Sweaty Vagina: Causes & How to Stop Female Crotch Sweat Odor

Sweating is a normal aspect of life especially with physical exertion. It is a way of getting rid of waste as well as cooling the body.

The bikini area is usually warm and can start to sweat with minor physical activity. But excessive sweating in groin area of females can bring about infections as well as a bad odor like that of ammonia.

In short, having a sweaty vagina can be very uncomfortable. If you are a victim of crotch sweat, here are the causes, how to stop it, and how to prevent crotch sweating and odor.

Causes

Why does my vagina smell sweaty?

Most women who suffer from a sweaty vagina will wonder why it is so. While it is normal to experience crotch sweat while working out or doing some other physical activities, having a sweaty vagina just because the weather outside is hot or other conditions are prevailing is not to be taken for granted. Some of the most common causes of a sweaty vagina include;

Vaginal yeast infection

Vaginal yeast is also known as vulvovaginitis, yeast vaginitis or candidal vaginitis and is caused by various types of candida yeast the most common of which is Candida albicans.

While the symptoms of a yeast infection are easy to identify, they only appear when the amount of yeast in the genitals increases in amount relative to the healthy bacteria.

Otherwise, yeast can exist in the vaginal cavity without causing any problem. It is estimated that between 20 to 50 percent of women have yeast but without any issues.

When the balance between the yeast and bacteria is disturbed in favor of the yeast, the yeast will grow to lead to the expression of the symptoms.

Yeast infections are not considered to be sexually transmitted diseases since even those who are not sexually active can have the infections. However, it can be transmitted through unprotected sex.

For the balance between the yeast and bacteria to be altered in the favor of the yeast, there are certain causes which reduce the immunity of the body or kill healthy bacteria including;

• Having cancer or receiving cancer treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy
• Those on steroid medications
• If you are taking oral contraceptives
• Those who are diabetic
• Being pregnant
• If you are taking antibiotics

Some of the symptoms of a yeast infection include;

• Vaginal discharge with a cottage-cheese-like consistency.
• Thick vaginal discharge which is odorless and has a whitish gray color.
• Irritation on and in the vaginal area
• Burning sensation
• Itching in the vaginal area
• Pain during urination
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Swelling of the vagina

These symptoms combine to create a warm and sweaty vagina which is very uncomfortable.

Medications

When you take some medications, there are side effects which can lead to crotch sweat. Drug side effects are likely to occur when you start taking a new drug, stop taking a drug you’ve been taking or when you decrease or increase the dosage of a given drug. The most common side effects noted with medications include the following;

• Hallucinations and dizziness
• Change in the color of the urine
• Weird dreams
• Bloating and flatulence
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Changes in the levels of libido
• Birth defects
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Halos around bulbs and other sources of light
• Blurred vision
• Distorted vision
• Blind spots
• Hair loss or growth of hair in weird places
• Ruptured tendons
• Seizures

Due to such infections, you may have a case of a sweaty vagina which is quite uncomfortable. Some drugs such as antibiotics and steroids may also lead to the growth of yeast in the vaginal area. One of the symptoms of a yeast infection is a sweaty and swollen vagina.

Hyperhidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is a common disease of the nervous system which causes excessive sweating either on the whole body or in specific parts. Among the most affected areas include;

• Soles of the feet
• Palms of the hands
• Armpits
• The groin area
• Chest and face

One common trait of this disease is that it causes one to sweat on both sides of the body. For example, if it affects the palms of the hands, both hands will experience excessive sweating.

While not a likely health risk, excessive sweating when suffering hyperhidrosis can lead to a lot of embarrassment and discomfort. This can reduce the quality of your life immensely especially when it occurs in the crotch.

You may have hyperhidrosis if you are;

• Pregnant
• On some medications
• Anxious
• Have low blood sugar or hypoglycemia
• Have bodily infections
• Have hyperthyroidism which is a case of an overactive thyroid gland

You can know when you have hyperhidrosis by observing some common aspects of life including the following;

• Sweating has made you self-conscious and you are socially withdrawn.
• You spend a lot of time coping with too much sweating including changing clothes often and taking a bath more often than the norm.
• Normal daily tasks are being affected by too much sweating.
• Your work is suffering due to excessive sweating and the discomfort that comes with it.
• You decline offers for some fun activities such as dancing due to the high level of sweating.
• You have become self-conscious to the extent that you avoid physical contact through handshakes and other activities.

Even if the sweating does not have dire medical consequences, you need to see a doctor about it.

Cervicitis

Your sweaty vagina may be caused by cervicitis which is an inflammation of the cervix. While it may not express any symptoms, cervicitis may be accompanied by vaginal discharges and bleeding even when the periods are not present.

Most cases of cervicitis are caused by sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea. To treat this disease, therefore, you need to have the underlying problem treated.

Other causes of cervicitis include;

• Bacterial growths such as in the case of bacterial vaginosis.
• Allergic reactions to medication or soaps

Among the symptoms of cervicitis include;

• Painful urination that is frequent
• Vaginal discharges that are often yellow, brown or green in color and has bad odor
• Painful sexual intercourse
• Bleeding after sex

Candidiasis

Candidiasis is very similar to a yeast infection since it is also caused by a type of yeast. It has many symptoms which are similar to those of a typical yeast infection including;

• A red and swollen vagina
• Itchiness in the vagina
• Itchy inner thighs, buttocks and general groin area as though you have jock itch
• A sweaty vagina
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Pain during urination
• A white discharge from the vagina

Can you prevent vaginal sweating at the gym?

