When it comes to women’s health, few voices cut through quite like Dr Jana Pittman’s. The dual Olympian, doctor and mother of six has long been known for her openness about the unfiltered reality of women’s bodies – from incontinence to pregnancy and the often unglamorous bits in between.
Now, she’s calling for a renewed conversation around something almost every one of us worries about but rarely discusses: body odour.
Despite growing awareness around periods, pelvic floor health and hormonal shifts, odour remains a point of quiet shame for many of us. Jana believes that’s no accident.
“Body odour is still taboo because women are conditioned to be ‘perfect’ and sweat doesn’t fit that script.”
She says the only way to dismantle that shame is through honesty and normalisation.
“The more we talk about it – and acknowledge there are simple ways to feel comfortable and confident – the less shame we carry. It’s time we normalised what’s always been natural.”
In her medical practice, odour – particularly intimate odour – is one of the most common concerns women raise.
“In clinic, the most common concern is vaginal odour,” she says. “Most cases relate to normal physiological changes – fluctuations in pH, hormone shifts, sweat composition or the balance of healthy vaginal flora.”
Still, she stresses the importance of proper assessment. “Infections like bacterial vaginosis, thrush or sexually transmitted infections can alter odour,” she notes. Beyond the vagina, she regularly sees patients worried about moisture-related odour under the breasts or from the feet. As she assures them, these are “both extremely common and physiologically normal.”
Jana has first hand experience with this, previously speaking publicly about her experience with incontinence and the anxiety that came with it, especially during exercise.
“Going through incontinence in the past certainly made me drop the perfection act,” she says. “I had moments where I worried about people noticing and smelling urine, particularly in the gym, and it was confronting.”
But those experiences shifted her perspective. “It also stripped away the shame,” she says. “Now, when I speak to women, it’s with a lived experience. I know how vulnerable it feels, and I also know it’s manageable, common and nothing to hide from.”
A significant source of shame, she says, comes from the expectations girls grow up with – expectations that don’t match reality.
“A huge amount of women’s shame around their bodies comes from outdated messages we absorb growing up – ideas that our bodies should always be tidy, quiet, odourless, and perfectly controlled,” she explains. “From a young age, girls are taught to hide natural processes like sweating, discharge, or bodily smells, which sets up a lifetime of embarrassment.”
She believes the path forward begins with education and ongoing conversation. “The shift needs to start in schools, but adults need to keep talking about it too, challenging the shame and breaking the mould.”
Normalising discussions about sweat, periods, odour, and incontinence, she says, helps women see these experiences for what they are: entirely natural.
“I wish more women really understood the biology behind our body odour – most of the time it is natural,” Jana says.
This is largely thanks to our apocrine and eccrine sweat glands, which produce secretions that bacteria break down, causing odour.
“Hormones, stress, diet, exercise, and even our microbiome all influence how we smell on any given day. Most of the time, it’s not a sign anything is ‘wrong’, it’s just your body doing its thing.”
As for managing odour, your best course of action is practical, gentle habits. “Keeping odour under control is really about supporting your body, not masking it,” she says.
Breathable cotton underwear, regular showers, hydration and changing out of sweaty clothes once you’re home from a workout can all help, just be sure to skip the harsh cleansing and scrubbing. “For intimate areas, avoid soaps or douching – they can disrupt the natural pH and microbiome, sometimes making odour worse.”
Instead, she recommends “gentle cleansing with water and using body-friendly external deodorants” to feel fresh without disturbing the body’s natural balance. Her pick? Lume Whole Body Deodorant, a gynaecologist-developed, science-backed formula that offers up to 72 hours of odour control and is safe to use on pits, underboobs, thighs, feet and below the belt.
And with the hot weather here, many of us can feel even more self-conscious, looking for a bit of extra support or protection in the hygiene department.
“Summer can make anyone feel extra aware of their body – sweat, odour, or just being ‘on show.’ Remember that everyone sweats, everyone smells a bit sometimes, and it’s all just biology, not a flaw. Your body is doing exactly what it’s meant to do,” she says.
