An unpleasant smell after menstruation can be a symptom of bacterial vaginosis - the most common infectious disease of the female genital organs. Their incidence reaches 80%, and the incidence of bacterial vaginosis does not depend on the age and race of the woman.

A less common cause of the appearance of discharge with an unpleasant smell is specific urinary infections. These include mycoplasmosis, chlamydia, ureaplasmosis. Any of these conditions require adequate treatment.

1 Causes of an unpleasant smell

The constant allocation of a small amount is normal for a woman. Monthly lead to a slight increase in the amount of mucus and increased odor, it is not unpleasant. But the separation with a bad smell immediately after the month may appear in any woman. The reasons for this may be non-compliance with personal hygiene or the development of an infectious disease.

If a woman is not careful enough about personal hygiene during menstruation, rarely changes hygiene products, there is stagnation of blood discharge on the walls of the vagina. Under the action of body temperature, the blood begins to collapse, emitting an unpleasant odor.

If a woman uses tampons during menstruation, she may forget to remove it from the vagina. Within a day, the tampon begins to decompose, emitting an extremely fetid miasm. A dangerous consequence of a tampon forgotten in the vagina is an infectious toxic shock that causes a woman to die.

In women with menstrual disorders, menstruation lasts more or less than physiological ones. If the periods are short and scanty, many women leave one lining for a long time. As a result, blood, urine drops, and other compartments accumulate on it, which together leads to the appearance of odor. With prolonged menses, there are often spotting in the last days of menstruation. They consist of already coagulated blood, have a brownish color and a stagnant odor.

Menstruation is a process that is accompanied by a weakening of the immune system and a decrease in the protective properties of the mucous membranes in an intimate place. And blood is a good breeding ground for microorganisms. All this together increases the risk of specific and non-specific genital diseases. The waste products of microorganisms always have an extremely unpleasant odor.

2 Infectious diseases

Infections that can cause profuse discharge with:

• Non-specific flora causing;
• Ureaplasmosis;
• Candidiasis;
• Mycoplasmosis;
• Chlamydia;
• Trichomoniasis.

All of these infections, with the exception of bacterial vaginosis, are sexually transmitted. And in men, in most cases they are asymptomatic. Discharge from the genital tract in women with these pathologies are constantly present, but after menstruation especially increases. The increase in the amount of secretions associated with the activation of pathogenic flora due to a temporary decrease in immunity.

Another cause of the increase in unpleasant odor after menstruation is urinary incontinence. Periodic discharge of even a small amount of urine mixed with menstrual blood quickly leads to their decomposition and the appearance of a sour smell.

3 Peculiarities of secretions in various diseases

Characteristics of secretions from the genital tract differ depending on the reason that caused their appearance:

Disease genitals	Characteristics of the pathological process
Bacterial vaginosis	Nonspecific infectious disease caused by opportunistic flora. It develops when the number of lactobacilli decreases. The main symptom is the discharge from the genital tract of muddy mucus with a sharp smell of rotten fish or rotten fish. The greatest amount of discharge is observed within a few days before and after menstruation. At the same time, intestinal dysbiosis develops, leading to impaired stool
Candidiasis	Selections have a cheesy appearance, accumulate on the walls of the vagina. Their number is usually insignificant. The smell is peculiar sour. Accompanied by severe itching and discomfort.
Ureaplasmosis	The discharge is scant, with unsharp smell. Has a slimy character. Women are more concerned with subjective symptoms - and urethra
Mycoplasmosis	Symptoms minor. The discharge is scanty, almost without aroma, it is intensified only during menstruation. In most cases, the discharge is clear or cloudy-white.
Chlamydia	Subjective feelings are expressed slightly. Discharge in moderate amounts, mucous, less mucopurulent. The smell is expressed mild
Trichomoniasis	Infection caused by trichomonads, occurs in men without symptoms. Women appear foamy purulent discharge, causing itching and. Labia are swollen and hyperemic. The smell of discharge is pronounced, purulent. In severe cases, bleeding of the vaginal mucosa is observed.

Any of the above symptoms - a reason to contact a gynecologist for examination and diagnosis of an unpleasant odor after menstruation. Treatment must be completed in a timely manner, until the infection has led to serious complications.

4 Diseases of internal organs

The smell after menstruation is caused not only by the specific microbial flora. Such inflammatory diseases of the internal genital organs, such as colpitis, vaginitis, and cervicitis lead to its enhancement. They can be caused by vaginal dysbiosis, damage to the mucous membrane, endocrine pathology of the body, poor hygiene of the external genital organs.

