Every woman should know the features of her menstrual cycle. This will not only protect yourself from an unwanted pregnancy, calculate the optimal days for conception, but also recognize the onset of diseases in time. Even such a circumstance as an unpleasant odor during menstruation should be alarming, as it often indicates existing health problems.
What is a period?
Menstruation, or menstruation, is a blood discharge that appears in a woman every month. The menstrual cycle lasts an average of 21 to 36 days. Its regularity indicates the normal functioning of the female body.
For the first time, menstruation appears in adolescence, during the period when puberty occurs. Not everyone has this period at the same time, various factors can affect this circumstance:
- hereditary predisposition;
- Lifestyle;
- nutrition features;
- the presence of extra pounds;
- chronic diseases in the past or present;
- place of residence and climate features.
Typically, menstruation begins between 11 and 15 years, but due to the existing acceleration, this period may occur even earlier. Although, if menstruation began in a girl under 10 years old, then this may indicate anomalies in the development of the child. Abnormal is also considered the absence of menstruation until 17 - 18 years.
Possible deviations
The following manifestations during menstruation indicate abnormalities:
- Irregularity of the menstrual cycle - observed with hormonal, endocrine or sexual disorders.
- Abundant menstruation.
- Lean menstrual flow - this deviation occurs with a thin endometrium, the thickness of which should increase by the end of menstruation.
- The presence of thick blood and a large number of clots. This indicates an increased coagulability of blood plasma, which threatens thrombosis.
- An unpleasant strong odor may indicate a sexually transmitted infection.
Menstruation mechanism
Blood excretion is observed in the first follicular phase of the cycle. Certain hormones affect this process. The hypothalamus is stimulated by the adenohypophysis, as a result of which the latter synthesizes insignificant amounts of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormonal substances. They contribute to the maturation of follicles, one of which should become the main one, break and release an egg that has matured in it. However, in the follicular phase, endometrial tissue, which was influenced by progesterone and estrogen, grew, thickened, and prepared for fertilization and fastening of the fetal egg, becomes unnecessary and, at the time of contractions of the uterine muscles, is rejected and excreted as menstruation.
The cycle is repeated every month, hence the popular name for menstruation is menstruation. After pregnancy, they disappear, as there is no endometrial rejection. Often, menstruation is absent during breastfeeding. The body at this time produces the hormone prolactin, which suppresses ovulation.
Normal menstrual flow contains in addition to blood the following components:
- tissue that lines the uterus of the endometrium;
- secretory fluid, which is secreted by the glands of the vagina and cervix.
Normally, the smell from the vagina during menstruation is neutral, the blood itself has a burgundy color. Due to the presence of specific substances in it, it does not collapse.
The smell of menstruation in a healthy woman
In normal condition, menstrual blood smells of iron. Since it is in blood that it is found in large quantities. If it gets on the gasket, the oxidation process begins, and under stale air it can be assumed that the smell during menstruation will change, and not for the better.
Also, blood discharge on critical days smells like raw meat, which is also normal. It is caused by the same presence of iron and hemoglobin in the blood secretions.
Considering that pieces of the endometrium come out during menstruation, and not just blood, the smell of discharge during menstruation is more saturated.
If the smell is too noticeable, it means that the woman has problems, often they are associated with poor hygiene or health problems. In particular, a rotten smell should be alerted during menstruation.
We solve the problem with intimate hygiene
The unpleasant smell during menstruation is often caused by improper hygiene, for example, a rare change in a tampon or pad. On average, they should be changed every 4 hours. Even if the blood flow is moderate, swabs or pads should be changed in a timely manner. The lack of proper hygiene not only causes an unpleasant odor from a woman, but can also contribute to the development of a disease such as vaginitis.
Deviations in the smell of menstrual blood should bother a woman, since insufficient hygiene promotes the active reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. When they accumulate in the discharge, an unpleasant odor is felt.
It is possible to overcome such a stench easily, it is enough to regularly change gaskets and wash yourself.
The presence of acidic odor, norm and deviation
Why is the smell sour during menstruation? Such an amber indicates the presence of pathology. However, you need to be able to distinguish between acidic natural odor from sour, which indicates a malfunction in the body. It is worthwhile to figure out what the differences are. If there is a milky, yellowish, or dark discharge that has a faint sour smell, there is no cause for concern. In this case, there should be no swelling and itching. This is the natural work of a woman’s reproductive system, which produces an acidic environment to kill unwanted harmful microorganisms. But if the aroma becomes sharp, then it is worth consulting a doctor on this issue, as often this symptom is present in some diseases.
