What Causes Menstrual Blood to Have a Fishy Odor?
Disease description:
This menstrual period has a slightly fishy odor. I would like to understand what causes a fishy odor during menstruation.
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Chen Zhe
In general, normal menstrual blood in healthy women has a mild fishy odor but no foul smell. A foul odor may indicate the presence of necrotic tissue. First, it may result from prolonged retention of shed endometrial tissue within the uterine cavity without timely expulsion. Second, it may be caused by chronic cervical inflammation—for example, ischemic necrosis of cervical polyps can lead to a fishy, foul-smelling menstruation. Additionally, malignant transformation of the endometrium or cervical malignancies causing necrotic tissue sloughing may also produce a fishy, foul odor during menstruation.
