13 Things to Know About Vaginal Taste

Vagina tastes like, well, vagina

Most vulva owners have been taught that their vaginas are gooey, gross, icky, and eldritch. thus, if you ’ ra matter to in changing the taste of your vagina, know this : A healthy vagina doesn ’ t preference like flowers, a fresh summer breeze, or vanilla. It tastes like vagina. And that can be sweet or dark, metallic, shrill or spiced, bitter or acidic.

Is there anything you can do to improve the taste?

“ What you eat and drink plays a function in what goes into your mucosal secretions, ” Ingber says. Switch up your snacks, and you may switch up your vaginal smell and taste. But not overwhelmingly so, he says. But “ improve ” ? Well, that ’ mho immanent. There ’ randomness been no research linking different foods with different vaginal tastes. But anecdotal reports suggest that heavily spiced foods may make you taste, well, spicier, while asparagus and wheat eatage shots may make you taste grassier. early foods that may perceptibly affect your taste include :

• garlic and onion
• sugary foods and drinks
• dairy
• red meat

arouse therapist Angela Watson ( aka Doctor Climax ) says, “ A good govern of flick is any food that modifies the smell of your effort or peeing will besides modify the secretions from your vagina, which will impact taste. ”

What about washes, douches, and other ‘hygiene’ products?

Walk right past these babies in the drug or grocery store. One of the vagina ’ sulfur ( many ) superpowers is that it ’ s a self-cleaning machine. And a thoroughly one. You actually don ’ t need to scrub or wash the inside of your vagina with washes, douches, or other hygiene products. Doing so can actually throw off your ph and lead to infection .

“ A healthy vagina does not smell like a flower, and any intersection that makes it smell like one is likely damage, ” Ingber says .

The vagina has a naturally acidic environment that allows good bacteria to # ThriveAndSurvive while killing off bad bacteria. many of these washes contain glycerin and early sugars that feed the bad bacteria, allowing them to grow and multiply. “ An overgrowth of some of the bad bacteria, like Gardnerella bacteria or Trichomoniasis bacteria, may result in BV and result in a fishy smell, which is abnormal and a signboard of an unhealthy vagina, ” Ingber says. BV and other infections typically require antibiotic treatment.

Is there anything else you can do?

Anything that ’ s good for your health is by and large dear for your netherbits, besides. This includes :

• eating nutrient-dense fruits and veggies
• drinking plenty of H2O
• getting enough sleep
• managing your stress levels
• getting regular exercise

silent, there are a few other things you can to support the health of your vulva .

(Gently) cleanse the outside of your vulva

again : You reallyreallyreally shouldn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate be cleaning inside the vagina. But you do need to wash your vulva ( the out bits ). The vulva includes your :

• clitoris
• clitoral hood
• inner labia
• outer labia

so, how do you wash your vulva ? Water. That ’ s it. Use your fingers or a clean washcloth to spread your labium aside. lightly pat/cleanse/rub around the folds with ardent water. This will keep all in hide cells, dispatch, and other dried bodily fluids from building up in the nooks and crannies of your vulva, Watson explains. This egg white, gooey buildup is typically the perpetrator if your vagina smells ( or tastes ) mustier than usual. Plus, it ’ ll wash away any sweat that dried after drill or rigorous activity, which can make the vagina taste piquant.

Wear cotton panties

Cotton=breathable. And research shows that vulva owners who wear breathable skivvies have lower rates of BV compared to those who wear underwear made of synthetic materials .

Avoid smoking and cut back on booze

If you ’ ve ever hit the gymnasium after a night of drink and smoke, you know alcohol and tobacco change the olfactory property of your sweat. lapp goes for the olfactory property of your vulva. Both will make you smell more sour, bitter, or cold than usual .

Use nonporous sex toys

porous materials have bantam microscopic holes that bacteria can climb and reside in. so, while arouse toys made of porous materials can introduce new pH-altering, infection-causing bacteria to your bits, nonporous arouse toys won ’ thyroxine .

Hydrate

“ When you don ’ metric ton hydrate, everything gets concentrated. That ’ s why your urine smells more strongly when you ’ rhenium dehydrated, ” Ingber says. “ Same goes for vaginal smell. ”

Dump anyone who doesn’t like how you taste

If your boo normally loves going downtown to eat but one day ( nicely ) mentions that you taste different, you may want to call up your healthcare supplier. But if you ’ re presently dating person who systematically makes disparaging comments about your spirit or uses it as an excuse not to give you head, shit ’ em. Like yesterday.

Is there anything that could make the taste worse?

Again, an infect vagina is going to taste and smell like an septic vagina. Anything that messes with the natural ph of the vagina, and therefore results in infection, will make the vagina taste bad. Things that can mess with the vaginal ph include :

• washing inside the vagina
• using scented soaps down there
• using flavored condoms during penetrative sex
• incorporating food into oral sex play
• leaving a tampon or cup in for too long
• using strong-scented soaps and detergents

Is an odor ever a sign of something more?

sometimes. You know your vagina ’ second signature scent. When there ’ mho a change, you notice. A change in relish or scent often indicates an infection. particularly if there are any accompanying symptoms, like a change in release or itch. See a healthcare provider to find out what ’ s up. Ingber notes that sometimes a deepen in smell is plainly a gestural that person has started menopause. “ During menopause, estrogen levels drop and can cause the vaginal ph to become more basic, and consequently taste and smell different, ” he says.

The bottom line

There are a few life style changes that ’ ll be dear for your overall vulvar health and may make your vaginal taste more balmy. But “ there ’ s a huge variance in healthy vaginal tastes, and there is no right or ideal healthy vagina taste, ” Watson says. indeed, angstrom long as your vagina is goodly, it tastes a-ok ! The lone time you should be concerned about the taste of your vagina is if it ’ s recently changed, or if you ’ ra experiencing early symptoms.

Gabrielle Kassel is a New York–based sex and health writer and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. She ’ s become a good morning person, tested over 200 vibrators, and eat, drink in, and brushed with charcoal — all in the name of journalism. In her release time, she can be found reading self-help books and romanticism novels, bench-pressing, or pole dance. Follow her on Instagram .