Can I use lemon to clean my vagina?

What do you say about using lemon on the vagina if it has a fishy smell? Should the lemon be chewed first or not? Letitia

It is normal for every woman to have a natural vaginal odour, which can vary from woman to woman. This scent may change throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle, after sex, urination, intense physical exercise or during pregnancy.

However, a strong and unpleasant vaginal odour, accompanied by other symptoms such as discharge, may indicate a health problem such as infection (STIs, bacterial vaginosis), a connection between the vagina and the large intestine or urinary tract (fistula), or even cancers of the cervix or vagina.

Therefore, it is important to investigate the cause of the odour before assuming it is normal.

A woman’s vagina naturally contains small organisms known as normal flora, including beneficial ones that produce protective acid (lactobacilli) and harmful ones such as Gardnerella vaginalis. If the harmful bacteria outnumber the beneficial ones, it can lead to a condition called bacterial vaginosis, resulting in a foul, fishy odour.

There are treatments available for this infection that your doctor may prescribe. It is important to avoid using home remedies such as lemon and saliva, as they may disrupt the balance of organisms in the vagina and potentially worsen the odour.