Accompanied by such a state of burning and itching in the vaginal region, pain when urinating, menstrual disorders. The amount of discharge becomes much more normal, they acquire a stagnant unpleasant odor.

Endometriosis, a pathology of the endometrium, also leads to an increase in foul-smelling. In this disease, dark blood is secreted with pieces of the endometrium with a putrid odor. A similar condition is also observed in case of interrupted uterine or ectopic pregnancy.

Uterine cancer is an extremely dangerous condition that leads to the appearance of rotten smell. With the disintegration of a cancer tumor, its pieces are released along with blood. This mixture has the extremely unpleasant aroma of rotten meat. Discharge abundant, dark red, with dense inclusions. This condition is observed at the last stage of the disease.

5 treatment

Discharge with an unpleasant odor after menstruation is a condition that necessarily requires treatment. Before you assign it, you need to find out the cause of heavy discharge. This requires consultation of a gynecologist and a dermatovenerologist.

After the examination, which consists in taking a vaginal smear, an appropriate treatment will be prescribed. If no disease is detected, the woman is required to properly maintain the hygiene of the genitals, especially during menstruation. It is necessary to wash every day using special gels - Lactacid, Saugella. Gaskets, even if the month is not heavy, you need to change at least once every four hours.

You should choose such hygiene products that contain a special absorbent layer that turns the liquid into a gel. So menstrual blood will not collapse and smell.

6 Conclusion

Unpleasant odor after menstruation is not an indicator of women's health. This symptom indicates the development of an infectious process in the genitals. Any urinary infection gives serious complications in the form of reproductive disorders. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly diagnose the disease and undergo appropriate treatment.

In addition to infectious diseases of the urogenital system, an unpleasant smell can be caused by serious pathologies - endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, uterine cancer. The appearance of heavy, foul-smelling discharge is an indication for referring to a gynecologist.

Every month a woman faces the phenomenon of menstruation. The beginning of the menstrual cycle is accompanied by the formation of discharge with blood, pain in the lower abdomen, discomfort. Without exaggeration, we can say that the cycle not only makes its own adjustments in everyday life, but also deprives women of their sexual life. Of course, after some time, a woman gets used to it. All of the above changes are typical for each of the fair sex, however, not every month has a bad smell. What is the nature of this smell? In this article we will tell which phenomena are considered the norm, and which indicate a pathological condition and why menstrual periods can stink.

Normally, bleeding has the smell of iron, so the presence of this kind of smell should not alarm the woman. When does a stinky smell occur? So, the fetid odor during menstruation is provoked by the following disorders:

• poor hygiene;
• bacterial vaginosis;
• thrush;
• other pathologies, including uterine cancer, bacterial inflammation of the uterine mucosa.

Nature of smell

Every month a woman deals with cyclical changes, which are called critical days. According to experts, the ideal cycle time is 28 days of calendar days. However, according to statistics, only 15 percent of women can boast such a course.

As noted above, the monthly smell is always present. What explains this phenomenon? The menstrual cycle starts after the attachment of the ovum to the prepared place. For the preparation of the ovaries, the uterus are responsible female hormones - progesterone and estrogen. In the uterus, the growth of the endometrium and the inner layer occurs. Their growth is necessary for the placenta, for feeding and forming a baby. In the absence of fertilization, all efforts go out.

The process of exfoliation of the endometrium is accompanied by rupture of the vessels. This process lasts until the contraction of the muscle layer. Dark shade and density - this is nothing but pieces of endometrium, and the smell is the result of the presence of blood. Thus, the presence of the smell of raw meat, iron have the same nature of occurrence - the action of iron, which is located in the erythrocyte.

Interesting is the fact that in one cycle a woman will spend only 50-100 grams of blood. Menstrual blood consists of a secret that is secreted by the uterine glands. In addition, the blood includes small elements of the endometrium and epithelial cells from the vagina. In the event that a woman is actively moving, then lumps in the liquid are not observed. Otherwise, a passive lifestyle leads to the accumulation of blood and the formation of clots. This phenomenon is considered normal and should not cause concern to women.

A very large percentage of women note the presence of a disgusting smell during the menstrual cycle. Odor occurs as a result of mixing secretions with vaginal microorganisms.

