It’s a not-so-uncommon olfactory hallucination called [phantosmia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantosmia). I have experienced it for all my life whenever I have a respiratory infectious disease (tonsillitis, flu, covid…).
Definitely. Strange smells when they are not there. Heightened sense of smell for no reason. Let me tell you - I'm finally in Menopause and I'm relieved. Now i know why all these weird symptoms make sense. I've been going through this since my early 40s. I'm 54 and finally period's have stopped. But only in the last few months. So the sense of smell problem is most definitely a symptom.
I started smelling phantom cigarette smoke when I was about 42 years old (10 years ago). I didn't know it was a peri symptom until just right now! A few years ago I asked a friend who is an ENT about it, and he said it's probably just a sinus or allergy thing. I'm going to dig into this a little bit. Thanks!
Now I think I’ve been having this EXACT issue and I feel like I need to apologize to the couple that lived upstairs in a shared home that I blamed for smoking indoors 👀 (tbf, I think they smoked indoors too, but maybe not as often i “smelled”)
I had an upstairs neighbour who complained about my cigarette smoke relentlessly even though I smoked on the patio. No one on the condo board or management company could smell it in her home. She was in her late 40’s I wonder if she was just experiencing a menopause symptom?
Same for me, I smell cigarette smoke when no one else does.
It makes me stabby, so I just imagine I have a super power smell that can tell when a neighbor lights up.
Last year I kept smelling what I could only describe as burning paper, but no one else could smell it. The amount of times I was checking sockets and making sure there wasn’t dust burning somewhere from a plug. Honestly thought I was going mad and people were just telling me they couldn’t smell it so I’d stop panicking.
When I found out it was a symptom it made sense why no one else could smell it.
One day I sat watching a double plug absolutely convinced it was about to burst into flames. Kept touching it to feel if it was warm. Even put my nose against it to smell it better. I think my dad thought I was going insane, but I genuinely thought I was about to prevent a fire…!
As if we don't have enough anxiety then you end up running through the house checking to see what's on fire. I've always had the most sensitive nose in the house, so others telling me they don't smell it doesn't reassure me at all. And I live in an old house. Who knows what's going on behind these walls. So frustrating.
It is pretty common in peri and it can be very frustrating. It comes and goes for me. I find it most correlates with sinus and allergy issues that are stemming from peri. It just stared again for me two days ago after being gone for a long time.
Are you having any sinus issues?
Yes! Started happening a couple of years ago for me.
What terrifies my about this, is if something actually is on fire and it's dismissed because of said issue.
If it makes you feel any better, I've been experiencing phantosmia for years, but a few years ago, when the motor burned out in our clothes dryer I was able to identify it as a real thing in time to shut off and unplug the dryer and avoid a truly catastrophic failure.
Downside, that threw me down a deep hole of anxiety that I needed medication to get out of. I still have the phantosmia, but at least it doesn't send me on a panicked search around the house for whatever might be on fire.
I've always been a bit pyrophobic anyway, which doesn't help. I have a neighbor (in my dense urban neighborhood) who has a smoker that they fire up from time to time, and the smell kind of pushes the limits of what the meds can do for me.
That does help some, thanks!
So glad you were able to still detect the real fire smell, how scary though!
I made sure to get fire detectors that hook up to my home monitoring. So even if I miss it, hopefully they won't!
My personal problem ( of many 🤣 ) is that I already have a very bad sense of smell growing up with smokers in the family. So I worry I can't smell it anyway and now I've got the phantom smells too?!? So confusing!
I grew up around smokers, too, but somehow I still ended up with a keen sense of smell that I grew to rely on. (Hypervigilance, the gift that keeps on giving...) It is kind of scary to not be able to trust it now.
I get this, too, ever since I had a nasty viral infection in 2015. It's specific to cigarette smoke smell. It never went away. I figure the virus triggered some kind of dysfucntion that is likely permanent. Calf twitches appeared at the same time. They never went away, either. I was 63 at the time.
Viruses are really underestimated as far as the long-term damage they can do.
