Taste & Smell

Have you noticed a change in your sense of taste & smell or a change to your body’s smell in menopause? You’re not alone!

Two not-so-well-known yet very common symptoms of menopause are changes to your sense of taste and smell. Smell during menopause can become more acute or, more embarrassingly, certain areas of your body start to smell different. Or you may experience nasty tastes during perimenopause such as metallic, bitter, or salty tastes.

Changes in smell and taste are closely linked together. Hormone changes in menopause can cause either a change in your body odour - or your perception of it! Similarly, the primary cause of menopausal taste changes is falling oestrogen levels, however, dehydration, low zinc levels, or health conditions like diabetes may also cause taste changes.

What causes changes to the sense of taste in menopause?

Oestrogen depletion is generally the primary cause of menopausal taste changes, it can also be experienced prior to periods as this is the time that hormonal fluctuations occur.

Oestrogen and saliva have a link, therefore some women’s low oestrogen levels result in a reduced saliva flow from the salivary glands.

Dry mouth in menopause can result in less saliva production that may contribute towards changes in your taste.

Saliva is necessary to break down your food into individual chemicals. Your taste buds’ job is to detect those chemicals as different flavours. So, when there is less saliva and dry mucous membranes, this has a knock-on effect, and your taste sensation can be reduced or changed.

You may still be producing a decent amount of saliva but the quality declines, so it’s not doing its usual job, of keeping the mouth moist. Add increased tongue sensitivity and your mouth can become a pretty unpleasant place for your tongue to hang out!

Types of strange tastes experienced in menopause

Metallic taste: This could be caused by low zinc levels. It may also be because you are dehydrated. Dehydration can affect your mucous membranes anywhere in your body and that includes your tongue and mouth. The metallic taste can be linked to low blood sugar levels or diabetes.

Drink plenty of water daily, if the metallic taste continues and is causing you concern, get it checked by your doctor to rule out diabetes.

Bitter taste: This could be down to acid reflux. If you are regularly experiencing indigestion, digestive issues or discomfort when you eat, the bitter taste may be coming from your stomach. Smoking may also cause a bitter taste, as this can affect your taste buds.

How to deal with changes in menopause taste?

Don’t get down in the mouth about it! One thing that’s a must when it comes to your mouth is to have good dental hygiene.

See your dentist regularly, this not only improves your sense of taste but also ensures you avoid other mouth issues and maintain healthy teeth and gums.
Drinking plenty of water during menopause can help lessen many symptoms including your taste, so always having a water bottle to hand.
Chewing gum mimics eating and can help release saliva into the mouth.
Take artificial saliva pastels or sprays. You can purchase these from your local pharmacy.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine, they both dry out or can irritate your mouth. Try switching to herbal or decaffeinated tea and coffee to see if this helps. Also, alcohol contains sugar and acid that can increase your risk of tooth decay.
Smoking reduces your sense of taste and exacerbates other menopause symptoms. If there was ever a time to quit, it’s during your menopause transition. Your body will thank you!

Can HRT improve your taste in menopause?

There’s no research to prove that it can, although if taking HRT to improve other menopause symptoms, the oestrogen supplement may improve your overall health, and therefore normal taste may resume!

What causes menopause body odour and sense of smell changes?

As your body’s internal heating system goes into over-drive in perimenopause, the hypothalamus, (the part of the brain that regulates temperature), is tricked by your depleting oestrogen levels into producing more sweat, which can be excessive for some of us. Bacteria then feed on the protein in our sweat causing mouth, groin, armpit, and foot odour. Other menopause symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, anxiety and panic attacks can make sweating worse.

Changes in your vaginal mucus can change the balance of friendly bacteria in the vagina, and that can then change the smell. You might find that the amount of vaginal fluid has changed, alongside the colour, smell and consistency. There may also be an underlying infection because in menopause we become much more vulnerable to infections such as thrush.

Some women also experience a heightened sense of smell in menopause. So if you’re worried you’re whiffy, relax you may be smelling something that nobody else is.

What may make menopause body odour worse?

Caffeine: activates sweat glands and dries out the mouth leading to ‘coffee breath’.
Alcohol: odour comes out through pores and the bacteria feeding on sweat thrive, intensifying the smell.
Spices: can stay in your pores for days and seep out in your sweat
Sugary foods: the bacteria causing body odour feed on sugar
Smoking: causes body odour
Red meat: due to the length of time it takes for the body to digest red meat, odour increases in breath, bowel movements and sweat.

And the good news is….

Small changes to your lifestyle and being prepared for those hot moments should help you to manage any odour issues. As it’s caused by hormonal imbalance, post-menopause when your levels have settled so should the odour. Regular dental check-ups should detect issues early on. Stay on top of dental hygiene, and your menopausal mouth, teeth and gums will benefit.