Dr. Kate is an OB/GYN at one of the largest teaching hospitals in New York City who answers your medical questions here once a week. To ask her your own question, click here.
Hello Dr. Kate,
My question is about the taste of my vagina. Both from what my boyfriend has said/his reactions and my own taste-tests, I know that sometimes I taste of nothing and sometimes almost bitter (even after showering). Is this change due to hormones, or is it like with men where the foods you eat affect your taste? Thank you so much!
— (Would Rather Be) Tasteless
Dear Tasteless,
Every woman has a unique taste that changes based on many things. At different times in your cycle, your taste can change from sweet to salty to sour. When you’re aroused, or if you’re sweating (or both), the flavor can also be different. And certainly having an infection (yeast or vaginosis) can cause your taste to change.
It’s unclear if diet can really change the taste of vaginal secretions — unsurprisingly, it’s hard to get funding to do such research. But anecdotally, different foods in your diet can change how you taste. The foods I hear about most: raw garlic, citrus fruits (particularly pineapple), strawberries, coffee, and asparagus. Even alcohol, nicotine and vitamins have the potential to change your taste. Violet Blue goes into further details that she learned while researching her book on cunnilingus.
I’d love to hear about this from you all… Have any of you (or your partners) noticed a change in your vaginal taste? What do you think it’s due to?
— Dr. Kate
If you think counseling is the answer, do you have anyone you recommend? we live in ND, close to Minot.
Madomoiselle L, thanks I think.
I had some concerns before which I brought up to him, and his answer was he thought everything was going great!
He doesn’t finger me anymore either, but besides this and not going down on me, we have a good physical and emotional relationship. He always holds my hand and is always generous with kisses, (altho if we’re not having sex, he will rarely just make out for the fun of it).
Neither of us believe in divorce, so what would be some ways I can get him to realize I have a need? I know I’m a very shy person when it comes to expressing sexual wants – I’d almost rather go without than ask for something he doesn’t want to give, but I know I need more that just intercourse. Fore play is non existent! 🙁
I should also add to what I said before, about him saying I tasted better before we got married. We maybe had sex a dozen times before we married, and it was always months apart (long distance relationship). So its not like we were sexually active that long before we were married. Idk if that has any bearing on the problem.
Thanks for taking time to reply.
happywife, I felt so sad when I read your post. Marraige does not cause ANY physiological changes in the “taste” of the vagina or it’s fluids. How could it? Marraige is a piece of paper and a legal contract? If your man is claiming you “taste” different because you are married now, I’d cause bullshit on this.
My guess would be, he’s getting all the sex he wants, now that he has a “contract” and doesn’t feel he needs to pleasure you anymore.
This says a HELL of a lot more about the relationship and the kind of man, than the vagina. It’s similar to those women who quit having sex, or only “allow” sex very infrequently once they are married. They figure “I got him. What’s he going to do?” Well, divorce her, for one thing. People who get too complacent about sex after marriage and think they don’t have to try are despicable.
GOOD spouses try even harder. Marriage is hard. GOOD spouses and partners don’t give up after the “legal” things are done. They work even harder.
If a woman or a man “gives up” on their efforts in the bed after the vows are taken, it is not for a physical reason, it’s complacency, it’s laziness and lack of care for their lover and spouse. It’s time to get counseling, not worry about how you “taste.”
I just got off the phone with I guy I have been seeing for a while. When we first started dating, I was a smoker. In meeting him, he made me want to make positive changes in my life. I quit smoking, stopped binge drinking and starting hitting the gym. He just told me that since quitting smoking, he could tell quite a difference in how I taste. I believe he used the word ‘bitter’ to describe the taste when I was a smoker. He has never mentioned my taste before, only tonite b/c we were talking about my quitting smoking. Anybody else know of smoking cigs affects your taste?
I have to say I liked Szech’s post the best – most helpful 🙂 but to what Biggie said, my husband has said the same thing – that I tasted better before we were married. We were just married in June, and he stopped going down on me only a month or two later. After having read all the posts, I am inclined to think he may have gone down on me before or after my period, which might be why he now doesn’t want to go south anymore. But I am nervous to ask him to try again in case he says no.
Also, I went to my doctor since I thought I might have had genital warts, he said he didn’t think they were that, but took care of them anyways. Now I wonder, is it safe for my husband to go down on me?
Em and Lo, can you clear up any of this?? Haven’t heard from you in a while 🙂
And, most sex positive, secure women don’t worry about either. I mean, be clean, but worrying too much is enough to cause problems in your relationship.
