Here’s why you have a smelly vagina on your hands. (Oh, you know what I mean.)

If your vagina’s giving you ‘tude and you’re jumping to some pretty irrational worst case scenarios, breathe. The funky smell you’re experiencing may not have anything to do with your hygiene—but it may not have anything to do with an infection, either.

While you should always check with your gyno if you have a bad feeling, one of these sneaky causes of a smelly vagina could be to blame:

1. Tight clothing

Wearing tighter-fitting clothes can lead to a smelly vagina thanks to sweat and bacteria getting all up in your business, which may cause a musky odor—especially post-workout.

2. Sex

Your vagina may give off different aromas depending on the lube and condoms you use, not to mention all the sweating going on. Plus, if you like it rough or your guy’s well-endowed, word is these can cause microabrasions in your vajayjay, which can lead to smells caused by inflammation. (Womp, womp.)

3. Your diet

The foods you eat can mess with your vagina’s pH, and in turn change the way it smells. Foods like onions, garlic, dairy, broccoli and asparagus can affect the natural balance. If you think your diet might be to blame for your smelly vagina, nosh on fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains and Greek yogurt on the regular.

4. You don’t clean it enough

The problem could be nothing more than straight-up poor hygiene. Don’t feel bad—maintaining your vajayjay can be complicated. Just make sure to wash it daily with a mild, fragrance-free soap to keep your sweat glands from causing a stink. Cotton underwear also does wonders in the sweat-wicking department.

5. You clean it too much

On the flipside, maybe you’re trying too hard to keep your lady bits so fresh and so clean. There are oodles of products on the market claiming to help you achieve a squeaky clean vagina that smells like a meadow—but in trying to make it smell like something its not, you’re causing more problems than you’re solving.

6. Your period

The smell of your vagina can change throughout your menstrual cycle. The blood essentially mixes with your usual odor to create a customized scent that’s a tad… “off.”

7. Something’s stuck up there

Finally, your smelly vagina may be thanks to something that’s been abandoned up there, such as a stuck condom, a forgotten tampon, or leftover food from a drunken sexcapade. Just make an appointment with your gyno and she’ll help you find the buried treasure.

Have any of these things messed with your hoo-ha? Come on, spill.

Related on EcoSalon

12 Weird Things Women Do to Their Vaginas

Men Do Not Know How to Vagina Works! Seriously, Someone Help These Pathetic People

Women Launch an Artful Counter-Offense on the Vagina Battlefront

Image: Shocked woman photo via Shutterstock

The post 7 Sneaky Reasons You Have a Smelly Vagina (There, I Said It) appeared first on EcoSalon.