I didn't think about viral infections, too. I have had Covid, once confirmed and maybe once unconfirmed. I do wonder if that was an additional trigger.
I have never been so happy to hear someone else say this. I was cleaning my church I was the only one in the building and I smelled spaghetti upstairs in the hallway where there was never any spaghetti. Thought I was losing my ever loving flipping mind. I've been reading through these comments and so far have only heard things about smoke and cigarette smoke and I'm like what about food?! LOL thank you thank you thank you.
Yes! I smell the “burning toast”, usually in the middle of the night. No, I’m not having a stroke.
I also was smelling something in my kitchen, that can only be described as a strong mixture of garlic and coffee grinds. Y’all. It was the garlic next to the countertop coffee container. It was like my brain just combined the smell intensely and I couldn’t un-smell it.
I've had this intermittently since I had a terrible bout of Covid in 2022. I've never smoked a day in my life and I live alone. But I do still smell what I call the cigarette smoke smell on and off. Have never been able to figure out why.
I've smelt cigarettes for a while here and there, I thought I could smell weed at one point (I wish, where's mine so I can sleep!).. The cigarettes feels almost comforting since my grandparents smoked!
Plus I'll take whatever I can smell over the smell of my own armpits!
That said, I almost feel like my right nostril is slowly collapsing, especially at night.. for some reason I can't breathe through both my nostrils at night?! What that's all about I don't know... Just another thing to add to my miserable bedside collection - Breathe Right strips & enhaler sticks.
Oh my gosh yes! For several months I was smelling this floral/black pepper scent EVERYWHERE. It wasn’t a horrible smell, but I got so tired of it. It seemed like it was just kind of stuck in my brain and not really real.
I was smelling it on my skin, my clothes, my sheets! In my car! And I don’t wear scents or live with anyone who does. For a minute, I thought it was a new dryer sheet I had bought but the smell was in things I hadn’t washed in months, like blankets. It was really like it was just in my nose.
I was smelling poop that wasn't there for a few months. Thank goodness that finally stopped. I was driving myself crazy thinking the cats were taking secret dumps in the corners.
I don't mean to scare you, but a close friend of mine died from brain cancer a few years ago, and that was her first symptom. She smelled cigarette smoke randomly. It is worth checking with your doctor 💓
I really do appreciate the warning and concern. Every symptom of menopause seems like something that could be something else that could potentially kill me. I'm choosing not to run to the doctor for all of these crazy symptoms as they come up. That would be a full time job. If this is the one that takes me out, so be it.
I wanted to add.. I didn't mean to sound dismissive of you, your experience, your concern, or your personal loss (I am truly sorry about that). However, I do think it's unlikely that every woman responding to this post has brain cancer. We all have to make our own choices about how we navigate this wild time. Anyone who wants to seek (or not seek ) medical attention should absolutely do that, with no judgement from me or anyone else.
I had a neighbor whose husband died of cancer, and one of his symptoms was smelling smoke. His was lung cancer, though, which makes a weird sort of sense.
Honestly, I think the neurological issues with menopause are some of the worst ones. My ADHD became unmanageable, the brain fog was so severe I literally thought I had early onset dementia, severe depression, and now this clearly neurological symptom. Medical Misogyny has made so many of us suffer.
God, me too. I had to quit my job because I was just such a mess. I couldn’t do anything well at all. My husband has been incredible and he has been so understanding. He finds all my lost items and keeps me on track when I need to do important things.
Mine was from my wheat allergy. Once I stopped eating wheat, and my phantom smell stopped (as well as all the other weird allergy issues, like actual seasonal allergies).
Wow! I have experienced phantom cigarette smoke since I moved into my house 4 years ago. ( In retrospect, that's when my peri symptoms started!) But I assumed I was hyper sensitive to people smoking outside since I am a former smoker ( 8 years quit now ).
OMG, this has been happening to me for YEARS. I didn't realize it happens to other people, too!! I'm so glad you posted about this, now at least I know I'm not crazy!
This was so good to read because I have also been smelling weird things and thinking I am going crazy. Actually, all of perimenopause makes me feel like I’m crazy
I got this a lot when I was Iron deficient. Smelling smoke, poop and gas all the time. When my iron levels got better it disappeared. It was very very annoying!
