dh. groin. odor. help : (

[lapis]

i don't know where to post this. I don't even know if it's too explicit for these boards so mods feel free to delete or move or whatever.

but my title kind of sums it up.... and we need some help.

The odor is a a sort of sour sweat variety. It stays around even after he washes really well. He has good hygiene: bathes twice a day (soaps at least once but usually twice). I never noticed it until last summer (he rides his bike a lot) and I chalked it up to summer sweat... but it never went away. (he does not wear spandex/tight bike gear however. just shorts/jeans and rides around town or to work)

-no, i've never been on hormonal birth control while we have been together.

-no stds for either of us.

-along w/ good hygiene he also isn't even a really stinky/sweaty kind of guy in the first place.

-if i have a yeast infection he always does a bath or two w/ vinegar to prevent passing it back and forth. dh has said that on occasion if i have a Y.I. he does feel a little "wet" which presumably is yeast on him but the vinegar baths nip that feeling in the bud almost immediately he says. other than that he never has any redness, itching or irritation AT ALL.

-his diet is relatively good: veggies, low meat, low/no junk. he does love his beer and his coffee but the amounts of those things haven't changed since we met.

-he is uncircumcised and pulls back to pee and wash (although the odor is more around his groin/pubic area than his penis itself)

-he wears boxer briefs. not boxers.

despite the vinegar baths, could he have jock itch... w/o the irriation/itch part?

could it just be bacterial? and if so, what would symptoms and treatments be?

I've also considered, despite not being on hormonal birth control that my hormones have a role in my sense of smell towards him changing. uuuggghh!

I'm sorry if this is just a bizarre question but I've been googling and we've been talking about it and neither of us know's what to do... and I figured you MDC mammas would have some tips

[SoulCakes]

Could it be a change in gladular function? Has he seen his physician about this? I don't know for sure, but I would bet situations like these are more common than you might think.

[lapis]

hmm? possibly.... does a change in glandular function point to something? health condition? just his hormones changing?

no he hasn't seen our doctor specifically for this yet. I think he's both a bit laissez faire about it because it doesn't bother him physically nor does he stink up a room and he doesn't have any glaring health problems: not overweight, they just did a blood screen on him and everything looked great, even his semen analysis came back looking good.... (and the urologist took a look at his balls and groin and didn't mention the smell...sooo that also had me thinking it could just be me)

but either way, you know, it makes it hard for me to want to go down there and hang out or anything.

[Juvysen]

Is the smell still there after a vinegar wash?

[lapis]

I think things are slightly better after a vinegar bath but nothing worth writing home about. Admittedly we haven't done the vinegar bath every night for like two weeks or something, so maybe being more diligent is in order.

if you look up "groin smell men" or something like that some folks talk about a bacterial thing going on. like some people have stinky pits some have the same thing in their crotches.... i'm not really into anti-bacterail soap.. i mean it just seems harsh and smells terrible anyhow. we have a soap that has some essential oils in it after using an unscented one for a while. dh's skin is not at all sensitive however (mine is super sensitive, so i'm the only one who generally has to be careful w/ body products) so he could probably handle something "harsher" but that's not really good for anyone's bottom, sensitive or not, right?

and of course, why oh why must I be so sensitive to smell... i can't even imagine how bad its going to be once I get pregnant!!

thanks for the tips and please keep them coming if you have a thought or question... everything is helpful

: )

[Juvysen]

Hm... if you think it's bacterial, maybe try having him take raw garlic (orally) it's pretty good at kicking infections... but, then, it may give you a different odor problem of course once he's kicked the infection, he could go back to not taking garlic.

Alternatively, thieves oil (topically) is pretty good at killing bacteria (even MRSA) and smells better than garlic. I'd probably have him try both, and probiotics, too, if it were me...

[kavamamakava]

Sometimes vinegar just isn't strong enough. I would treat it as fungal/yeast and assume it's jock itch. You could always pick up a tube of clotrimazole although it's not exactly the more natural way to treat it. Other ways are tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract (internal and externally), acidophilus (internal and external) and you probably have some ideas too. It seems those glands need some deep cleaning in that area. Like someone said, it happens to armpits sometimes too. I've noticed that rubbing my armpits with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol sometimes stops the cycle of odor.

[A&A]

Is he on any steroid medication? That made my dh stink terribly.

[gbailey]

Has he tried powder to keep that area dry? If it's as hot where you are as it is in NYC then maybe that is the issue? I would try powder and occasional wipe downs during the day to keep the area dry. Hope that helps.

[AbbieB]

I suggest a alcohol wipe down.

