Free Book Excerpt from "The V Book: A Doctor's Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health"

Your own individual differences

Not only does each woman have an individual scent, but it's also possible for that odor to change, possibly leading you to suspect a problem when none exists. Odor in body fluids is very complex, since hundreds of ingredients present in the fluids contribute to the odor…

…Not a lot of work has been done on vaginal odor. There seem to be two distinct types of women, those who produce large amounts of a certain kind of acid (short-chain aliphatic acids) and those who produce little or no acid other than the weak acetic acid of vinegar. Acid producers seem to have a stronger and more distinct odor. The top notes of this odor result from the acids with a cheesy smell. In both the high acid producers and the low acid producers, the most common acid was lactic acid, one of the components of milk. It's assumed to be the principal cause of vaginal acidity. The odor of lactic acid is almost identical to that of sour milk or yogurt and is often the top note in secretions from women who are non-acid-producers. If you are a high acid producer, you may have secretions that have a slight cheesy kind of smell, and if you are a low acid producer the faint odor of sour milk may predominate…

…Sweat, urine, and vaginal secretions are part of the great design. In the absence of another physical problem, they're not something that needs fixing.

So if you are concerned about odor, rule out vaginal infection. Deal with sweating and urinary causes as suggested. In addition, you can use a plastic squeeze bottle filled with warm water to rinse vaginal secretions from the vulva after using the bathroom, and you can change underwear (carry extra sets) two or three times a day.