What Causes Strong Vaginal Odor?
Along with vaginal dryness, vaginal itch, and vaginal discharge, vaginal odor is one the leading reasons women consult gynecologists. Even in healthy women, normal vaginal secretions can have a slightly “cheesy” or “antiseptic” smell. Contact of the vagina with semen can result in the release of a “fishy” odor. The greatest amount of vaginal discharge occurs at the midpoint of a woman’s menstrual cycle, so this odor will naturally be stronger around the time of ovulation, when fertility is greatest. Vaginal mucus (distinguished from menstrual blood) is released all the time, but the volume of discharge is about twice as great around Day 14 of a woman’s period. The actual volume of discharge is normally 2 to 4 ml, about 1/2 a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon a day. Immediately after the menstrual period the mucus is “slippery” and produced in higher volume, and right around ovulation the mucus is “dry” and produced in lower volume. The relationship of vaginal odor to vaginal infections is not eas
