Are guys more sensitive to female odors.

[Julia1996]

Hi everyone. I've been wondering if maybe guys are more sensitive to female odors than females are. Since starting hrt I've had some weird experiences concerning odors.

The first one was after I had been on hrt for about 4 months. I had been doing housework and I was sweaty. My dad told me I smelled like a sweaty girl. I asked him what he meant and he said it was a female smell and that it didn't smell nasty, just female. I couldn't smell anything, good or bad. Now I know hrt eliminates the nasty boy smell. No matter what deodorant I used or how recently I had taken a shower,  if I got really sweaty I smelled. Unless I showered immediately when I got sweaty I would start smelling like an ->-bleeped-<-'s armpit. I'm totally glad that went away! But what I notice now is no smell at all. I don't notice any smell at all and I don't even know what my dad meant by sweaty girl. There is sweat odor but as far as I know female sweat doesn't smell any different.

Then another time after I had worked out and I was sweaty.  I walked through the living room and a couple of minutes later my brother came and told me I smelled like "sweaty pussy". I thought he meant I had BO but he said no, it smelled like sweaty vagina and it was kind of strong because his friends had smelled it too. Ok, I couldn't smell anything at all. So I asked my dad if he had ever noticed any smells when I had been sweaty. He said now that I mentioned it he had. He said he didn't know how to bring it up to me. So I started using deodorant spray for down there and baby powder. I still don't know how that's possible since I don't have a vagina to get sweaty yet, but I guess it's a change of body chemistry or something.

And recently my brother was bitching about me not replacing the toilet paper (oops)  and I asked him how he was so sure I was the last one in there and he said since our mom had moved out it could only have been me. I said it COULD have been dad but he said no, he knew it was me because he had smelled my pee. Ok, what?? It goes right into the bowl and I flush before I get off the toilet,  so it's not like there is pee anywhere to smell. He said it didn't matter he said if he went into the bathroom right after me he could smell the odor of female pee. He said it wasn't a nasty odor but that he knew it was female pee. I didn't know male and female pee smelled different. I've never smelled anything when I pee.

So I'm really wondering if males are a lot more sensitive to female odors. An effect of testosterone maybe? Pheromones maybe? I never smell these alleged odors they smell but they have no reason to lie. Has anyone else noticed odors guys smell but you don't?

And also a question for the parents here. Do children have a "scent" that parents recognize?  My dad always kisses me on the top of my head. Once after he had done that he told me I still had my scent. I asked him if my hair smelled bad or something and he said no, he told me I had a scent that I had had since I was a baby. I asked what in the world he was talking about and he told me children had a scent that their parents could recognize. So I asked him Tyler had a "scent" as well and he said yes. So I asked him if he had been out in the sun too long. He said if I had kids I would understand what I was talking about. Maybe my dad THINKS my brother and I have some special scent but I don't think it can be for real because we aren't animals. But I've been wrong before so I thought I would ask you guys who have kids.

[Lady Lisandra]

Hormones have definitely an effect on our body odors and smells.
I've been told a few times that I have a strong scent. Not in a bad way, just that I have a particular smell, and it's strong. Strong like I sleep in someone else's bed and it smells like me for a day or two, or clothes I wear that still have my scent after a few days. After months of hormones, my partner told me my scent wasn't as strong as it was before.

[Kylo]

Male levels of testosterone will make sweat and urine smell far more acrid. Female sweat and urine still has a smell, but it's less acrid. I think men and women are both aware of it in other people, not so much in themselves.

I noticed the change in myself, but I figure that's because I was gaining a more acrid scent. If I'd gone the other way, I think I'd have thought I lacked much of a smell at all.

People in general are sensitive to smells, even if they aren't aware of it. Ever smelled something and had a sudden recollection because of it? We mentally log smells as part of memory formation. I know the general scent of people who've been close to me - partners, parents, relatives etc. We are animals. We operate in the same basic way as all mammals do, only our sense of smell is notably poor compared to that of most mammals since we seem to have concentrated on developing good color vision instead. Pheromones are more than likely a thing with human beings as well. Every person I was ever close enough to notice the general smell of had their own unique scent.

[Rowena_Ellenweorc]

I am a bad person to ask about female scents personally, as I can smell just about anything. Husband teases me all the time about my sense of smell and calls me a bloodhound.

