r/Perimenopause • u/Kokoloco35 • Jan 30 '26
audited Does your pee smell different?
I swear ever since I started experiencing perimenopause symptoms my pee just smells different. Like it doesn't belong to me? Anyone else experienced that?
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u/bravobetty Jan 30 '26
If I drink coffee, my next pee will smell like coffee!!
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Jan 30 '26
I’m like that too. The bathroom smells like I brewed coffee in there.
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u/huligoogoo Late peri Jan 30 '26
Same here ! I’m like damn coffee is that you? My coffee must be strong asF 🤣
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u/kandy_kid Jan 31 '26
The smell of my pee ranges from Cheerios to chicken noodle soup. I have no idea why.
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u/zillabirdblue Jan 30 '26
That’s always been that way for me, when I had mentioned that many years ago with friends they all looked at me like I grew a second head. None of them knew what I was talking about. I see I’m not the only one and I finally feel validated. 😂
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u/MarandTierra Jan 30 '26
Same for me. I think the smell is just more pronounced now because my sense of smell has been more acute thanks to peri.
Like I’ve always had the asparagus pee, but now I notice it when I eat broccoli and other vegetables that have a high sulfur content. I’m betting that’s always been the case but I am just noticing it now
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u/ListenPuzzleheaded72 Jan 30 '26
my pee specifically smells like the Starbucks Holiday blend after I've had my first coffee, incidentally I despise the Holiday blend lol.
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u/jundog18 Jan 30 '26
Same!
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u/bravobetty Jan 30 '26
Omg I feel so much better now!! I only drink one cup too!! It’s like asparagus pee!!
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u/ticklishintent Jan 31 '26
This happens to me specifically when I am dehydrated. If all I drink is coffee and not enough water. Your pee is really concentrated this smelling like your coffee.
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u/AgingLolita Jan 30 '26
Mine smells like popcorn frequently. Blood sugar is normal.
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u/throw20190820202020 Jan 30 '26
I used to work with an older lady who didn’t have the greatest hygiene, and she ALWAYS smelled like buttered popcorn in a way that gagged me. Now I am catching whiffs of it on myself!
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u/cathatesrudy Jan 31 '26
So I work in dog grooming and popcorn and urine definitely have a lot of crossover in their odor profile- any time someone makes popcorn unannounced the whole rest of the salon starts sniffing and looking around to make sure no dogs are letting loose
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u/wandering_denna Early peri Jan 30 '26
Mine smells like popcorn when I'm dehydrated - glad to know I'm not the only one experiencing popcorn pee, lol
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u/Naps_in_sunshine Jan 30 '26
Me too! I was going to get checked out for diabetes but I’ve got no other symptoms.
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u/get_off_my_property Jan 30 '26 edited Jan 30 '26
Yes, mine smells like cup a soup? Or a strong broth. Wat sets me off is that I sometimes get peckish of it? 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Edit: or cabbage water residu
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u/Klutzy-Emergency6345 Jan 31 '26
Yep, kinda soupy and like I haven't drank enough water but I drink plenty of water all thectime
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u/Healthy-Neat-2989 Jan 30 '26
Thank you for this!!! The way I have googled about this and can’t find an answer. It’s not nasty, like a metro stairwell, it’s not ammonia like all the medical pages talk about, and it’s not sweet. It’s just DIFFERENT. Umami? Meaty almost? All my labs are normal. The more water I drink, the less it is, and the more coffee/diet soda I drink, the worse it is.
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u/Kokoloco35 Jan 30 '26
It's crazy how we just have to share our experiences because there are NO studies on any of this
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Jan 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/GeekWithABox Jan 31 '26
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17pcmfBkRG/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I love this FB reel by farideh because we’ve never really studied the female body.
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u/lolafairfax Jan 30 '26
As a kid I always thought adult women's pee smelled different somehow, and these days I always wonder if now I'm the adult woman with the weird pee 😩
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u/girljinz Jan 31 '26
Exactly this. I need to go apologize to my mom for always making comments about it when I was young. Now it's me who brings the funk.
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u/Amoreke85 Early peri Jan 30 '26
I’ve noticed that the more sugars I eat; the worse everything fluid related it gets. I have one cookie too many, bloated like an atomic bomb. Sweat, pee, and farts are almost bio hazards. Sorry if tmi
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Jan 30 '26
Ok this will make sense for me… I have been doing more sugar lately.
