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Period Pains: Why Do
You Smell More During Menstruation?

Period Pains: Why Do You Smell More During Menstruation?

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DECEMBER 2019 | 5 MINUTE READ

Every woman can confirm that their body goes through many changes during their period. Whether it be tender breasts or painful cramps, you know it’s that time of the month due to these evident signals. In fact, many women are more self-conscious of these physical manifestations during this time of the month and one of them include odor. As a continuation of the series I am writing, I am going to talk about how menstruation can affect your body odor.

According to research, hormones affect the way you smell and how you smell. Besides the obvious symptoms I mentioned before, they also affect your appetite and mood. Even the way you think and behave is tied to the hormonal changes during the phase you are at in your menstrual cycle.

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How Hormones Affect My Menstruation

Your levels of estrogen and progesterone constantly fluctuate throughout your cycle, which heightens women’s olfactory senses. It’s the body’s way of warning you of changes and makes you more sensitive to the way you smell. In fact, a Hormones and Behaviour study published in March 2019 compared women’s sensitivity to smell during different aspects of their menstrual cycles. It proved that women’s sense of smell is at its peak during the latter part of their cycle. While there is still more research to be done, this preliminary research supports the hypothesis that the way you smell changes during your period.

When Do I Smell The Most?

There seems to be a biological explanation for everything and this is no exception. A study conducted at Charles University in Prague tested a group of women for their armpit odor throughout their menstrual cycle. The scientist, Jan Havlieek reported that these women smelled the most during menstrual bleeding. As a result, body odor may be your body’s way of signaling fertility.

Now that you know why you smell more during menstruation, you can check out the extra tips I gave in the previous post for preventing body odour. If you have any other tricks that help you during your period, please share them below!

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Written by Madame Sweat

Clean beauty industry maven and product developer Madame Sweat (Mary Futher) founded kaia naturals after spending 20 years working for global beauty companies. She now shares weekly modern hygiene etiquette advice and solutions for “unsexy” body taboos, with her social media followers and readers.

All content found on this website is created for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website. 

@madamesweat

Clean beauty industry maven and product developer Madame Sweat (Mary Futher) founded kaia naturals after spending 20 yearsworking for global beauty companies. She now shares advice on modern hygiene etiquette for grooming, hosting, home and travel on Instagram, TikTok and her popular blog called The House of Hygiene.

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