How many guys worry about how their penis or semen taste? My guess is very few.
how bout from a guys prospective,my wife is Very clean and beauitful,but when she cums it seems to smell a little diffrent? any ideas,pussy all smells diffrent but also the same in other ways,i for oNe LOVe pussy cant livew without it…but i dont think the smell is that great,i dont bust in her,casue i heard that can make t smell foul,its not so much foul but diffrent then when we were dating?? any help please,and for all u unsecure ladys,Guys will eat Anything,we eat bugs if we had to..pussy aint that bad…it just use to taste better before we got marrried…help plkeaze
I actually read everyones comment… Quite interesting but nothing I haven’t heard before (well the gummy worm thing is a first but I agree that adding any sugary item down there will cause a pretty bad infection…but some just have to learn for themself). Me and my man have been together for six years now and we usually perform oral as a part of foreplay but I knew from day one that he wasn’t into the idea of eating a chic cuz apparently in his culture it is seen as degrading… Whatever the case, he will do it on me only cuz he knows I like it. That’s what I thought until he told me the other day he has been going me head because he fears if he doesn’t do it then I would be “on to the next one” trying to find somebody who would be willing to. So knowing he doesn’t do it out of pleasing me makes me feel like I am forcing him to… Let me stick to the topic though. When he does go down he tells me I taste like “water”, at times he says “nothing”… And one time he claims “chicken”. Now… I’m not sure boutthe diet affecting taste but I ate alot of fruits like pineapples, cantaloupe, melon, strawberries etc and yes it does make your pussy’s scent better or less strong. But taste wise when a woman is aroused her juices taste different than when she cums. When that time of month draws near it tastes more bitter but a week after it’s over everything is back to normal. Douching I hear is bad as it alters the vaginal flora. I had a friend tell me she had douches with soap and warm water and then had sex then got a yeast infection. Just a warm shower with a hypoallergenic soap such as dove will work fine. Don’t use deodrant soaps down there cuz they will dry it out and make it itchy. Summers eve has a bunch of products specially for that area. Their pussy wipes (cleaning towelettes) work great for those who r self conscious about your vaginal odor after stepping out the shower. I always taste myself before he goes down just to make sure everything is fine which it usually is. I used to be self conscious before but postive thinking helps… The more you fret about the issues the more they r likely to occur. The more u think positively the smoother things will be. It helps you gain confidence.
Hope that helped!
sleeping beauty – (feel bad calling you fat, i’ve never met you.. ;0) ) if there’s a funky, possibly fishy smell too it’s be worth getting checked out for vaginal bacteriosis. It’s not an STD, just an over proliferation of normal bacteria than live in the vagina cos everything has got a bit out of balance for some reason. Easily sorted with antibiotics. On the other front, I’ve recently fallen off the diet wagon too.. fortunately i have an active job now so I can afford to be a bit more relaxed about calories in theory but it’s annoying to fall back as i felt healthier on my diet (GI diet if you know it, lots of veg and wholefoods). Maybe try getting organised and preparing healthy meals in advance and freezing them so they’re as convenient as junk? of course i’m being lazy that way too currently too.. :0/ Exercise wise, if you’re office bound, maybe trying getting outside for a stroll every lunchtime when it’s as warm as it’s going to get this time of year? I started with that, then started swimming at lunchtime, then took a career change and i’m now unlikely to spend any of my working day inside and sitting down (a little extreme/unachievable for most people probably but doing me the world of good)
This discussion board is really interesting to read.
😀
well,i have noticed that my vagina is bitter. it got me worried, cuz i havent noticed it before.
but it got me thinking. i have gained a few kg in the past two weeks. i’ve been eating junk food and not many fruit and veggies. basically my diet has turnd almost 270 degrees. and also i have started to use bus rather then bike to get around (due to the snow and cold). could those be the reasons why the taste of my vagina has changed.
otherwise i take showers regulary and avoid any fancy lubes or other weird things (no gummy worm taste down there!!).
also, a little off the topic; what can help me to get motivated and back on my previous diet? i really want to lose the gained wheight and get helthy again.
Thank You.
the gummy worms post invaded my brain, and nearly made me giggle, at a very intimate moment the other night.. surfice to say, given the enormous (;0)) enthusiasm for me au naturel I definitely don’t think he’s want me tasting of gummyworms ;0)
Why would anyone take the gummy worm poster seriously? She’s obviously a young troll.
so i have gone down and read every post and i totally agree with Madamoiselle if i guy loves you then he is going to love the way you taste no matter what im a young mother and me and my guy have been together going on five years now and the only time he has been a little iffy about going down on me is right after i had the baby and he said it was not because of the taste but of what he had just seen and to the girl who posted to use powdered sugar you are SO SO SO SO WRONG and i really hope you never have to experence as bad of a yeast infection you can get also ladies watch out for the his and her lubs it also has been known to cause bad bad yeast infections and about the toys and stuff to be honest i think i would rather have young teens using toys on them selfs then out there having sex with who ever but thats just my opinion
I agree about “moralistic” lawmakers attempting to make a crime out of love. We all know a number of them would. (And then the leader would get caught on video with one of his pages doing him, tied up, and gagged with a strap on, but that’s an other story….. 😉 )
What we have now is lots of toys, lubes, condoms, etc which may be ineffective or even dangerous, and no way to take care of it.
I don’t know what the answer is.