When working out, it is impossible not to sweat given that that is the essence of exercising. Thus, having a sweaty vagina when working out is a normal occurrence.

However, what you do after the sweating determines whether your vagina will be smelly or not. To keep yourself from excessive sweating and a smelly vagina when working out, do the following;

• Take a shower; once you are done working out, take a shower as soon as possible to wash away the accumulated germs and sweat. Ensure that you use mild soap when doing so.
• Keep the groin area dry; while sweating is unavoidable, you can keep yourself dry by ensuring you change into dry and clean clothes as soon as possible.
• Correct cleaning; avoid using strong chemicals in your genital area and opt for mild soap and bath tonics.
• Find quality underwear; quality underwear will remove the sweat from your groin as soon as it forms leaving you dry.
• Trim pubic hair; pubic hair can be breeding ground for yeast and other fungi. Make a habit of trimming the hair in the pubic area to keep it short and clean.
• Balance the vaginal pH; you should ensure the pH of your groin is not right for the bacteria and yeast to thrive. You can do so by either using a mix of vinegar and salt or baking soda added to bath water.
• Avoid douching; only use douching if your doctor recommends it.
• Keep off panty-liners; most of the women with a sweaty vagina make the mistake of using pantyliners to soak up the sweat. On the contrary, the pantyliners will stop the sweat from drying up and cause bad odor.

The focus is on avoiding to clog up the crotch area and cleaning it up as soon as any sweat is soaked up.

How to stop vaginal sweating

You can stop excessive vaginal sweating by focusing on a few routine activities such as:

• Reducing the amount of moisture in the crotch
• Wearing underwear with a cotton crotch
• Wearing cotton underwear
• Avoiding pants that fit too tight
• Not staying with workout clothes or swim suits for too long afterwards
• Keeping off alcohol and other triggers for sweating such as peppery foods.
• Wearing clothes that do not show the sweat such as black and white ones.
• Avoid the use of maxi pads and panty liners.
• Use a soothing agent such as a powder on your panty.
• Baby powder is also recommended as it will keep the sweat, chafing and odor away.

Home remedies for female crotch odor from sweat

The need to use home remedies to treat crotch is necessary as some drugs have undesirable side effects. Some of the most common home remedies for crotch sweat include;

• Yogurt; eating plain yogurt daily will introduce the bacteria lactobacillus in the body. This bacteria is instrumental in fighting off the candida infections which are the culprits when it comes to vaginal odors.
• Baking soda; mixing baking soda with your bath water will help in balancing the pH of the vagina thus killing any fungi and bacteria that may be developing.
• Apple cider vinegar; Apple cider vinegar is both an antiseptic and antibacterial substance which can be mixed in bathing water. It fights off any infections resulting from a sweaty vagina.
• Tea tree oil; with its antiseptic properties, tea tree oil can be mixed in some water and used to rinse the vagina to kill any developing bacteria.
• White vinegar; soaking in a solution of water with white vinegar helps in doing away with vaginal odor and restoring the pH of the vagina.
• Fenugreek; fenugreek seeds can be soaked in water to drink the water after a night, or used to prepare fenugreek tea. Given the antiseptic properties of this plant, it will help in the elimination of the bacteria.
• Garlic; you can either include enough garlic in your food or insert a piece of garlic in the vagina for about an hour. This will kill the bacteria and fungi to do away with any vaginal odors that result from crotch sweat.
• Neem; neem has antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties which make it a great natural cleansing agent.
• Indian gooseberry; whatever form you choose to take the Indian gooseberries, you should do so on a daily basis to help in the purification of the body in general.
• Citrus fruits; citrus fruits have a high amount of nutrients which can help in the elimination of fungi and bacteria which are responsible for vaginal sweating and odor.
• Diet; keeping off sugar and salty foods besides highly refined carbohydrates ensures that your body is free of pathogens.
• Water; when you take lots of water, you provide the body with a medium to eliminate toxins and bad microorganisms from the body.
• Cotton pants; make sure that all your panties are made of pure cotton as it allows for ventilation of the vagina to prevent any crotch sweat and odors.
• Checkups; always seek the opinion of a trained medical practitioner whenever you suspect anything is amiss with your system.
• Scented products; while they will smell nice on the rest of your body, scented products only serve to distort the pH in your vagina and you should thus keep off them.
• Pads; whether you use pads, panty liners or tampons, make sure you change them often.
• Ensure you practice safe sex to keep infections at bay.

Having a sweaty vagina should not limit your life in any way since there are many types of medicines to deal with it. Besides the medicines that shall be prescribed by a doctor, you can employ the home remedies explained here for the same results. As it is with most medical conditions, preventing the occurrence of the issue is far easier than the treatment.

References

• How To Deal With Crotch Sweat SELF
• Let’s talk about the sweaty vagina triangle Metro News
• What to Do About Crotch Sweat – Women’s Health Magazine