For the last year almost I've noticed that my armpits smell like onions at times. At first, I thought it was the garlic suppliment that I was taking, so I stopped taking. I still had onion armpits. Then I noticed that it wasn't happening all the time, so I started marking it on the calendar.

Sure enough, it happens every month for the 4 days before my period arrives.

What is this about? It's gross!!!

Omygosh, I hope you don't mind but I just have to laugh! hahaha. Onions? I like onions. But I guess it's not in a good way.

I have no clue other than "must be hormones". Everything around my period gets that label. From weird craving sto extra-tiredness to hyperactive hours.

Oh, I'm thinking - don't you just sweat a bit more than on other days? I get a bit hotter around TOM. If you aren't used to sweating and you do then you might notice a diffirence. Try good deoderant, but I'm sure you have tried that.

Yeah, I've tried everything! I have Clinical Strength anti-pers on right now. Any other time I could probably get away with not wearing it at all. Even when I do sweat it doesn't smell... except during PMS.

I was running on the treadmill yesterday and wiped my face with my sleeve, and caught a whiff. GAHHHH It was not cool. I hope nobody else smells me.

Sometimes being a girl stinks, literally!! I'm all out of whack during this time. I'm scatterbrained, emotional... I fell asleep on my mom's couch this morning. Just out of it, in every way!

That sucks so badly Val! I dunno if you still want kids or anything but you could always consider birthcontrol-shots. I am gonna do that. I don't want kids and I hate not being able to exercise and just keep on doing what I'm doing for like 3 days a month. I mess up with my eating, my energy and whatnot. Hate it.

I have 2 kids and I'm DONE, but birth control doesn't agree with me .

Plus, my husband is fixed (and living in another country) and I think it'd look a little suspect if I went into the military clinic and started asking for contraception! Dannng

Nah, there are many women who take the shots due to medical issues and the doc advising them to not have their period anymore. My mom has it because she gets such massive cramps she can't do anything for 3 days. You need it less often if you don't need it for birth control too I think only twice a year at most, instead of every 3 months.

Anyhow. Not really an answer to your question. Maybe drink a ton more water in those days? I have no clue. It's weird really. haha

"onion" is a common body odor smell, and it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with eating onions (though onion and garlic and even some spices can affect body odor).

Body odor is mostly a result of bacteria breaking down sweat rather than the sweat itself and different bacteria create different odors - the "oniony" odor is caused by sulphur compounds.

I once read that there was some study done (I think in the netherlands) that found that women's body odor tended to smell like onions, while men's tended to smell like cheese.

hahahaha im sorry but this reminds me of a friend in high school that had onion armpits too. it was all the time though, not just once a month, and she thought it was hilarious. she ended up getting a tattoo of an onion on her armpit.

no advice to give you to get rid of it though, she was a dirty punk that didnt wear deodorant. lol, i miss high school sometimes...

Haha... oh dear. I assure you all, I'm not a "dirty punk". I shower daily and wear antiperspirant!!!

I've resorted to washing my pits with face toner. It seems to work for a few hours, at least.

I read in some mag that it might be good to wear deodorant before you go to bed! I have no idea why and I tried it, it worked for me! I'm too lazy to remember to do it, but if I want to smell decent regularly, I do that.
Maybe its changing hormones along with genetics? I've always been on the smelly side-I have to use deodorant while my sister and mother are totally fine. On the plus side, its one of the few physical problems we can hide!

I wish I could hide it!! I feel like it's getting worse. I have to stop several times a day to strip down and wash my pits!

hahaha - Val, I just wanted to add another thing: you probably notice it WAYYYY more than anybody else. A while back I had smelly-armpits for a few weeks when exercising. I don't remember why or when it changed back to normal not smelly, though glad it did. But what I do remember is that I constantly thought it was just so strong and obvious but nodboy noticed and I even asked a friend when I worried and she couldn't smell it.

So, don't worry! Be happy!

just tell people you work as a chef and you were chopping onions that day, haha