The vagina is very sensitive to changes in your daily environment, anything that affects its pH balance, will affect the smell and consistency of discharge.

Factors that affect this pH balance and “community” or microbiome of the vagina include:

• Antibiotic use
• Spermicides
• New sexual partners
• Frequency of sexual intercourse
• Sex toys
• Diet, exercise, hygiene, stress, and weather changes
• Hormonal imbalances such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause
• -Scented feminine hygiene products
• Douching

Scented soaps, cleaners and feminine intimate grooming products can actually upset the normal pH balance of the vagina, causing infections and skin irritation. Disrupting the pH balance can cause a yeast or bacterial infection which creates uncomfortable symptoms including itching, burning, redness, swelling, and foul vaginal discharge.

These factors may not only cause a strange new discharge and odor; they may create other uncomfortable symptoms such as:

• Vulvar itching, burning redness and swelling
• Yellow or grey discharge that may vary in thickness and consistency

A strong, foul, fishy vaginal odor with a thin, grayish-white discharge is a classic symptom of bacterial infections, but it can also be a result of other types of organisms (infections) such as Candidiasis (yeast), Bacterial Vaginosis/Gardnerella, Trichomoniasis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.