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Posted 2/14/2023 8:56 PM (GMT -5)
I am having female problems with odor “down there.” It has been going on for some time but got unbearably worse after I took 2 rounds of abx in December.

Three or four weeks ago, I couldn’t stand it anymore and got some boric acid suppositories. It was very effective and worked immediately after the first dose. I didn’t use it the next night, and the odor came back. So, I started using them every night.

Last week, I saw the gynecologist and told him about it. The odor is not the fishy smell of BV, but rather a stenchy kind of sweet smell. I had initially thought that I had strong, sweet smelling urine. As soon as I started using the boric acid, the urine smelled normal again, so I realized it wasn’t coming from my urine or bladder (even though I have been having UTI symptoms again for weeks, too).

I told the gyno about the boric acid. He said he doesn’t like it and I shouldn’t keep using them. He said 2-3 days max. I have been using 3-4 weeks. He prescribed Flagyl but said Flagyl is for fishy smell, not sweet smell. He told me to stop eating sugar. He thinks the smell will go away if I eliminate sugar.

— Any idea what would cause a strong, sweet smell that apparently isn’t coming from urine?

— Should I take the Flagyl, or will that do nothing at best and create more dysbiosis at worst?

— Why does the boric acid make the smell go away?

I cannot deal with the smell, but when I stop the boric acid, it comes right back. I skipped it last night and was okay this morning. I took a shower this evening and within hours the awful smell is back, so I got out the boric acid again.

— Any advice?

— How do I end this permanently?
—————-
P.S. - For reference, I am over 50, post menopausal, and take no hormones.

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 2/14/2023 6:00:38 PM (GMT-8)

Posted 2/14/2023 9:21 PM (GMT -5)
It's possible to have a sweet smell from a yeast overgrowth, a systemic blood sugar issue, or a shift in vaginal pH (which is common after menopause, but not generally intolerably unpleasant).

I'm curious about the UTI symptoms - any chance those could have been burning from a yeast infection?

Stopping sugar would make sense if yeast is the culprit. I'm confused about why the doctor prescribed flagyl if he didn't think you had bacterial vaginosis.

Boric acid suppositories are used for trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis sometimes, but they're used and marketed mainly for yeast infections.

I'm sorry your doctor wasn't more helpful!
Posted 2/14/2023 9:40 PM (GMT -5)
I take something along the lines of giant fistfuls of certain probiotics to help vaginal smell issues. There was a garden of life critical care hu 58 and pure encapsulations 50b that helped more.
Posted 2/15/2023 4:14 PM (GMT -5)
A few more thoughts:

Have you tried any of the over-the-counter yeast infection treatments? Do they make any difference? Have you used anything other than the boric acid?

Did the doctor culture a sample from your vagina to figure out what's growing? Is there any discharge?

Personally, I would not try the flagyl unless you believe the issue is bacterial. I'm just not a fan of unnecessary antibiotics.
Posted 2/15/2023 4:40 PM (GMT -5)
I used coconut oil when I had a self diagnosed yeast infection.
The coconut oil is solid so it’s easy to put on. (Just liberally put it on your “area”)
Just have a light pad on so not to soil your panties.

It resolved in a few days - without Pharma intervention.

Worth a try?
Posted 2/16/2023 8:14 AM (GMT -5)
I don’t think I have signs of yeast. I thought yeast was supposed to cause insane itching. I haven’t had any itching at all. I think I remember having some mild itching with BV before, but I had the telltale fishy smell.

I DO have some kind of discharge with this. I can feel it, but I don’t see anything. Before I started using the boric acid, I felt wetness. After starting the boric acid, the wet feeling stopped. Then, a couple days ago I skipped it one night and within 48 hours, the smell came back, and I started using the suppositories again. Only this time I am now feeling more discharge like I feel something coming out and have a pressure feeling in my pelvis. I have that all night last night, and it disturbed my sleep and gave me weird dreams about it.

I have also been dealing with a recurrence of UTI type symptoms along with all this, which has caused some confusion. I think I mentioned all that in the initial post.

No, sara. No culture was done. I just had a PAP smear and exam. Nothing else. I was thinking about that all night. Why can’t they take a culture and find out what it is? Do you know of anyone whose gynecologist did that?

If my foggy memory is remotely accurate, I think I first started noticing unusual odor around the same time that I first had UTI symptoms that tested negative for infection. That was Jan/Feb 2021. I have had recurring problems with both UTI symptoms and odor since then.

I just started back taking 1/2 Zyrtec once a day a few days ago to see if it would help stop the UTI symptoms. I think MCAS is at play here, too, in regards to the UTI type symptoms - frequent urination, soreness in pelvis and lower abdomen, at times low back pain. But then again, what’s triggering MCAS?? Is infection somewhere triggering MCAS symptoms? My urine pH is high - 8.5, but no other indicators are present. When I had a urine culture when all the UTI symptoms first started, the culture was negative for bacteria.

Just checked my notes. I last took Flagyl for 7 days starting Aug 9, 2020. Looking back at my notes, I developed other issues post Flagyl and noted this: “bowels have been more urgent, looser, and stinkier since I was on Flagyl; Flagyl changed something in my gut, even though I took probiotics and S. boullardii daily.”
Posted 2/16/2023 8:38 AM (GMT -5)
I just googled “lara briden probiotics” and found she has some articles regarding estrogen/histamine/mast cells. A week or two ago, I noticed my chest was sore to the touch and realized it was breast tenderness. I also had random increase in libido a couple times in the past month. Those things clued me in that something hormonal could be mixed in this recurrence of UTI symptoms.

I also had a recurrence of signs of clogged oil glands in my eyes the past two days. That’s an issue that began in 2015 when my symptoms went full blown. I have had probably 15 eyelid infections since then. I have always felt that was somehow connected to hormones.

Sorry for all the rambling. I just feel like my body is so messed up and the issues are so complicated and intertwined.
Posted 2/16/2023 9:09 AM (GMT -5)
I just did some more looking. I found a couple of articles that mentioned watery discharge is a side effect of boric acid, so that could explain the increase, although I had wetness before I ever used them.

Also saw this: “While self-treating with over-the-counter remedies may offer immediate relief, it could disrupt a healthy vaginal microenvironment. . . . As such, patients may be left at a higher risk of developing other unwanted vaginal conditions.”

So, that’s why the doctor doesn’t like it. I asked him about vaginal probiotics, and he said there’s only oral. I thought I had heard of probiotics that can be inserted vaginally. Anyone know about this?

If oral probiotics for years haven’t helped my intestines, how are they going to work in the vagina and urinary tract???
Posted 2/16/2023 9:20 AM (GMT -5)
No worries about rambling! No symptoms occur in a vacuum, right? This stuff is so complicated sometimes. I wish doctors were better able to help, and felt more concerned about identifying causes. I'm deep into reading about (peri)menopause lately, and as you know I'm very into MCAS, so I will ponder all of this and hope something useful occurs to me!
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