Body odor

[Jigsaw]

Read in several places T can change body Odor, but does ir change it super drastically?  I have noticed more often then not that by the late afternoon, I stink to put it bluntly. Mostly in crotch area and I am doing nothing different then before T except eating a little better but that is it. I have no idea if it is T or something else so thought I would ask if others noticing their body odor really changing.   Not trying to be gross or anything but I don't know if I should be talking to a doctor or not.  Not sure what to battle the smell with outside of 2 baths a day and washing laundry a lot.

[Joelene9]

  You might tell your doctor about this peculiar odor.  Still having the male parts, I still get some of the real funky odor of jock itch from the seminal fluid leaking out and feeding the fungus.  Your case it might be a yeast infection or the other female things that go on down there.  Going on T may have brought on the some of the things that produced your odor. 
  Joelene

[Adam (birkin)]

Mine changed but it shouldn't be super offensive. I would say if it's not controllable through showering, deodorant, and laundry, you should probably see a doctor.

[Felix]

I went from needing to shower once or twice a week to having to shower every day. I still stink on hot days even a few hours after showering and even with deodorant. I didn't used to wear underwear but now I do because if I don't I have to wash my jeans all the time. Drastic change is normal for some people with hrt but I wouldn't be very happy with having to shower twice a day. Idk.

[dalebert]

Maybe it's not smellier. Maybe it just smells different and so you're noticing it. Warren on YouTube talks about how the smell changes as your body fluids shift from being more acidic to being more alkaline.

[Jigsaw]

Thanks folks.  I am pretty confused and worried about it, I am not going to lie.  I would think if it was an infection there would be some other indicators kicking in.  I used to be able to wear jeans a few days to maybe even a week before washing them since I am just sitting around all day.  Now on good days, I can maybe go 2 days but very rarely 3.  I am not to the point I take showers twice a day, but I am tempted to see if it helps.  I may just be very super conscious. 

I hope it is just from sweating a little more during the summer months and it's just something I personally notice.   My g/f has never said anything about it and I know she would.  If I forget to brush my teeth in the morning, she will let me know.    This weekend, I will wear some lighter pants or shorts and see if I can avoid being in hot areas since I planed to be home all weekend anyway and if it makes a difference. 

[shean R]

I have noticed a change in, first the amount that I sweat and second in my body odor.  I never really sweat until I started on T, now I sweat more for sure.  I have to take a shower everyday without fail because of the sweating and the body odor.  I use Axe Body spray and deodorant and cologne to help get me through the days without stinking.  I have also noticed a change in my odor down below and mentioned it to my GF who said it is normal as the T changes our body chemistry and when that happens your urine will smell differently which in turn will cause your genitals to smell differently, made sense to me.  Just part of it I guess, maybe not one of the best parts but we have to take the good with the bad.   

[mikaellucien]

I'm not on T yet, but have experienced what you describe since puberty.  I spoke with my physician about it a few years ago.  She suggested I try trimming the hair in problem areas or shaving if I was comfortable with that.  The hair its self absorbs odor, causing it to linger even with sufficient hygiene. 

Once every 3 or 4 months I decrease the length of my underarm and pubic hair by half.  For me, that does a good job of controlling the excess smell. 

[AbraCadabra]

Now all I can tell - not producing any more T other than from adrenalin glands only i.e. like any hysterectomiesed-female, (still having ovaries also produce some more T) - as soon as I am off ERT (HRT) I can SMELL myself mostly under the armpits, and well ... also some stronger  ~ 'funk' from my groin.

So if you ask me, yes T ... suppressing E, would be able to do just that, creating a low estrogen hormonal environment similar go going off ERT – with the same sort of effect.
Male armpits are a LOAD funkier than female's as well as further down yonder.
If all fresh like – it is what females find attractive (might help to know )

I hope this makes sense?

Axélle

[dalebert]

There have been recent studies that women are more attuned to smelling pheromones than men and that men are more attuned to producing pheromones than women. They have to do with signaling to each other genetic compatibility.

[aleon515]

It's unlikely you are smelling pheromones though. No one knows if you actually consciously smell pheromones-- though one must sense them. They are also theoretically released by skin glands. I don't think a year or less on T would be enough to change the skin glands. I think one is just smelling body scent changes from the genitals perhaps.

--Jay Jay

[Beth Andrea]

MTF speaking...

My ex has a cat that really detested my male scent. She'd literally scrunch up her nose if she was downwind and move to the other side. Wife said that I didn't smell bad, and I did the usual (shower in the morn, deodorant/anti-perspirant, etc).

Now, 6 months into HRT, the cat quickly comes up to me and snuggles. My smell doesn't bother her anymore. I don't think it's because she misses me, but it is what it is. I have noticed my smell is much less...tart? Pungent? Something like that. I know I don't "stink" like I used to during a hot day.

[Jigsaw]

After reading all the responses and kinda testing things today by taking it easy and not being in a situation that would cause me to sweat much if at all, I am pretty sure that it is just where I am sweating more because today I don't notice anything.   I really do appreciate everybody's input.

  I was really getting worried because some days I notice the body odor when I don't think I have sweated but when I think about it... maybe I really did just not enough to make me notice.  I guess I just never noticed I sweated more after starting T either or it took a little while for that to kick in.   I also noticed my urine odor had changed, but I figured that was just change in diet....guess that was not the only reason.

Guess I will just have to be more aware of my surroundings in the future knowing I am more prone to sweating and possible body odor. 

[wheat thins are delicious]

Mine changed but it shouldn't be super offensive. I would say if it's not controllable through showering, deodorant, and laundry, you should probably see a doctor.

This.

[Felix]

It's unlikely you are smelling pheromones though. No one knows if you actually consciously smell pheromones-- though one must sense them. They are also theoretically released by skin glands. I don't think a year or less on T would be enough to change the skin glands. I think one is just smelling body scent changes from the genitals perhaps.

--Jay Jay

I agree we can't consciously smell pheromones but our skin and scent for sure changes in less than a year on T. I mean, scent is noticeably different along the cycle of one's period when estrogen is main thing, and that's different week by week. I would assume pheromone content varies in small ways through the course of the day and moreso over weeks or months when drastic hormonal shifts like hrt get introduced.

[aleon515]

Yeah Felix, I am not on T, but I understand your smell will change a LOT. Just pointing out that it is most likely NOT pheromones-- which are sensed more than smelled. I am also guessing that ftms wouldn't produce male pheromones. But I don't think anybody is studying this. (Not too many people studying human pheromones anyway.) Also I have never heard anybody complain about the nasty smell of pheromones.   Just saying.

--Jay Jay

[Jeatyn]

Just going on e-blockers massively changed my smell, and T has changed it further.

I also could easily not shower for a week if I was feeling lazy and not doing much before starting to feel scummy. Now I can't stand to not shower every day, twice if I've done something like go to the gym after the first shower

My other half used to drive me completely up the wall with the amount of showers he took and the amount of laundry he created. I never understood why he wasn't happy to wear the same t-shirt or jeans for 2-3 days. I understand now 

[GQBookworm]

I'm not on T yet, but I've noticed that my body odor is different since I've been off birth control pills.

[Nygeel]

For me I had a lot of different body smell changes. My crotch fluids have changed in consistency and smell...I can't really explain the differences in smell but it is different. I noticed sweat type changes within the first month or two so I assume other fluids changed around then, too.

[Rita]

I have noticed the same thing as a MtF as well.  Except its a sweet pleasant smell.  Coming from someone who takes a shower once a day minimum, twice a day if I feel like it.