A smelling private part is definitely humiliating. It is sickening to have your private part smell like a rotten fish or worse. It can hurt your intimate relationships, and your health in particular too.
A whole lot of factors may trigger the scent that emanates from the private part and you should be concerned. The most severe is because of a condition called bacterial vaginosis (which produces a fishy smell in the vagina).
A smelling private part can be due to poor sanitation on both the women’s and men’s side and this article concerns both men and woman.
So what are you going to do when you feel you have a smelling private part? I’ve been doing some research on this to figure out the general ideas that could fit everyone, so I’m sharing some of the natural remedies that are tested and trusted.
10 Causes Of Smelling Private Parts And Their Solutions
- Bacterial Vaginosis
The infection called bacterial vaginosis (BV), which causes a fishy smell is the most common explanation for a smelling private part in women.
Recommended: Adult Male Circumcision: How To Cure Infection After Surgery
The normally acidic vagina is overgrown with bacteria which makes it more alkaline. People may also feel swelling, discomfort, and a yellowish/creamy discharge in comparison to the fishy odor.
Your health professional can inspect your vagina for signs of discharge, conduct a laboratory test on a vaginal fluid sample or check your vagina’s pH level to see if there is BV. The preferred method of treating BV is antibiotics (both topical and oral).
Sadly some people are vulnerable to regular infections with bacterial vaginosis while others are lucky enough never to get infections.
- Personal Hygiene
Good sexual hygiene is very critical, as poor hygiene contributes to poor living conditions and poor health status.

Hygiene, in this situation, applies to how healthy you are, how many times a day you bathe, how often you wash your clothing, whether you have a smelling private part or not, you need to bathe at least 3 times a day, i.e. in the morning, then after work or school and before sleep to help you stay safe.
Recommended: Do You Have Oily Skin? Follow These Skin Care Tips
You also need to change clothes at least twice a day and when I mention clothes I’m referring to your underwear or briefs (please try to wear clean pants as often as you can, your pants and your body can be messed up by a bad-smelling pant).
- Sweat
Definitely, sweat is the biggest culprit here. When you sweat a lot, you will take the ritual of washing and changing clothes seriously to help prevent your private part from smelling.
So if you sweat a lot, you can bathe at least 3 times a day and change your pant to keep you clean and fresh soon after sweating heavily.
- Your bathing style
Bathing is important for cleaning up your body as it can affect how you smell down there, as well as your bathing style is so important to keep you from having a smelling private part.
Seriously, readers, there’s a bathing style and it’s not about jumping in the shower and scrubbing for 3 minutes, running out or staying in the bathroom for 30 minutes, and you’re still out the same way.
There’s something like getting cleaned thoroughly, correctly, and gently, like a sensual shower, don’t just rub any soap around the place and presume you’re finished, because there may be a lot of gunk collecting in many folds and clefts that make up your private part.
Recommended: Can We Apply Castor Oil On Private Parts?
These folded parts, just add up and leave you with a smelling private part.
- Pubic Hair
Here, your pubic hair may be the suspect, compiled with other factors that may amplify the smell of pubic hair as it traps odors and humidity, making your private part smell ten times over.
Try shaving, a quick trim would do, and you don’t have to wax bare to help keep the odors at bay.
- Post-Ejaculation
It is common for men and women to fall asleep after sexual activity and most of them don’t even take a bath after waking. That extends to even those that masturbate, upon ejaculating or orgasming need to clean down there. Leftover semen or fluid can be really nasty if not cleaned properly.
- Sexually transmitted infections
Infections such as trichomonas, which is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), can cause your vagina to have an odor. This infection usually produces a fishy smell. Your doctor can examine you and get a laboratory test to diagnose trichomonas. The preferred method of treatment is antibiotics. It is important that both you and your partner get treated.
- Cervical cancer
Although not a common cause of genital odors, one of the signs of cervical cancer is a discharge that is contaminated with foul-smelling blood. The odor is the product of dying cancer cells in the cervix.
- Certain foods
The way your vagina tastes will reflect what you eat and drink. That’s why I usually tell women to pay attention at any given time to what is affecting their odor.

Recommended: 5 Ways Weed (Marijuana) Damages Your Body
When you think your usual smell is off and you’ve consumed more processed foods, try to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption and see if that makes a difference.
- Menstruation
When you’re menstruating, it’s not uncommon to notice a strong scent. Because blood has a higher pH level, during your period your vaginal flora can get thrown off a little and you may notice a metallic smell. Nevertheless, this form of odor will diminish after menstruation has stopped.
Tips to reduce vaginal odors
You can’t eliminate all odours, but by following these procedures you can reduce the severity of the odour fro your smelling private part.
If you are feeling a difference in your vaginal smell, follow a few of these suggestions to see if you can take care of it on your own. Yet remember that if you have persistent odor and/or illness issues, it is better to see your health professional for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
- Don’t douche: Even good vaginas produce yeasts and bacteria. The vagina’s natural acidity holds bacteria and yeast in place, effectively purifying itself. If you are showering (flushing water up into the vagina), this delicate balance can be disrupted. When you think your usual smell is off and you’ve consumed more processed foods, try to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption and see if that makes a difference.
- Avoid bubble baths or frequent use of panty liners: Since the vagina is self-cleaning, any practice can also disturb the fragile balance of good bacteria, contributing to odor or infection.
- Change clothes immediately after exercising: The best thing you can do is keep your private part as dry as possible, and as soon as possible. One of the best ways to do that is to remove your sweaty clothing.
General Tips To Reduce Private Part Odours
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Drink plenty of water
- Shave your private parts always and wash it
- Get enough sleep.
- Practice good personal hygiene.
- Wash your genital area before and after intercourse.
Recommended: 12 Cancer-fighting Foods That Should Be Eaten Regularly
Conclusion
Home remedies usually help in a week or two to reduce excessive odor from your smelling private part. If the scent is not gone, or if it gets stronger, then you should see a health professional.
A heavy private part odor can be a symptom of a bigger problem, which you may not be able to treat alone. It is best to see a doctor early before the issue gets worse.