Normal position

Under the menstrual cycle refers to the process of exfoliation of the inner lining of the uterus. The life of healthy women is accompanied by a strong smell, having a resemblance to the smell of meat or a metallic tint. As a rule, it is mild and is characterized by the absence of unpleasant sensations. The use of hygienic products for more than 4 hours leads to an increase in the intensity of the process of reproduction of microorganisms. The smell can also occur against the background of a lack of prolonged showering. The result of this state is a putrid odor. Getting rid of the smell is only possible if all hygiene procedures are performed. During menstruation, it is recommended to wash at least 3 times a day and change the gaskets every 4 hours. As for changing tampons, it is recommended to change them every 2 hours.

Sign of pathologies

The presence of an unpleasant odor can occur against the background of many factors unrelated to the stable functioning of the female body.

In some cases, women note that menstruation is accompanied by a rotten smell related to fish. It is worth noting that this kind of phenomenon indicates bacterial vaginosis. This disease is also called vaginal dysbiosis. Pathology develops due to the predominance of the conditional pathogenic flora in the vaginal environment. This kind of fishy smell also occurs at the end of the menstrual cycle. Characteristically, this fragrance is activated at the end of menstruation. The smell during menstruation may have a sour tone. As a rule, it occurs against the background of a condition such as Candida. Thrush is caused by the fungus of the genus Candida and is accompanied by itching and burning of the genitals. At the end of the cycle, cottage cheese bunches enter the woman’s life. Regardless of the nature of the smell, any changes require intervention by a gynecologist.

Solution to the problem

Despite the fact that the monthly have their own specific smell and are considered the norm, there are several methods to reduce the unpleasant smell of menstruation.

So, the first method involves the use of natural personal care products. Experts insist on the use of pads and tampons, which are based on natural elements, consisting of natural ingredients. Moreover, these days it is more desirable to wear cotton underwear, and as a means for washing up, use means based on herbal decoctions.

The second method is based on the use of hygiene products that do not contain flavors. Such components not only do not eliminate the smell, but also contribute to the spread of bacteria.

The third way is to take a shower regularly. It is not only refreshing, but also allows you to get rid of unnecessary odors. When taking a shower should take into account one important detail - the vagina does not need to be washed from the inside. Such actions can deploy the vaginal microflora.

The slightest changes in the consistency of vaginal discharge or smell in the process of the menstrual cycle require the participation of not only the woman, but also the specialist. As you know, it is easier to prevent any disease, pathological change, than to treat it for a long time.

The presence of other symptoms causes a woman to consult with a gynecologist and be examined. Delivery of tests allows to determine the exact cause of the pathology. Only after this specialist prescribes etiological therapy and symptomatic treatment.

Useful result

In conclusion, we will summarize a little. As practice shows, the causes of unpleasant smell during menstruation are different and have their own nature. In this regard, to determine the exact reason for the smell of menstruation, you must seek the help of a specialist. Only a thorough examination of the problem and a full medical examination. Only an examination gives the right to treatment prescriptions. If the monthly stink and are complemented by unpleasant manifestations, then this is a serious reason to visit a gynecologist. Remember this, dear women!

In fact, the female reproductive system is not only a complex, but also a rather fragile mechanism that requires regular attention.

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was right, who said one clever phrase: "Health for man is not all, however, everything without health is zero." Lovely women, remember this phrase and pay attention to any deviations in time.

From the moment they enter sexual age, each girl has a discharge from the genital tract, which in itself is a physiological process. What are the selection and why they arise, we will try to figure out below.

Vaginal secretions, like the menstrual cycle itself, undergo complex evolutionary changes every month under the influence of reproductive hormones (estrogen and progesterone).

What is the normal secret secreted from the vagina?

Vaginal secretion in nature can be divided into several types, corresponding to different periods of the menstrual cycle and the predominance of one or another hormone during this period.

• the first half of the cycle - includes the time of the predominance of the hormone estrogen and lasts 11-14 days, the discharge has a slimy, transparent appearance and gradually their number increases by the time of ovulation, have no odor;
• ovulatory period - occurs in the middle of the cycle, when the egg matures and leaves the ovary. At this time, the secret is similar to the discharge in the first half of the cycle, however, at this time there can be scanty dark brown patches appearing at the time of the rupture of the follicle;
• the second half of the cycle - characterized by the predominance of progesterone, at this time, the discharge becomes thicker and viscous, and their number gradually decreases and before the menstrual period they can almost disappear;
• the period of menstrual bleeding - characterized by the emergence of physiological "bleeding" from the genital tract of the girl. Menstrual flow consists of blood, mucus and epithelial tissue of the uterine lining.

Characteristics of menstruation:

• lasts 3-7 days;
• more intense in the first days;
• physiological blood loss in the range of 40-60 ml;
• discharge of bloody nature, red or scarlet, have a slight "metallic" smell.