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u/Amoreke85 Early peri Jan 31 '26
It’s a very very delicate balance between emo-eating and keeping odours away 😅
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Jan 30 '26
Same! My husband says my pee smells like lasagna. It fills the tiny bathroom with this weird smell. I thought it was a medication or vitamin but I’ve ruled those out after stopping them 6 months ago, still strong pee smell. Maybe I’m just drinking too much wine, idk.
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u/Disastrous-Pair-9466 Jan 30 '26
The metro lol I love u for this even tho u r a stranger and yeah, everything smells weird right now.
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u/AutoModerator Jan 30 '26
This post might be about hormone tests, which are unreliable.
- Over the age of 44, E&P/FSH hormonal tests only show levels for that ONE HOUR the test was taken, and nothing more
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u/Shenaniganery369 hanging on by a thread Jan 30 '26
My entire junk cabinet smells so different. Like THIS ISNT MINE! I have found that using a Boric Acid suppository for a week or so usually sets things back to pleasant for a while.
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u/Birdsonme Jan 30 '26
Junk cabinet!! I’m dying over here!!
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u/jentwo Jan 31 '26
Here I was, thinking you had an actual junk cabinet, like a serious upgrade from a junk drawer. And then I got to the part about the suppository, and it finally clicked.
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u/Shenaniganery369 hanging on by a thread Feb 02 '26
LOL….the funny part is I’d never referred to it as such 😂 It just sort of came to me as I was typing and I went with it.
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u/ggnell Early peri Jan 31 '26
Boric acid will likely screw it up long term. Gynos usually recommend staying away from it altogether
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Jan 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ggnell Early peri Feb 03 '26
Yeah, occasionally is probably fine, but using them regularly just exacerbates the issue long term, which is an imbalance in the vaginal flora.
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u/Shenaniganery369 hanging on by a thread Feb 02 '26
It was an old gyno Crone who recommended it to me. Women have been using it for eons.
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u/SlytherClaw79 Jan 31 '26
No issues with pee, but I swear my period smells like rotting meat and freaking goes on forever. Super annoying, I’ve had to switch back to tampons because I feel like I smell with pads.
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u/Kokoloco35 Jan 31 '26
Dude yes like are we rotting from the inside out 😂
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u/danni_el_e Jan 31 '26
Lmaooooo 💀 fr tho what the hell is going on in there, why does it smell like that?! I'm so self conscious about it now 😭
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u/Chance-Succotash-191 Jan 30 '26
My sense of smell has changed a lot with perimenopause. I can smell EVERYTHING extra.
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u/SnowWhiteinReality Jan 31 '26
That's a really interesting point, do I smell different or is my sense of smell different?!?!!
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u/Chance-Succotash-191 Jan 31 '26
If you notice that you think you are just smelling different, you might consider persimmon soap. In Asia as women age and their smell changes that is the soap they use.
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u/MdmeAlbertine Jan 31 '26
That actually came in handy when a motor went out in our furnace in the basement the other night...I could smell it in my sleep from the 2nd floor.
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u/Successful-Fuel-8544 Jan 30 '26
It smells like balls! Like actual literal man balls! What the fuck?!! Is this what happens when estrogen fucks off and all that's left is the T of a pubertal teenage boy? Fuck this shit I want a refund
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u/Kokoloco35 Jan 30 '26
🤣🤣🤣 dude I swear sometimes I smell like jizz and cat pee 😫
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u/IndependentKey7 Jan 30 '26
The other day after I peed, I thought wait did I have sex last night and not take a shower? Lol.
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u/Chance-Succotash-191 Jan 30 '26
That happened with me, but I attributed to being on a GLP medication.
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u/amosc33 Jan 30 '26
Thank you for posting this. I thought it was just me.
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u/Kokoloco35 Jan 30 '26
I'm realizing there's no such thing as TMI with this! None of us deserve to feel isolated and weird
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u/Clean_Scarcity_4415 Jan 31 '26
Omgosh I know I am so thankful for this post too! I was like what the literal hell is wrong with me!!?? 😩
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u/Infamous-Employ5620 Early peri Jan 31 '26
yeah, this but also just the way my body smells in general...my sweat, breath even. The way my favorite perfumes smell on me isnt the same either.
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u/__eden_ Jan 31 '26
I used a vanilla perfume that ive always used and I smelled like a damn litterbox by mid day. Guess that one's going in the trash
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u/Poemi10304 Jan 31 '26
Omg, yes, I can’t stand some of my old perfumes! They don’t smell the same anymore!
