You adore your boyfriend, but lately, you can’t help but notice he smell a bit of fish. This unusual body odor can be off-putting in intimate moments and embarrassing in public.
But don’t panic – in most cases, fishy body odor is treatable once the underlying cause is identified.
Keep reading to learn possible reasons your boyfriend smell like fish and how to help him fix it.
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Why Does My Boyfriend Smell Like Fish?
Here are some possible reasons your boyfriend smell like fish:
1. He Doesn’t Practice Good Hygiene
Lack of bathing and poor hygiene habits are common culprits behind unpleasant body odors.
If your boyfriend isn’t showering regularly, the bacteria on his skin can multiply rapidly.
When sweat mixes with this bacteria, it produces pungent odors that resemble rotten fish.
Kindly suggest he start showering daily, paying close attention to washing his underarms, groin, and feet with soap.
Trimming underarm hair can minimize body odor by allowing deodorant to come into contact more skin.
Proper laundering of clothes and brushing teeth are also hygiene habits that reduce unpleasant odors.
2. He Has a Medical Condition
In some cases, fishy body odor indicates an underlying medical condition. One possibility is trimethylaminuria – a rare disorder that causes the body to emit a rotten fish smell due to the inability to break down triethylamine.
This odor is intensified through sweating. Diabetes can also alter how a person smells if it leads to ketoacidosis, which causes a fruity odor on the breath.
Kidney or liver failure may produce ammonia-like smells. Your boyfriend should see a doctor to be evaluated if improper hygiene isn’t the cause. Treating the condition can eliminate fishy odors.
3. His Diet is to Blame
Certain foods contain chemicals that can cause odors excreted through sweat and urine. Foods like meats, fish, eggs, onions, and garlic contain organic sulfur compounds that break down into smelly byproducts.
Drinking alcohol can also release trimethylamine through sweat glands. Assess your boyfriend’s diet to see if high consumption of these foods correlates with the fishy smell.
Reducing intake of odor-causing foods and eating more fruits and vegetables may help. Staying hydrated also allows the body to flush out smelly chemicals more efficiently.
3. It’s His Shoes
Tight, non-breathable shoes provide the perfect environment for bacteria and sweat to mix and produce a foul fishy odor.
This effect worsens with age as shoes begin to decompose. Have your boyfriend toss out old sneakers and let others completely air out between wears.
Disinfecting spray inside shoes can kill odor-causing bacteria. Baking soda, charcoal, and cedar shoe inserts also absorb smells.
Avoiding socks or wearing moisture-wicking athletic socks can minimize sweating and bacteria buildup. Have him change socks halfway through the day.
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4. You’re Smelling His Feet
Foot odor frequently takes on a fishy smell. Feet contains over 250,000 sweat glands – more than any other body part.
This sweat mixes with bacteria rapidly, producing potent odors. Check that your boyfriend washes and fully dries his feet daily.
Soaking feet in antibacterial solutions like diluted vinegar can eliminate bacteria. Apply foot powder inside shoes and socks to absorb moisture and prevent sweating.
Use a pumice stone to remove dead, smelly skin. Clean, dry feet will make a big difference in odor.
5. His Groin Area Smells
Another common source of fishy body odors in men is the groin region. This area can easily accumulate sweat, dead skin cells, and bacteria in the pubic hair and crevices. Like feet, the groin has high concentrations of sweat glands.
Ensure your boyfriend uses soap and water to wash his groin at least once daily thoroughly.
Trimmed or shaved pubic hair can also reduce odor by minimizing bacteria trapping. Keep the region dry to avoid bacterial overgrowth.
6. It’s His Breath
Bad oral hygiene promotes the bacteria that cause foul-smelling breath. Infrequent or inadequate brushing allows volatile sulfur compounds from mouth bacteria to release fishy odors into the air.
Ensure your boyfriend is brushing twice daily for two minutes, focusing on the tongue, gums, and other neglected areas.
Flossing removes bacteria between teeth. Scraping the tongue also removes smelly bacteria.
Stay hydrated and avoid foods like onions, garlic, and coffee, which worsen breath. See a dentist about solutions like antiseptic mouthwashes.
7. His Clothes are the Culprit
If your boyfriend wears the same undershirts or pants multiple times without washing, they can retain his natural body oils and odors over time.
Fabrics hold onto smells even after washing, too, especially workout clothes which absorb sweat. Have your boyfriend stick to washing clothes after one or two wears.
Choose odor-eliminating detergents. Add white vinegar or baking soda to kill odors in the wash.
Air out clothes between wears and store dirty laundry in sealed bins. Follow garment label instructions and replace old, worn-out clothes and shoes.
What Can You Do?
Don’t let fishy body odor strain your relationship. Have an honest, caring talk about your concerns, focusing on health reasons.
Offer to help identify the cause, like looking at his diet. Shop for odor-eliminating products together. Frame it as wanting him to feel and smell his best.
If lack of awareness is the problem, create new hygiene habits together. Compliment him when he smells fresh, too.
If he becomes defensive, it may be time for a relationship evaluation. You both deserve to enjoy a healthy, odor-free romance.
Read Also: Why Does My Girlfriend Like Hugs From Behind?
Final Thoughts
With some adjustments to hygiene, diet, and laundry, your boyfriend’s fishy odor likely can be reeled in. Getting to the root cause together maintains intimacy.
But if he refuses to address the smell, don’t let the issue linger at the cost of your happiness either.
You deserve to be with someone who cares about their health and hygiene, inside and out.
Plenty more fish in the sea will value keeping body odors at bay with you by their side.
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