By Jessica Hamzelou. Having sex with a male partner can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the vagina — which might put women at risk of infections. The bacterial communities of healthy vaginas tend to be dominated by one type of bacteria. Women with higher levels of other bacteria are more likely to get urinary tract infections, or even give birth prematurely.
When I was in high school a song by the band Marcy Playground was intensely popular. It was called "Sex and Candy," and it horrified my mother so of course I listened to it as many times as I could. As a woefully virginal teenager I wasn't familiar with the specifics of the refrain. All I knew was that when the lead singer crooned "I smell sex and candy, yeah," my mom would angrily flip the station on the radio muttering mild obscenities under her breath.
Unprotected sex may disrupt the microbiome in vagina
If you are a woman or have ever shared intimate moments with a woman, you have probably noticed a peculiar aroma around the lady parts. Certainly, vaginas do not always smell terrific. On the other hand, if your vaginal odor is more like a vaginal stench, that could be indicative of an infection or STD. In general, however, every woman has her own unique scent, which can vary throughout her menstrual cycle.
The common fear that your vagina smells "bad" is rooted in sexist, old-fashioned culture rather than fact. Beyond understanding that the smell of vagina is normal, many guys are incredibly turned on by the scent. We made out and fooled around, but kept all the touching above underwear. The thing was, her panties were super thin, and she got super wet. When I smelled it, it smelled amazing.