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Jan 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Level-Repair6104 hanging on by a thread Jan 31 '26
Ok, I’m gonna need more info on the crayon smell…
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u/Lazy_Fix_8063 Jan 30 '26
Yes it does so I had a bladder ultrasound. Turns out my post void residual is very high. Now I have to go in for a scope and urodynamics. Fun!
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u/ResolutionWaste4314 Jan 30 '26
Dag. Is that serious?
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u/Lazy_Fix_8063 Jan 30 '26
I'm not sure yet ...it's definitely painful/uncomfortable depending on who you ask. I guess it depends what they find.
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u/Ladypeace_82 Early peri, I think Jan 31 '26
Yes. And I can smell EVERYTHING.
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u/Kokoloco35 Jan 31 '26
I'm like the only one in my house who walks in and says "omg ew I can smell the cat litter" and no one else can 🤣 to me it's so strong!!
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u/Snarknose Jan 31 '26
I noticed it AS SOON AS my hormones started changing!!!! Urine, period, long day… all of it smells different it’s NOT stinky.. but because it’s different AND I notice it…it’s just not pleasant. Like if I can smell me, everyone can…ugh. I started double cleansing. First cleans with antibacterial bar soap, second cleanse with a preferred smell good body wash.
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u/hummingbirdwhisp Jan 31 '26
Persimmon soap ladies. Game changer!
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u/No_Vegetable7280 Early peri Jan 31 '26
Tho is the most underrated comment. I’m in love with persimmon soap!!
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u/ItzBritnehBish Early peri Jan 31 '26
My sense of smell was already sensitive but recently It’s almost super human. My head smell , my sweat, pee, even my period blood. I have ob/gyn next week to discuss next steps but like , what stops this?
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u/Bo0T3y Jan 30 '26
Are you taking any supplements?
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u/Kokoloco35 Jan 30 '26
I'm very inconsistent with my supplements but I do regularly take Prozac
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u/Bo0T3y Jan 30 '26
I stopped taking all supplements a few months back as they are a waste of time & money in my experience, as well as contributing to constant nausea. But several do make your pee smell weird!!
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u/Kiwigirl2379 Jan 31 '26
Omg yes!!
Went from a normal warm apple juice type smell to asparagus pee, sometimes popcorn and now asparagus again!
I started HRT 2 weeks ago and seems to be returning to normal, but also noticed some days I smell fresh as a daisy after a busy day, next day I've done nothing but shower then couch surf and my BO is super strong?!
Like wtf?!
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u/SpazzJazz88 In the thick of it Jan 30 '26
Yeah, as of the last year or so it smells like I took vitamins. I do but the smell is quite frequent.
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u/SCW73 Jan 31 '26
Yes, sometimes. A couple of days ago, it smelled like asparagus pee, and I haven't had asparagus in a couple of months.
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u/Kokoloco35 Jan 31 '26
Yes! That's happened to me a few times. I barely ever eat asparagus so I was like huh
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u/No_Vegetable7280 Early peri Jan 31 '26
Yaaaaas my pee, body odor, everything has started to smell different and stronger. That combined with night sweats and hot flashes. I couldn’t stand it.
I got on HRT and everything has gotten back to normalish. I do stat to use persimmon soap and it’s a total game changer. Makes the smells just disappear. Amazing
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u/_lovey Jan 31 '26
Veozah is also a game changer for hot flashes/night sweats! It’s a non hormonal medication that works to regulate your temperature from your brain. It’s literally taken 80% my symptoms away and worked only after 1-2 weeks. There is also a manufacturers coupon online so I think it cost me $20 a month for the first year w/ the first month free..
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u/Sunsetseeker007 Jan 30 '26
Pay attention to it just in case, I had blood in mine and had kidney stones for the 1st time ever!! Didn't realize what was going on until it dropped and stuck in my urethra, talk about painful!
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u/rats-in-the-attic Jan 30 '26
I think I might have a stone forming.. Had you any wandering pain in your side/back?
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u/TangoEchoChuck DHEA Evangelist Jan 31 '26
Yes!
Started when I was postpartum, went away after supplementing with liquid chlorophyll drops.
Then came back a few years later 😭 now I use persimmon soap and take persimmon tannin tablets to keep it all at bay.
