Vaginal odor years after endometrial ablation

My doc said it could last up to 3 weeks.

Try vitamin D!!! Solved the problem for me.

Try vitamin D!!! Solved the problem for me.

I had an endometrial ablation on June 26, 2018, and have been dealing with a terrible odor problem every three months since the surgery. I am so glad to no longer have to deal with the heavy bleeding and living with the fear of getting endometrial cancer as my cells were about to turn to cancer, that's why we did this procedure. It has ruined my sex life with my husband. We used to have sex at least 5 times a week, but now its once every 3-6 months. The smell is beyond horrible and does make you want to hide from everyone. I have no social life because of it. I have found one thing that helps which is rephresh vaginal gel which you can get at Walmart or Walgreens. It's 16.00 a box for 4 tubes and each tube lasts for 3 days. I use an entire box of 4 every 3 months and it does help. I have been put on antibiotics as well due to infections. Any woman that has had this done, know you are not alone, it seems like we all are experiencing the same problems, others worse than some.

Hi Jazz. Thx for sharing. Would love to know more about what your dr discovered, tests, how u r since partial hysterectomy. I was never told any of the adverse effects of the ablation and drs seem to only recommend probiotics. Frustrated and looking for solutions

I was so relieved to have the ablation procedure. I was so tired of bleeding 3 out of every 4 weeks whether or not I was on the pill. It has been 5 weeks since the procedure and 2 weeks of this awful odor. I cannot imagine having this the rest of my life. There were absolutely no warnings about this in the pamphlet or on WebMD. And my dr didn't say anything. It is so upsetting. Three years since my divorce and I thought I was emotionally ready to date again. But now I just cannot imagine putting myself out there. I've written messages to my dr via their system and haven't heard back. It is so hard to get appointments so I have no idea when I'm going to get some relief. I'm looking for any/all advice for over the counter products.

Hello Ladies…DO NOT FRET or be sorry you had uterine ablation!! Get educated!! If you are experiencing an “odor, itching or discomfort” it could very well be bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection. Then again your issues may not be from either of these; see your Doctor right away for some testing, results and help (antibiotics, vaginal cream, progesterone, etc.)…if it’s not anything bacterial or fungal then ask your doctor about possibly using a “weekly prescription hormone cream (Estradiol)”, the body doesn’t absorb the hormones but your vagina does! Helps with pain, discomfort, some odors, maintains general vaginal health. The hormone cream may be a bit “messy” but helps keep us “in shape for better, more satisfying sex with much less pain!”…(Your tissues atrophy, get thing and can dry out.) There’s also Rephresh Gel (sold at Walmart, drug stores, helps maintain vaginal health, ph balance, cuts way down on odor). Also, if you are testing negative for Yeast but have itch and discomfort try Vagisil Cream for itching, it really helps. Listen, with ablation your uterus no longer sheds every month. You must understand the implications. You should also be on something prescribed by your gynecologist to “help your uterus shed” such as Progesterone (I take a low dose, 5mg daily prescribed by my gynecologist). Peri-menopausal and Menopausal women may need hormone adjustments as they go along. This does not always mean “the worrisome hormones”. These days some are homeopathic, some treat just the vagina or you can go full bore with traditional hormone replacement therapy or bio-identical pellet injections…After ablation your uterus is no longer having a period, or shedding on its own. It’s up to YOU to maintain your health with what’s comfortable for you! I’m 57. Had ablation over 10 years ago. I take progesterone daily while opting for pellet injections every 3months. My endometrium is thick right now, this is causing a harmless but annoying odor that I’m very aware of. I’ve lost some confidence in the bedroom. This thickened endometrium requires a D & C. I’meagerly awaiting this outpatient procedure, I’m hopeful it will help me “get back to normal”. Ladies, don’t give up! Don’t be afraid to talk with your partners and more importantly your gynecologists…(I’m not a doctor, please discuss any thing I’ve listed or suggested that worked for me with your own doctor before starting or trying. We’re all different)..Good luck!!

What probiotic are you taking?