Other possible causes of odor during menstruation
Other reasons include:
- Vaginal candidiasis. People call it thrush, since the smell of secretions is similar to sour milk. The discharge itself during the absence of menstruation has a curdled consistency with a characteristic acidic odor and causes genital itching. They are also released during menstruation, mixing with blood and increasing discomfort. The color of the discharge is uneven, sometimes pink, having a disgusting sour smell.
- The presence in excess of certain substances in the body. They are carried with blood and penetrate into various tissues. Here are just a few examples of such conditions. The smell of iodine can appear against the background of prolonged use of drugs containing this substance or by inhalation of iodine-containing vapors, as well as poisoning. If there is an excess of ketone (acetone bodies) in a woman’s body, then her discharge will smell like acetone or ammonia. This happens with various forms of diabetes, with the onset of dehydration, metabolic disturbances, diseases of the kidneys and liver, the predominance of protein products in the diet. The sour-metallic smell of blood appears when taking iron-containing drugs.
- Inflammation. In addition to the unpleasant odor, in such cases painful menstruation is observed, the color of the discharge may have a brownish tint, there is an abundance or scarcity of discharge, a long flow of menstruation, the presence of clots or mucus in the discharge.
Infections
The cause of odor during menstruation can be sexually transmitted infections (STDs). These diseases are sexually transmitted. There are extremely rare cases of infection through personal hygiene items. Such diseases appear with foamy greenish discharge in the periods between menstruation. Otherwise, the symptoms are similar to other gynecological diseases. During menstruation, the unpleasant odor increases. It usually resembles a putrid or fishy stench. Everything will depend on the pathogenic bacteria prevailing at this time. Often before critical days, the symptoms of STDs increase, manifesting as follows:
- increase in body temperature
- general weakness;
- feeling of nausea;
- pain in the lumbar and lower abdomen.
After the cessation of menstruation, discharge is still present for some time. Their color changes to yellow or green. At the same time, the smell of fish is constantly present, as during menstruation, or rot, which is most noticeable in the morning and evening hours. Painful urination and frequent urges also indicate the development of inflammation. If timely treatment is not carried out, then the disease becomes latent or chronic.
Poor quality surgical interventions
The smell during menstruation may appear after a surgical intervention that was unsuccessful, or in the form of consequences from such events. An example is incomplete abortion - medical or surgical, curettage, after which particles of the fetus remain in the uterus. In this case, rotting of the tissues begins, which is manifested by an unpleasant odor during menstruation, as well as secretions before or after them. In addition, the woman feels other unpleasant signs of the consequences of unsuccessful curettage or abortion - this is an increased body temperature, general malaise, headache, pain in the abdomen and back.
Failed pregnancy
As another reason for the unpleasant odor during menstruation, we can distinguish an unsuccessful pregnancy.
You can talk about an unsuccessful pregnancy when menstruation did not start on time, and later there appeared bloody discharge with a terrible smell. It resembles rot, which indicates the release of the ovum, which has ceased to develop. A frozen pregnancy later causes a spontaneous miscarriage, but sometimes the embryonic tissue does not come out completely. In this case, curettage of the uterus is performed.
Sexual life and menstruation
Can I have sex during menstruation? Experts oppose intimacy during this period. There are reasons for this:
- Both partners may experience a number of inconveniences at this time, which does not contribute to the pleasure.
- Even during menstruation, you can become pregnant if ovulation does not occur on time.
- During this period, the woman’s body is most susceptible to infection, since the cervix is slightly opened and pathogenic microflora can penetrate through it.
If the partners nevertheless decided on sexual intercourse, then it must proceed in compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, after which you should definitely take a shower. At the same time, a man should use a condom to prevent the pregnancy of the partner and protect her from infection.
Thus, normal should be the smell of blood during menstruation.
If, following all hygiene rules, an unpleasant odor persists on critical days, then you should consult a gynecologist to find the cause of this condition. In addition, it is important to consult a doctor if other abnormalities are present, such as a cycle failure, a change in the number of secretions, itching, severe pain and other discomfort.