When doing a pelvic exam, can doctors smell the scent of a woman's vagina?

I'm talking about healthy women, not women with infections. When the doctor opens up a woman with the speculum, can the doctor smell the scent of her vagina or would the doctor have to go very close in order to smell it? I've always been curious about this.

It depends on whether the woman has an infection or not.

Generally a clean healthy vagina would have little if any smell, especially right after a shower. To get a sense of a smell, a doctor or sex partner would have to get pretty close if the person showered before their appointment.

There are a couple of tests that a doctor night do after smelling his fingers or the speculum during an exam.

I know my gynecologist likes to lick the speculum after examining me. 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

Do I have to say bazinga, here?

I know my gynecologist likes to lick the speculum after examining me. 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

Do I have to say bazinga, here?

I bet there are many "doctors" here that would

It depends on whether the woman has an infection or not.

I know my gynecologist likes to lick the speculum after examining me. 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁 😁

Do I have to say bazinga, here?

His mommy must have let him lick the bowl/beaters when making cakes or cookies.

So how is the vagina supposed to smell?

It depends. When you're straight out of the shower, your vagina may have no smell at all.

When you've just finished running a marathon, it may have a strong musky odor from all the sweat glands.

When you're menstruating or giving birth, the flinty-iron smell of blood prevails.

When yeast overgrows in the vagina, you may smell like freshly baked-bread or a good malt beer.

Right after you've had intercourse, you may smell faintly bleach-like, as semen has a classic odor of its own.

When certain normal bacteria overgrow, they release amines that smell -- yup, you guessed it -- like fish.

Every vagina has its own special smell -- a combination of the normal bacteria that live in your vagina, what you eat, how you dress, your level of hygiene, your bowel habits, how much you sweat, and what your glands secrete.

Remember that the glands near the vagina also secrete pheromones, meant to attract a sexual partner. So you don't want to deodorize your vagina so much that it smells like rain. Doing so thwarts the primal function of what your smell is supposed to accomplish. Plus, it interferes with the vagina's natural pH balance and can lead to a whole host of gynecological conditions.

Hopes this helps

RN

I work as a doctor. Haven't done many pelvic exams (not my area), but when i have, i never smelled anything.

Jilly, I suspect you were smelling, it is hard to turn your nose off, but more properly never noticed any bad aromas. I suspect if you did you would have investigated them.

I completely agree with RN1993. That was the best answer yet.

I highly doubt they smell anything.

Forwend20 I can assure you can smell the vagina when performing an exam. It all depends on the complaint , any one who has ever had to examine a woman with bacterial vaginosis will attend to the fact that the vagina gives off a distinct “fishy” odor.

Another is Trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted infection, also can lead to an unusual fishy smell vaginal odor with a vaginal discharge that can be clear, white, yellowish, or greenish.

I doubt it unless she has a bad infection . Like real bad

Given the close proximity of the gynecologist to the vulva, I would think that there would be somewhat of a light scent, much the same way that when a male and a female have sex, there can be a slight smell. Just my two cents, but I am sure there are those much more experienced who have reliable answers on this issue.

After our Sunday dates I looked forward to tasting and smelling my girl friend for several days by licking my mustache or sniffing my fingers as long as I didn't wash that hand.

There have been a lot of answers here from people who haven’t done pelvic exams in a real life medical setting. RN and Susie have provided cogent answers. I routinely do pelvics in my work as an emergency physician. Most of the time I smell nothing. With a woman in labor the amniotic fluid has a characteristic almost yeasty smell which is not offensive. For septic abortions, retained tampons and various other vaginal or uterine infections it can stink. And I don’t go licking specula either. As I’ve said previously, ad nauseum, medical exams and pelvic examinations do absolutely nothing sexual for me. It’s work, folks, and it’s hard. There is absolutely nothing erotic in it. Sorry, but you may be getting off on it but it’s work for me.