If your vulva smells fishy, you may have bacterial vaginosis (also known as anaerobic vaginosis). This is an imbalance in the bacteria in the vagina which keeps it healthy. All women have harmless bacteria in their vaginal passage. In bacterial vaginosis, some specific types of bacteria multiply so that more are present than is normal (it is usually the Gardnerella and Mobiluncus bacteria that are the culprits). In other words, bacterial vaginosis is not a sexually transmitted infection (STI) (infection caught from your partner), it is caused by overgrowth of certain types of bacteria that are normally present in the vagina.

Bacterial vaginosis is treated with an antibiotic called metronidazole which you can get from your doctor. You will find more information on bacterial vaginosis in the section on genital infections.

First published on embarrassingproblems.com
Reviewed and edited by Dr Laura Gush
Last updated: June 2025 by Dr David Rook