DH has had nasty foot stink in his younger days and occasionally gets an oniony smell in his pits. I occasionally get the oniony pit stink too and once in my groin area (where underpant elastic hits on the legs). Using a few cotton balls with rubbing alcohol in the area works like a charm!

I think it works because we pick up a stinky variety of bacteria and the alcohol wipe down kills it. I don't think of it as treating an infection, just managing the healthy flora that naturally lives on the skin.

And for the record, yes, having kids has changed my sense of smell. My nose and taste buds have had a lasting change after each baby.

[2cutiekitties]

I have been victim to the armpit thing and hydrogen peroxide cures it. I never thought of vinegar!

[PancakesMancakes]

Have you tried any herbs? Some mint or basil in his boxers when he's watching tv could really help

[lapis]

thanks so much ladies,

w/ the alcohol or peroxide, just swab it on? once a day? twice a day? once a week? ongoing?

also, i forgot to mention that we did some olive oil w/ essential oil. but like the vinegar, i don't think it was strong enough.

my guess is that its a bacterial thing. the smell is different but on par w/ a stinky pit so i'm leaning that way.

has anyone else experienced this w/ their/a man? Part of me is wondering if I'm just so sensitive smells that his, very natural smell, just "seems" very strong to me.... um, i don't know how to word this any better except to ask, do your guys have a strong crotch smell, that DOESN'T bother you? that you even enjoy?

and I guess I shouldn't rule out a fungal/jock itch thing just yet. My reason for doubting it is that he has no discomfort/redness/irritation...for some reason I associate fungal w/ itchy/irritation and bacterial w/ odor....but is this maybe inaccurate thinking?

[Magelet]

we origininally had a few issues of that sort, but they were of the "teenage boy learning how clean things need to be kept to smell nice" sort. Haven't had issues since.

Now he has a "DP" scent, sure, but not strong or musky or gross.

(I'm excited to try some of these tricks on my pits. I can't beleive how fast I get stinky there.)

[lapis]

yeah, I had been thinking maybe he wasn't washing thoroughly but whenever I'm in the shower w/ him and he's washing it looks pretty thorough.... sudsy.

and I've dated some guys and know that they all have their own penis/groin smell... but I've never run into feeling like its too strong.

Oh man : ) I wish I could have a few other people smell so that I could get a better sense of whether or not its my sense of smell or his actual smell... obviously not even our doctor is REALLY going to take a good whiff, right? but its sure would be helpful...

[Sharlla]

can he buzz off his hair witha trimmer?
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[provocativa]

If you check out the LLL protocol for yeast, it is not really washing the area. go to there website and look it up. They recommend almost a sitz bath, soaking the balls and penis and 'taint. so whether you believe it to be bacterial or fungal, you need greater action than a bath or wipedown with your chosen ingredients. also go extreme on his underwear. they all need to be washed super hot (boiling would be fine).

[demetria]

How is his skin intergrity? Is his skin red, shiny, sticky?
Is the odor perinium, scrotum or pubic hair related?
He may be overwashing. By doing this his is not allowing his body to correct itself.
I would start by treating for jock itch or yeast if you don't want to see a Dr.
Cover his whole package with all natural yogurt and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then wash it off in cool water.
Treat his underwear in the wash, tea tree added to the water can help.
Someone mentioned penis soaks, those are great.
Soak in yeast fighting herbs.
Good Luck.

[Peepsqueak]

Does anyone think tee tree oil would help? It kills bacteria and is relatively a natural and harmless cleaner.

Sometimes these odors occur if we are covered all the time and heat just lets us sweat and it stays that way all the time. Washing does not really get it all because it can be cummulative.

There's all kinds of magic potions out there that clean but everyone has to find the right one...like deodorant. I had a problem finding a good deodorant in a humid city such as ours. Shaving helps too but sweating still aggravates things....stay off stimulants, excess coffee and alchohol, and reduce meat consumption as much as possible.

Drink a lot of water too....

[Jane]

Agree with previous posters - he picked up a microbial passenger that makes a sour smelling waste product when it eats his sweat. Who knows if it's yeast or bacteria? I suspect it's bacteria, due to your description of the smell, but it doesn't really matter.
You've got three choices, really. One is to reduce the food. Use a spray on antipersperant (to stop the sweating) or powder to absorb sweat.
Second is to kill the microbes with vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, strong soap (like hibiclens), etc. With anything, I'd recommend doing it 2 times a day for a full 10 days.
Third, you can try to replace the microbes with something else. Those are the yogurt recommendations. I'd also suggest an oral probiotic in case they are fecal bacteria in origin and can be replaced that way.

There certainly are men that "need" to use a sack powder year round or in the summer. Gold Bond is one type. It's got anti-microbials in it. I'd suggest the three steps above before going to a daily maintenance product.