"Your vagina should smell and if your man doesn't like it, dump him": Leading gynecologist tells women

Dr Jen Gunter made news headlines when she went toe to toe with actress Gwyneth Paltrow to counter her claims that Vagina steaming is good for women.

Now, Dr Dunter is in the news again. This time, she's warning women who resort to buying harmful products just to give their lady parts artificial odours. She said vaginas are naturally meant to have an odour. She hit out at men who complain about the natural smell of their partner's genitals and said it is a "form of abuse".

Writing in her latest blog newsletter, the Canadian gynecologist revealed she once dumped a boyfriend for complaining about the smell of her genitals. She told women not to feel ashamed of their natural smell, instead, they should do away with any man who tries to make them do so. She went on to say that using beauty products to make the vagina smell better upsets the vagina's natural pH balance and leave women at a greater risk of infections like gonorrhoea and even HIV. 

Gunter wrote in her blog: "I once dated a guy who insinuated my vagina did not smell right. He was an a** in other ways too. For example, he thought my hair would be better if it were straight. Sadly I took the bait, it wasn't. He thought I would look better if I dressed a certain way. Again I took the bait. I just felt worse. When it came around to telling me how my vagina could be better it finally clicked that this is a form of control that men often use. Fortunately I am an appropriately confident vagina expert and I had a light bulb moment and dumped his sorry a**."

The 50-year-old vagina expert has been an OB-GYN (Obstetrician and gynecologist) for years and was troubled by the diet and health tips she saw on magazines and blogs which were untrue and harmful to women who chose to adopt those practices. She began her own blog to dismantle those claims.

"I see the consequences of women doing harmful things they read about online,” Gunter said. earlier in the year when she attacked Paltrow for the unverified health information she shares on her wellness website, Goop. "It breaks my heart when I hear people tell me about all the useless therapies they’ve wasted their money on."

Dr Gunter went on in her recent blog post to urge women to not fall into the same trap she fell into when she believed her boyfriend who told her to change things about herself.

She wrote: "I realize this may border on TMI (too much information), but honestly if it happened to me I bet it has happened to other women. The continued proliferation of the what will they insert next, the products on drug store shelves, and the interest in these posts tells me that I'm probably right."

She, however, warned women that certain kind of odour might indicate a health problem.

She said: "A vagina takes care of itself. Like a self cleaning oven. The vagina needs no cleaning and the vulva needs very little. However, a strong vaginal odor – for instance, a 'fishy' smell – might be abnormal and could indicate a problem.

"If you think you have a medical condition, see a doctor. If your partner insinuates that an artificial smell is preferable to the smell of a normal vagina they are the one who has an issue. Telling women how they can be better is a classic way of tapping into body image issues and honestly in my personal opinion it is a form of abuse."

Dr Gunter has previously stressed that women should be aware that douches are unnecessary – and even dangerous – as our intimate areas are designed to clean themselves.

She once tweeted: "A vagina takes care of itself. Like a self cleaning oven."

In her recent post she wrote: "For what I am sure is the 100th time the vagina needs no cleaning and the vulva needs very little.  I know the array of useless feminine washes and wipes at the drugstore and the drivel spouted by Gwyneth Paltrow via Goop imply otherwise, but I'm the actual expert."

Dr Gunter has a strong opinion on the recent trends for women cleaning their vaginas with cucumbers and Vicks' Vaporub. She recently warned about the dangers of carrying out a 'vagina facial' using a cucumber.

Experts at the renowned Mayo Clinic echo Dr Gunter's warning and say on its website that "it's normal for your vagina to have a slight odor". It says that vaginal odor may vary throughout the menstrual cycle and may be especially noticeable right after having sex. Normal sweating also can cause a vaginal smell.