Where do you get this gel at

Me too I am one week and a day post op. The discharge is enough to use depends not pads.
It’s is a pinkinsh watery liquid that smells like burnt
Period blood. It’s foul. I called my dr and told his nurse this wasn’t in the brochure! If I had known it would be like this I would have just gotten the hysterectomy. My doctor told the nurse to tell me if I want I can douche to help the smell, but that just makes it smell like this ruined burnt flesh perfumery smell. If it could BE worse it is. My lady parts are putrid. 1st thing Monday I am getting an appointment for a hysterectomy or I’m getting a new doctor and a hysterectomy. This is truly worse than when. My period was so heavy I bled out on stage in front of a live audience. Humiliating doesn’t begin to describe it.

I know this is an old post, but I want to reply in case someone like me is doing a Google search and can read it. I want to say I am just like Candi above. All the heavy periods all the BV all the medication they gave for that plus birth control and mirena and then having an unplanned C-section, I had lupus symptoms, and it took years to diagnose, I had a miscarriage that the doctor did not want to perform a DNC just had me release it naturally, which was a horrible experience. then the periods kept lasting 10 to 14 days and ultrasound found debris and this was 10 months post miscarriage. I still don’t know why Dr did not do DNC but then he had to and decided to do an ablation. That was 2017 and I felt OK after a periods were less and that only lasted a few months and then it started up again, although .That was 2017 and I felt OK after an periods were less and that only lasted a few months and then it started up again although my periods are light very light brown it’s still last 10 to 14 days just a constant hassle. More symptoms progressed such as that full feeling, not able to urinate, completely, bloated look in my abdomen etc. Doc finally said I have had adenomyosis and the only treatment is hysterectomy. I have known about this since last year 2022, but I do not want a hysterectomy so I have just been suffering and now it has progressed to a smelly discharge sometimes. :(

This sound s like my issue... omg I'm going to try it.

I know this is an old thread but hoping someone can offer any insight on how to stop the recurrent BV infections post endometrial ablation. I had the ablation in February and have recurrent bv infections every few weeks even after antibiotics from my OBGYN. He has me using boric acid suppositories but if I don’t use them every night the bv returns. I don’t know what else to do. Has anyone found a solution? I wish I would have known about this as I would have never done the ablation.

I’ve had success with boric acid suppositories

I hate so much how countless women are having this issue, and how it’s routinely ignored or not taken seriously by health care professionals. Clearly this is an issue with the implications of having considerable detrimental effects on quality of life. Not just for the women who suffer, but also for our partners. That’s multiple lives affected by this one medical condition, that seemingly no researchers or doctors want or try to tackle. I had the Novasure uterine ablation done more than 3 years ago after battling 2 years of constant bleeding. After months upon months of trial and error taking various combinations of hormones, my gynecologist and primary care doctor working in tandem, I felt an ablation was my last hope. Had I had known the potential trade off and been given the option of a partial hysterectomy also, I would have gotten the hysterectomy, hands down. I don’t feel like what I deal with is full fledged BV. I have no other symptoms other than the odor. No itching, no burning, no cramping or pain. Just odor. If I do a prescription antibiotic treatment, the odor will be gone for roughly 4-5 days after treatment, if I’m lucky, and for otc treatments such as boric acid suppositories and probiotics, 1-2 days odor free. It ALWAYS COMES BACK, and I know it will, but it’s never not a major let down and disappointment. It’s frustrating when doctors want to keep treating it as if it is just a BV infection, when clearly it’s a more complicated and concerning issue. Ladies, we have to keep self advocating and keep pushing for medical care we deserve and have a right to. The healthcare in this country is an injustice for women.

Side note: About a week ago, I had a shot of rocephin for the first time since my ablation over 3 years ago. I had gotten a uti without symptoms, so it had moved into one of my kidneys. I went to urgent care where they gave me the rocephin shot. If you don’t know what rocephin is, it’s a very powerful antibiotic that treats a broad spectrum of both gram negative and positive bacteria. It’s used for kidney infections, lung infections, ie big time types of infections that have the potential to get real, bad real fast. One injection, and it starts working that day so where when you wake up the next day, you’re already feeling noticeably better. Anyways, my point with this side note is, I am hoping against all hopes that this powerful antibiotic is just what I need to get rid of that constant vaginal odor I’ve been plagued by from having an ablation. So far, so good. It’s been exactly one week since I got the rocephin shot, and my discharge still smells like normal, healthy vaginal discharge. Fingers crossed! I will come back and update my post after a month. I don’t want to speak too soon, but maybe I stumbled upon a potential treatment here! God, I hope so much so!