Body odour rarely makes the menopause symptom lists, which is part of why it can throw you when it changes. Your deodorant gives out by lunchtime. A top you've worn for an hour smells like it's done a full day, or there's a sharper, unfamiliar note to a scent you've known for decades.

It's more common than the silence around it suggests, and there's a hormonal reason behind it. Most of what helps is cheap, and some of it is probably already in your bathroom cupboard.

Why does body odour change during menopause?

Sweat on its own doesn't smell. Body odour forms when bacteria on your skin break down sweat, oil and skin cells, according to DermNet. Anything that changes how much you sweat, or what your skin produces, can change how you smell.

Menopause happens to shift several of those things at once.

You're sweating more, and more often

Falling oestrogen narrows the temperature range your brain treats as comfortable. This is why a small rise in core temperature can set off a hot flush, with sweating as your body's way of shedding the heat. Around three in four postmenopausal women experience them, either during the day or as night sweats.

More sweat means more for skin bacteria to work with. Night sweats add another layer, because damp sheets and pyjamas hold onto odour long after you've cooled down. Our guide to why night sweats happen explains why they so often strike in the early hours.

Stress sweat is a different kind of sweat

You have two types of sweat glands. Eccrine glands cover most of your body and release watery sweat to cool you down. Apocrine glands sit in your armpits, groin and around your breasts, and your fight-or-flight nervous system switches them on.

Apocrine sweat starts out odourless too. The bacteria living in those warm, closed-in spots are what turn it into the musky smell most of us think of as body odour, so if perimenopause has brought more stress or more broken nights, your armpits may be the first place it shows.

Your skin is changing as well

Oestrogen helps your skin make oil and hold onto water, so lower levels tend to leave it drier. That matters when you're choosing soaps and deodorants, because a product your skin happily tolerated at 35 can sting or itch now. There's more on what shifts, and why, in our guide to caring for your skin during menopause.

Age plays a part alongside hormones. A Japanese study by researchers from the skincare company Shiseido found a compound called 2-nonenal in the body odour of people aged 40 and over, but not in younger participants. It forms when certain oils on the skin break down, and it has a greasy, grassy smell.

That study looked at ageing in both men and women rather than at menopause itself. Treat it as one piece of the picture, not the whole explanation.

Vaginal odour can change too

Lower oestrogen also changes the tissue and natural balance of the vagina, and some women notice a slightly different scent. A mild change is common. A strong fishy smell, unusual discharge, itching or burning is worth getting checked, because these can point to an infection that's usually simple to treat.

We cover the other changes that can come with it in our guide to vaginal health and genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

When your sweating comes in waves

If most of your extra sweating arrives in sudden bursts of heat, it's worth working on what sets them off. Spicy food, alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks are common triggers, so keep notes for a week and see which ones apply to you.

Dress in layers you can peel off quickly, and keep a spare cotton or linen top in your bag for the afternoon. At night, light cotton bedding and a fan by the bed may mean less sweat soaked into the sheets by morning.

Supplements can sit alongside those changes. Foundation may help relieve hot flushes and night sweats associated with menopause, and it supports healthy female hormonal balance during menopause. Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

It isn't a deodorant, and it won't change how sweat smells. If those surges of heat take up a lot of your day, though, it may be worth trying alongside the habits below. If you take other medicines, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.

Everyday ways to manage menopause body odour

These start with the easiest change and build from there. You probably won't need all of them.

• Use antiperspirant, not only deodorant. Deodorant masks smell, while antiperspirant cuts down the sweat itself, and plenty of products do both. Putting it on at night, on clean and completely dry skin, tends to work better than a rushed swipe in the morning.
• Wash where the apocrine glands are. Your armpits, groin and the skin under your breasts need the most attention, and drying them properly matters as much as washing. A gentle, soap-free wash may suit skin that's drier than it used to be.
• Choose fabrics that breathe. Cotton, linen and merino let sweat evaporate, while many synthetics trap it and tend to hold the smell even after washing. Loose cuts give sweat room to dry.
• Get out of sweaty clothes sooner. Gym gear, or a top you've sweated through, gives bacteria a damp place to multiply. Change as soon as you can, and wash it rather than leaving it in the basket overnight.
• Try a stronger antiperspirant if yours has stopped coping. Pharmacies stock clinical-strength formulas with aluminium chloride, which the Better Health Channel lists among the self-help options for heavy sweating. Follow the directions closely, because they can irritate drier skin.
• Notice what you eat and drink. Garlic, onion, curry and alcohol can all come through in body odour. You don't need to give them up, but you might spot a pattern the morning after a big curry night.
• Think about underarm hair. Hair holds onto sweat, so shaving or trimming your underarms may help keep odour down.
• Give stress somewhere to go. Because apocrine glands answer to your nervous system, a few minutes of slow breathing or a walk at lunch may take some of the heat out of stress sweating.

This article is for general information only and isn't a substitute for advice from your doctor or another health professional. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.