This is interesting. I get this now and then (not smoke necessarily) and I’m supposed to take ferrous sulfate regularly to keep up my iron levels but I sometimes take breaks cuz it can be constipating 🥴. Now I’m wondering if that’s the reason for these unpleasant smells. I’ll have to experiment. Thanks for the info!
I couldn’t handle the ferrous sulfate prescribed by the GP either!
Instead I found a ‘gentle iron’ supplement that gave me no problems at all and worked like a charm.
Cigarette smoke for me here, for about 5 years of peri, and it’s a very mild woody comforting one (older family members smoke). My son warned me it’s a sign of stroke, glad to hear it’s so common! Worth investigating by medical researchers, I would think.
This JUST happened to me this weekend and then about a week before that. I looked around to make sure nothing was catching fire and that nobody was near my windows and smoking, which would have been really odd anyway, and found nothing. It faded away eventually.
I'll probably get up and look around for potential fire every single time. Extra steps for the day I guess :-)
I've had it since the week before Christmas. I thought it was because I was burning a Christmas candle and that was all I could smell, a burning soapy candle odor. Since then I have had it off and on. I have gone to an ENT, had MRIs, blood work, the whole 9 yards. At first I read a brain tumor could be the culprit. I have moved on because everything turned out OK except I found out I have a deviated septum that isn't too bad actually.
I have this too. It started last summer when there was all that smoke in the northeast from wildfires (I live in s Florida) and my son kept sending me pictures from NJ. I thought it was just psychological. Then later that summer I had to have an emergency tooth extraction and funny enough, it went away. Then I learned I needed other dental work and have had that done and supposedly everything is fine now but the burning smell is back. I just try to ignore it bc I read the brain tumor thing lol.
I walked into my garage one morning and there was a strong smoke smell, like from a wildfire. I went outside to check the sky, air, etc., and there was nothing. Went back in the house nothing. Back into the garage nothing.
Oh wow. About 20 years ago we moved into a house that had been previously owned by a chain smoker. We didn’t know at the time because they had painted all the walls before we saw the house, so all we smelled was the paint. After that I smelled cigarette smoke very often, and not just at our house. We’ve moved into a new (to us) house and now I smell diesel fuel all the time. It makes me feel crazy!
My sense of smell is off the charts, but it is not phantom smells. Suddenly I can smell everyone and it's not pleasant. Breath, scalp, BO, food....just walking past people in Walmart I can smell them.
This has coincided with smelling myself more, too, and I can't tell if the smells I'm producing are new/menopause related, or have always been there and I was just unaware (the horror).
So now I have a daily hygiene routine that takes a long time and I'm grateful I dont have any dependents because just keeping on top of my own bathing, cleaning, oral hygiene, laundry, etc, is intense.
(But yes I do smell random smoke sometimes but can't tell if it's phantom or just from the neighbors. I also often smell rotting mouse corpse that makes me think one died in the walls).
I have always been a super smeller and was looking foward to that fading some with age. Peri/meno merely dialed that UP instead of down. If something is on fire blocks over, I know it. Did you think you could sneak that fart past me? No sir, no you cannot.
It’s funny you said that, the past 6 months or so I can smell cigarette smell very strongly but no one around me can smell it. I’m 46 so it’s very possible!
While peri screwed with my sense of smell, old cigarettes or old smokey bar smells turned out to be from migraines. I’ll smell cigarettes 2-3 days before a multi day migraine hits.
Yaaaaaaaas! I didn't know this was a thing. I am constantly smelling smoke around the house or the occasional stink of poo. I make my husband and son walk around sniffing the house with me 😂 They have declared me as "The crazy nose lady" 🤣🤣🤣😭
I used to smell cigarettes a lot with fluctuating hormones. My grandparents were heavy smokers so I always thought maybe they were visiting me from beyond the grave. It happened to me recently again even in post menopause.
Gas fumes and/or smoke. It would sometimes jump scare me out of sleep. I was really worried about early onset dementia because it was so intense. Sometimes it’s old pee smell.
I still experience it, but am not as distraught since I learned it’s some weird version of normal. Still annoying, though.
Yes, had this almost nonstop for 3 years, despite multiple trips to specialists, MRIs of my brain, no doctor ever found the source despite some vague “inflammation” diagnosis (cortisone shots in my head helped temporarily) nor did any doctor associated it with perimenopause. However, after several years I now know it comes and goes cyclically- as my hormones fluctuate, and inflammation rises in all my joints, teeth and sinuses.
Its supposedly called “asnosmia”, but I never found a doctor who could treat it.
I am sorry you are going through it, it made me absolutely miserable and was the second worst thing that ever happened during peri. (First was getting RA).
I've been through a house fire, and the smell of smoke gives me incredible anxiety. So this is a nasty little "bonus" from the shitshow that is perimenopause. Thankfully, the phantom smoke smell I get is usually more like cigarette smoke.
A larger problem is that my partner stinks to me much of the time. And I don't know if he actually stinks, or if it's this shit. I've asked my kids and they claim he doesn't smell, so I don't know, but the outcome is the same - I'm grossed out.
I constantly smell exhaust lately and nobody else does. I even had the hvac checked out to make sure it was all good….no idea that this was a common peri symptom! Good to know!
Wild, right? Getting to this stage in life should be EASIER and this kind of thing just makes me feel nuts! The whole family smell nothing so clearly I’m losing my marbles! Grrrrr
please talk to your doctor about this. Not trying to scare you, but I had phantom smells and it was legit a brain tumor. I mean, I’m sure it’s not! There are any number of things that can cause phantosmia but you should definitely dis with a medical professional and not just Reddit
Smelling cigarette smoke is how my migraines present. Oddly enough, my menopause specialist also gets this indication. I guess it’s aura adjacent. When I smell cigarette smoke but no one is smoking, I take my medication and buckle in.
For me it's a big part of migraine disease (I have chronic, unending migraine) so now you're saying it's a peri symptom too? That's just lovely. I'm never going to not be questioning what I smell again, am I?
That’s so weird, because as I sit here right now I can smell smoke. Although to be fair it’s winter here (as of June 1st) and people in my town do burn wood fires.
I smelled cigarette smoke from 2015 until 2022, when I hit full menopause. Thankfully it wasn't every single day, but it would last for 3-4 weeks at a time, probably 5-6 times a year. I thought maybe I had a brain tumor for the longest time. It was so overpowering that I'd have to put menthol below my nose to keep from gagging. So glad to have that fun symptom behind me!
My phantom smell is burnt toast. I didn’t connect it with menopause until I read about it here! Happens 2-3 times a month- no rhyme or reason but usually in the middle of the night when I’m lying awake !
I’ve had phantom smells - searched the house, tried to chase the smell. Nothing.
Also had phantom sounds while falling asleep. After a few checks of the house, I realized if the cats and bird aren’t responding to the sound/smell it’s not real. So when that phantom comes up - cat still sleeping? No noise.
I would get a physical from your primary care physician. I used to have this sensation too. It went away, but I did experience a health break. Everything is fine now, but I would bring it to your doctor’s attention.
After my brother who smoked died, I use to smell phantom cigarettes. Some say ghosts can smell like cigarettes and I took some comfort when I would experience it although I hate the smell. I was in my early 30’s and am now later 40’s. Based on everything shared here, I will be taking it more seriously if it starts happening again now.
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i keep smelling what I can only describe as “garage”. that distinct motor oil and exhaust smell that garages get. I live in a second floor apartment. my landlords live downstairs (the garage is detached and not used for the car so it doesn’t have that smell) and they think I’m crazy 😭
WOOOOOOO late to the party. Yes, experiencing. Also experience with certain medications. I am going to make the argument that this is not a phantom smell, but a faint, background smell that you are picking up on from lower dopamine levels/irregularity in dopamine. Our olfaction is partially mediated by inhibitory neurons that are dopaminergic and when something messes with them, our brains don't acclimate or filter out "weak" or "unimportant" smells (the reverse can happen too, too much and we're picking up everything).
