A New Vaginal Odour: What It Can Mean and When to Be Seen

A change in vaginal smell is one of the most common reasons women book a visit, and one of the least talked about. Many wait weeks, try a wash or a douche, and end up more unsettled than when they started. A change in odour is a signal worth understanding, not a sign of poor hygiene.

The most frequent cause of a fishy smell, especially noticeable after sex or around a period, is bacterial vaginosis, a shift in the balance of the vagina's normal bacteria. A sour or yeasty smell with thick, itchy discharge points more towards thrush. A foul smell with a frothy or discoloured discharge can suggest a sexually transmitted infection, and a very strong smell that began suddenly can occasionally be a forgotten tampon or condom. These causes are treated differently, which is why guessing or repeating the same over-the-counter product often fails.

Washing inside the vagina, scented products and frequent douching tend to upset the natural balance and can make the smell return sooner. Gentle external washing with plain water or a mild unscented cleanser is enough. Cotton underwear and changing out of damp clothing after exercise help in the background but do not replace a diagnosis.

A check is straightforward: a short history, a gentle examination, and a swab of the discharge that is looked at the same visit when possible, with further tests where an infection is suspected. Treatment then matches the cause, and if bacterial vaginosis keeps coming back we look at the pattern behind it rather than simply repeating the course.

Please be seen sooner if the smell comes with pain, fever, pelvic tenderness, bleeding between periods or after sex, or if you could be pregnant.

THE FIT CLINIC is on the 8th Floor of EM Tower, EMSPHERE, 628 Sukhumvit Road, a short walk from BTS Phrom Phong, open daily 10:00 to 19:00. No referral is needed; book on LINE @thefitbkk, +66 92 294 6555, or bkkgyne@gmail.com. Consultations are in English or Thai, and an interpreter in another language can be arranged with advance notice if you ask on LINE when booking.