NCBI ROFL: The odors of the human vagina.

Explore vaginal odor analysis revealing over 2,100 odorous effluents shaping individual olfactory signatures. Discover the complexity of scents.

Google NewsGoogle News Preferred Source

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

"Gas-chromatography analysis of 90 samples of vaginal secretions from 10 women revealed that at any given sample time the perceptible vaginal odor of each individual women was composed of numerous separate odorous effluents. Almost 2,1000 odoriferous effluents were observed. This corresponded to 16% of all recorded peaks on the 90 gas-chromatograms. The odorous effluents were assigned 34 characteristic odors in three hedonic categories (neutral, pleasant and unpleasant). This information supports the contention that the olfactory signature of an individual is complex, highly individual and composed of many "mini odors"."

Photo: flickr/dewittn

Related content: Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Women can identify men with gonorrhea by their smell. Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: The identification of attractive volatiles in aged male mouse urine. Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Study proves “old person smell” is real. NCBI ROFL. Real articles. Funny subjects. Read our FAQ!

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe