What is Vaginal Fluid Made Of?
The main component of vaginal fluid is water and the main purpose of this fluid is to provide lubrication to the vagina. The fluid also contains vitamins; organic compounds that help make steroids; urea (a waste product of urine); acetic and lactic acids (weak acids used in biochemical reactions); alcohols (as waste products of intestinal bacteria’s respiration); ketones (produced when fat is broken down by the body); and, aldehydes (helps form alcohols). This fluid is usually slightly acidic. What Affects the Smell and Taste of Body Fluids? There are many factors that can affect the smell and taste of body fluids. Pyridine, which is part of the vitamins in vaginal fluid, gives it that fishy smell. Acetic acid gives the fluid the vinegar flavor and strong smell. Alcohols in the fluid can also add mild fermented sugar smell. The flavor of vaginal fluid changes depending on the level of sexual arousal, what phase of the menstrual cycle a woman is in, what she has been eating, if she is s