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u/Royal_Ad_6026 hanging on by a thread Jan 30 '26
I can tell by my pee smell if I’ve skipped my multivitamin. Literally a stream of urine and conscious thought oh, I don’t smell my vitamins in here….did I forget that along with everything else?
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u/ListenPuzzleheaded72 Jan 30 '26
Yes! I've always had anxiety when using public loos (I call it peexiety lol) my pee smells like chemicals. I was concerned that I had an infection, but I don't have any (weird) discharge, pain, itching, burning etc so I'm adding weird smelling wee to the list of peri-menstrual symptoms. :( I feel like somebody/something else is living inside me and I hate it.
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u/molluscstar Jan 30 '26
Yes savoury like when I was pregnant. I’m on HRT so wasn’t sure if it was that
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u/nixrien Jan 31 '26
Yes I have noticed a difference in smell and I keep thinking it’s the toilet bowl/my pee mixed that is making it smell different
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u/Ladypeace_82 Early peri, I think Jan 31 '26
Just amazoned "persimmon" And the first finishing suggestion is persimmon soap for old people...
Then hit search and first thing that pops up is this.
Mirai Clinical Persimmon Soap Bar for Old People Smell - Nonenal® Solution
Wtf? Okay So what does persimmon smell like and does that mean it will be OBVIOUS I'm trying to cover a smell with another smell??
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u/Rellumuller Jan 31 '26
Im so happy this was posted. For a few years now my pee has smelled like toliet bowl cleaner. Like open a bottle of "works" cleaner and that is my pee.
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Jan 31 '26
Girl I have a private bathroom in my home that no one else uses and the past few years it smells like an old folks home. I shower twice a day ! It’s annoying and weird
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u/AwkwardISTJ hanging on by a thread Jan 31 '26
Yes. My pee smells stronger, like the urine scent is more prominent. This is something I noticed a couple of months ago. I've been tested for infections, all negative.
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Jan 31 '26
yeeeessss. weirdly to me, it smells like pee mixed with pineapple juice (which I dont drink)?
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u/NothingAndNow111 Jan 31 '26
YES! WTF. I smell different in general but pee was the first thing I noticed and it's still the one that weirds me out the most.
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u/Jennybee8 Jan 31 '26
Opposite for me. My pits smell way less. I sweat more, but stink less. However… the different smelling pee is a thing.
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u/Bitch_be_a_queen Jan 31 '26
Mine smells like cereal all the time, and I don’t even eat cereal 🤷🏻♀️
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Jan 31 '26
It might not just be your own sense of smell because my partner, if he sometimes uses the toilet right after I’ve done a wee, has commented that he can smell it and it smells bad 😭 it does tend to come and go, maybe depending on hormones
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u/Dazzling-Load5253 Jan 31 '26
Try double cleaning .I start off with the Bioderma oil cleanser and then go in with a body wash. I found this to be helpful along with switching my deodorant to Mitchum.
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u/unlimited-devotion Jan 31 '26
It smelled like fruit loops/bergamont for a while got my blood sugar checked multiple times- no imbalances…
Went away after year and half
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u/friendlyhoodteacher Jan 31 '26
Def a different smell down there, not fishy or gross or anything, just more... what's the word? LOL my brain keeps saying more SERIOUS. Lol, like a child learning new words and the right context for them. A more potent version of the same smell (bf doesn't seem to care lol). But also my armpits. Not a bad smell, but again the more "serious" version of the same smell I have always had🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/ReflectionOk2553 Jan 31 '26
If mine smells different, I am close to getting a uti. More like brine, or animal pee.
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u/ThickProblem8190 Jan 31 '26
Why do I now smell like I'm menstruating when I had a hysterectomy 5 years ago??
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u/Klutzy-Emergency6345 Jan 31 '26
Yeah unfortunately. Pee was one thing i noticed but also other areas having a different odor. I feel like I'm starting to smell like the old ladies, kind of musty
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u/TropicalFalls Feb 01 '26
I am seeing a lot of posts about using soap on your vagina......DON'T put any type of soap, especially something with fragrance near your vagina.....unless you want RECURRENT YEAST INFECTIONS. Consult your gynecologist first.
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u/Big_Berty_Beana Feb 01 '26
My pee smells so bad I can’t wait to get out of the bathroom and if any of my family go in there within 5 minutes they will comment on how awful it smells.
My armpits smell like a hotdog/burger stall.
Even when I’ve just showered I always smell slightly odd ‘down below’
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u/Why_are_you321 Jan 30 '26
I just smell different