Why has my natural scent changed during perimenopause? - Harvard Health (2024)

FAQs

Why has my natural scent changed during perimenopause? - Harvard Health? ›

The menopausal drop in estrogen also leaves our bodies with relatively higher levels of testosterone — produced by our ovaries in small amounts — than before. This can attract more bacteria to sweat, making it smell funkier.

If so, rest assured: The menopausal transition can crank your body odor up a notch (or several). This is likely due to more sweating, changes in your skin microbiome, and lifestyle shifts (such as diet and exercise).

Since estrogen and progesterone protect the olfactory function, changes in their levels in particular physiological states in women (in pregnancy and posmenopause) exert an influence on the ability to feel and recognize smells.

Very often, it's just your sense of smell - you're not any smellier than you were before. The other thing that can happen that you really need to watch out for is phantom smells. That would be where you're smelling things like smoke or tobacco and there's nobody smoking.

Body odor is caused by a mix of bacteria and sweat on your skin. Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.

Your body's scent has a lot to do with cleanliness, but genetics and even what you eat can also influence the way your body smells. You can't do anything about genetics. And might not want to cut out a lot of the foods that can cause an odor, like broccoli, garlic, and fish, because they're delicious and good for you.

Causes of lost or changed sense of smell

Changes in sense of smell are most often caused by: illnesses such as a cold, flu or COVID-19. sinusitis (sinus infection) an allergy, like hay fever.

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How do you get rid of female body odor naturally? ›

A good magnesium supplement can help you get rid of your body odor and smelly skin by improving the detoxification in all your organs. It can also help control the growth of bacteria and control sweat. Magnesium act like an internal deodorant from inside to outside your body.

Body odour changes are affected by the drop of oestrogen levels that happens during the menopausal period. It is often paired up with hot flushes and night sweats as these symptoms cause excessive sweating for women.

Altered sense of smell

During the perimenopause and menopause, you might find you can't smell things as keenly as you used to, this sense might be heightened or there may even be certain smells – such as perfumes and cleaning products – you just can't stand any more. This can then affect your sense of taste, too.

What do your pheromones smell like? Whether we can even smell pheromones is a matter of debate in the scientific world. And if we can detect these chemicals, what they smell like depends on who is smelling them. In studies of pheromones, people described the scent as “musky,” like sweat or worn clothes.

The rotten fish odour is usually present from childhood and is exacerbated during puberty. In women, the offensive odour may be enhanced by oral contraceptives or may increase just before and during menstruation as a result of hormonal inhibition of the oxidation of trimethylamine.

Yes, Your “Baseline” Body Odor Changes Over Time

While it's common for older adults to bathe less frequently — due to sweating less, their skin producing less oil, concerns about falls in the tub or shower, etc.

You can become much more aware of smells, smells become stronger or you may find that you no longer like smells that you used to like. A really good example here is perfume and specific drinks such as coffee.

Women who are going through menopause may notice changing urine smell. This is typically due to hormonal changes, such as a decrease in estrogen, impacting overall vagin*l health.