HOWEVER on the kids front, yes.  There is a different scent for everyone.  If I recall correctly from reading your other posts, you have a boyfriend right? Okay, imagine you've been away from him for a long time, you miss him terribly, but you can't exactly call him up on the phone and hear his voice on the phone, see a text from him, or video chat with him.  Maybe you find one of his shirts somewhere, and pick it up and cuddle it because it reminds you of him.  Or you might (not recommending this one unless he gave you a key lol) go to his house/apartment/whatever and just sit in his room for comfort.  Just those things, those give off pheromones of your boyfriend, and its different for each person.  Same principle with kids.  We just don't tend to think about it as much with our loved ones I guess.  Plus, especially as younger kids, they have a far more... pungent... scent at times.

Have you ever heard the idea that babies naturally can make women want one when they hold them?  Its because of pheromones/a scent they give off basically.  Similar idea.

[undautri]

I'm not sure if men are more sensitive to the change than women- I've heard women have a better sense of smell in general. From a biological perspective it makes sense for women to have a better sense in general for picking the best mate and choosing the safest foods, but it also makes sense for men to be more aware of the difference between male and female and where they've been- if a woman smells strongly of man she may have been with one recently or may be infertile.
  I did a little digging and it turns out during ovulation women are more sensitive to scent, but also men and women are able to recognize the scent of their children and spouses pretty easily and equally. your brother and father pointing it out may just be because your scent has changed in general and they noticed, not necessarily because men smell females more acutely.

Also has anyone noticed people's saliva has a distinct taste to it? what is that even about?

[JillianC]

I've noticed that people especially females smell different to me.  Instead of females smelling "sweet", I started picking up a BO type odor.  It isn't necessarily stinky just more body odor.  I get this smell from both men and women.  It's definitely stronger with men though.

I am not sure I smell different but my kids always like to smell me.  They picked that up from me as I always smelled the top of their head like my grandma use to do to me.  I sure do love their smell though.  Anyways, my youngest says my smell hasn't changed and I've asked her several different times with the same result.

My theory is that our smell to other females hasn't changed but males are able to pick up a different female scent?

[Dena]

I shower in the morning primally because I like to sleep warm and my body has a funk that I don't want to be exposing others to all day. I have a reasonably sensitive sense of smell but it can vary. In California I could walk outside and smell the flowers for miles around. Now I am back in Arizona, I can only smell the desert when it's raining up wind. This is because moisture carries smells and when the humidity is low, you will smell very little. Another factor is the moisture inside your nose, I think estrogen causes your nose to be more moist and thus more sensitive.

Yes, when I restarted HRT, my pee had a flowery scent to it which is somewhat different from male pee. In addition, I didn't smell that when I was on Premarin but I did with estradiol so it seems to be somewhat body chemistry dependent however on Premarin, the horse (gelding) took a special interest in me.

[Lady Sarah]

There have been times I need to go to the hardware store during a day I have been working outside, and am covered in sweat. I might smell a slight odor coming from me, but guys sense it hard. As for Phillip, he loves that smell, then likes it even better after I shower. He doesn't even mind if I toot, and says it doesn't stink.

[Ryuichi13]

Maybe I'm an exception, but I can tell that my own scent has changed.  More acrid sounds about right.  Even my armpit scent has changed.

As for the head kissing/scent thing, I kiss the top of my boyfriend's head quite a bit.  Because he's not transitioning, he smells female.  I noticed that I don't mind walking into the bathroom after he pees, and now that I think about it, I tend to inhale deep when I do.

Maybe that's part of the reason why I subconsiously want to rub myself/scent-mark him as my mate.  To ward off other males.  It would explain a lot!  I can't be the only man that feels this way...can I?

Ryuichi

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[Kylo]

I don't have the best sense of smell on the planet, but I always smell my guy when he comes home when we hug or whatever. And I guess he does the same me as well, quite often. Not really a conscious thing, I just like the way he smells. He's one of those people who barely sweats, ever, and always smells agreeable somehow with just his own basic scent. I remember when we met years ago, specifically, thinking about how nice his personal scent was. Not any cologne scent or whatever, but the smell of his skin generally. He just smells good to me. I was very encouraged by it when we first met.

And I know it's not that unusual, as I was talking to an old acquaintance just a few days ago who started explaining how he likes to get the general scent of someone on a date because if someone doesn't smell right to him, he'll be put off. Maybe he's taking things to the extreme, but he literally seems to judge people on their smell as much as their looks. If he's on a date he always comes back on Slack and mentions whether or not they smelled all right, lol. Or if they failed some other aspect of the date game, "it's a pity because he smelled so nice".

I think people pay more attention to smell than they generally admit.

Weirdly, my guy can tell by scent if I'm unwell generally. I can't detect any difference on myself, but he can sense it. Some people - male or female - are extremely sensitive to scent

[MeTony]

We all have a scent. Be away from home for a week and come back home. The smell you feel is your scent.