Why is the menstrual period brown and smells like acetic acid?

Women should pay attention to their menstrual health and find out if there are any abnormal conditions recently. If the menstrual blood is brown, then you should pay attention to whether it is affected by some gynecological diseases, such as the most common vaginitis and pelvic inflammatory disease in women, or there may be sweat or secretions in the menstrual blood, so there will be sour smell or other odors. Therefore, you should also pay attention to understanding the reasons.

1. Vaginitis

The main clinical features of vaginitis are changes in the properties of leucorrhea and itching and burning pain of the vulva. It is also common to have an odor during menstruation. When the infection involves the urethra, there may be symptoms such as urinary pain and urgency. Common vaginitis includes bacterial vaginosis, Trichomonas vaginitis, candidal vaginitis, and senile vaginitis.

2. Secretions such as menstrual blood and sweat

Women have a bad odor during menstruation, usually because the menstrual blood is mixed with blood, secretions from the endometrium and sebaceous glands, and sweat, so there will be a more obvious odor.

3. Pelvic inflammatory disease

The main causes of acute pelvic inflammatory disease are postpartum or abortion infection, postoperative infection after intrauterine surgery, poor menstrual hygiene, and direct spread of inflammation of adjacent organs. The clinical manifestations may vary depending on the severity and extent of the inflammation. Because the amount of vaginal discharge increases before menstruation, during ovulation and pregnancy, the vaginal discharge during ovulation is egg white-like. The presence of an odor after menstruation is mostly caused by abnormal leucorrhea, while increased, yellowish, and odorous leucorrhea are mostly clinical manifestations of vaginitis and pelvic inflammatory disease.

4. Proper care

Generally speaking, the odor after menstruation is caused by not paying attention to hygiene during menstruation, or even having sex during menstruation, which may lead to gynecological inflammation. Therefore, the vulva should be kept clean during menstruation, and the vulva should be wiped with warm water every night. It is not suitable to take a tub bath or a sitz bath, but a shower is better. Sanitary napkins and paper should be soft, clean and breathable, and underwear should be changed frequently to reduce the irritation of blood stains to the vulva and inner thighs. After defecation, wipe from front to back to avoid bringing dirt into the vagina and causing vaginitis or even pelvic inflammatory disease.