Why does it happen? In pregnancy and postpartum, hormonal shifts cause sweat glands to “go into overdrive”, according to Dr Semiya Aziz, a GP based in north London. The hormones responsible are oestrogen and progesterone.
“Postpartum sweat tends to be more potent in odor than other times and there is a reasonable explanation for this natural phenomenon,” she continues. “The strong smell orientates the newborn baby and allows them to use their senses rather than their sight and directs the coordinated action for feeding.
The hormonal shifts and weight and diet changes will begin to taper off sometime around the six to eight-week mark (3) - unless you continue to eat nachos for dinner which we totally applaud. However, the extra body odor due to nursing will stick around until you're done breastfeeding (2).
With an increase in sweat, there is a possibility for increased body odor. This is similar to when hormones change during puberty. It's also nature's way of helping you bond with your newborn. “A change in a woman's postpartum scent helps direct a baby toward her for breastfeeding,” adds Dr.
The thioalcohols give off a strong, often sulfurous scent that can also be comparable to onions or meat. Genetics plays a role in how many thioalcohols your body produces. Just like onions, some people have a more pungent smell than others.
The researchers also discovered why women's sweat smelled like onions: The female sweat had ten times the level of an odorless sulfur-containing compound than men.
During breastfeeding, a mother may excrete different pheromones -- one theory is that these pheromones act as a way of communicating with the newborn and help with feeding and bonding. Another theory is that the infant's saliva may also contribute to a woman's body odor.
Lume Whole Body Deodorant is formulated with skin safe ingredients, so you can use it anywhere you want to control odor, and know that it is also safe to use if you are nursing.
The return to pre-pregnancy hormone levels can vary greatly, but generally hormones will normalize within three to six months. If you are breastfeeding, as you wean from it, your prolactin and oxytocin levels will drop—potentially leaving you feeling sad, anxious or irritable.
BV is responsible for the fishy smell most commonly associated with unpleasant vaginal odors. The fishy smell may be especially strong after sex. Another common symptom to look out for with BV is a gray or grayish-white discharge.
Symptoms of uterine infections commonly include pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis, fever (usually within 1 to 3 days after delivery), paleness, chills, a general feeling of illness or discomfort, and often headache and loss of appetite.
The bottom line is that switching to a free-from deodorant from an antiperspirant will lower the amount of aluminium in your breast milk, which will lower the amount of aluminium that ends up in your baby. Regardless of any debate, that's probably not a bad thing - for your child, or yourself.
The good thing to remember is that this stage is only temporary. The first couple of months might be the toughest, but after about a year postpartum, your body is pretty much back in balance and you'll notice that includes your sweat glands.
Strong body odor is normal during pregnancy and is usually nothing to worry about. If you want to minimize the stink, try to avoid excessive sweating by wearing thin, loose clothing. Some sweating is inevitable, so showering regularly and especially after exercising will help.
Breastfeeding. If you're nursing your baby, your body will emit a stronger smell through your underarm sweat than normal to help your baby find its source of food (2). This is your body's response to naturally assist your baby in finding the breast, and will begin right after giving birth.
Body odor is caused by a mix of bacteria and sweat on your skin. Your body odor can change due to hormones, the food you eat, infection, medications or underlying conditions like diabetes. Prescription-strength antiperspirants or medications may help.
While sweat itself doesn't smell, you may develop body odor when there is the presence of bacteria on your skin. This is particularly why sweaty breasts smell sour or musky. Body odor comes from bacteria on the skin, which breaks down sweat produced by the apocrine glands.
If your vagina has an unusually strong and unpleasant smell, like onions, for long, it may be a sign of an infection like bacterial vaginosis, which is bacterial overgrowth in the vagina.
Foods such as garlic and onions can give you what Dr Dey calls “garlic sweat” due to the high concentration of Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) they contain. Like your cabbage and cauliflower, these foods also typically contain sulphur.
A person living with a health condition such as diabetes or kidney disease may also have sweat that smells like ammonia.
Bromhidrosis is a disease that occurs when the bacteria on your skin breaks down sweat and produces an abnormally offensive smell similar to onions or sulfur. Bromhidrosis body odor is more pungent and persistent than ordinary B.O. There are two types of bromhidrosis: apocrine and eccrine.
When the bacteria break down the sweat they form products called thioalcohols, which have scents comparable to sulfur, onions or meat. "They're very very pungent," says Bawdon. "We work with them at relatively low concentrations so they don't escape into the whole of the lab but ... yes, they do smell.