
How to deal with food-related stink between the legs
If you smell something, give it time — don’t mess around down there.
“If the smell is dietary, your body needs to metabolize and clear those compounds, so there’s no need to aggressively try to ‘clean’ your vagina,” she said. The vagina cleans itself.
Don’t douche, use scented sprays, washes, or vaginal deodorants. Those products can disrupt the natural vaginal environment and even make the smell worse.
That includes putting garlic or other food up in there to “fix the smell” — a myth that’s apparently been floating around. This can cause significant disruptions to the vagina’s delicate balance.
Plus, drink water and pee. That will help get out any smelly waste and reduce the concentration in your body.
Wearing breathable underwear and changing out of sweaty clothes can also help, McLean says. This can mitigate sweat smells.