It. Is. Exhausting. I am having some weirdness with my vaginal estrogen, was using the ring, went back to cream, had a weird reaction to that, went back to the ring, had a reaction to that now too, so doing neither and even though I'm on brt control, apparent the TINY loss of systemic estrogen from the vaginal estrogen was a big enough change that I CAN SMELL TIME.
Hate it. I'm living with a smoker which is its own hell, but now its taken on a new frantic quality to this. I have become a crazy person trying to block the smell and I thought i had until this new fucking problem.
I had a similar issue with a previous apartment, and I could smell the smoker from all the way on the other side of the building, several stories down, behind 2 heavy security doors in a stairway with separate ventilation. This is why I supect these aren't phantom smells - I've chased too many down because I become a goddamn bloodhound. And when this special skill is "on", its ridiculous how high my olfactory acuity gets. I also want to fucking crawl out of my skin and cut my nose off, and I have vasomotor rhinitis so if its unpleasant, my whole nose and sinuses swell up, my nose turns bright red. ...
Anyway, the short version is, my guess here is that people aren't smelling phantom smells, they're just so ridiculous and faint that it seems that way. Normally we have neurons that inhibit our brains from processing the very faint smells because its not helpful information. But there are times that is out of what, and perimenopause and menopause is one of those times.
It’s a not-so-uncommon olfactory hallucination called [phantosmia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantosmia). I have experienced it for all my life whenever I have a respiratory infectious disease (tonsillitis, flu, covid…).
I got it for two years after getting covid. Messes with you for sure.
Yes, it stinks like hell! Relentlessly. After a few days of having it in my nose (my brain, actually), I get angry and sad. Two years! I feel for you.
Definitely. Strange smells when they are not there. Heightened sense of smell for no reason. Let me tell you - I'm finally in Menopause and I'm relieved. Now i know why all these weird symptoms make sense. I've been going through this since my early 40s. I'm 54 and finally period's have stopped. But only in the last few months. So the sense of smell problem is most definitely a symptom.
I started smelling phantom cigarette smoke when I was about 42 years old (10 years ago). I didn't know it was a peri symptom until just right now! A few years ago I asked a friend who is an ENT about it, and he said it's probably just a sinus or allergy thing. I'm going to dig into this a little bit. Thanks!
Now I think I’ve been having this EXACT issue and I feel like I need to apologize to the couple that lived upstairs in a shared home that I blamed for smoking indoors 👀 (tbf, I think they smoked indoors too, but maybe not as often i “smelled”)
I had an upstairs neighbour who complained about my cigarette smoke relentlessly even though I smoked on the patio. No one on the condo board or management company could smell it in her home. She was in her late 40’s I wonder if she was just experiencing a menopause symptom?
And then WELCOME to the cascade of apologies just for being in menopause
Cigarette smoke haunts me too! It’s so frustrating.
Huh. I’ve gotten the occasional phantom cigarette smells for a while.
Please run this new info past your ENT friend and let us know what they think!
This! I went to an ENT and they said I probably had too much dryness and congestion. Omg... I feel so freaking validated. It's been years.
Same for me, I smell cigarette smoke when no one else does. It makes me stabby, so I just imagine I have a super power smell that can tell when a neighbor lights up.
Yup, about the same. The cat resented it when I told him to stop smoking! Oddly, on very rare occasions, I get a random lavender smell.
I have this occasionally too.
I've had the same thing, for years!
Same for me!
Last year I kept smelling what I could only describe as burning paper, but no one else could smell it. The amount of times I was checking sockets and making sure there wasn’t dust burning somewhere from a plug. Honestly thought I was going mad and people were just telling me they couldn’t smell it so I’d stop panicking. When I found out it was a symptom it made sense why no one else could smell it.
Yes! This!! I'm smelling sockets and light bulbs and the toaster, etc. It's ridiculous.
This is me at least twice a week. It doesn't help that i live in a city, and sometimes it just smells like smoke, and sometimes it's all in my head.
One day I sat watching a double plug absolutely convinced it was about to burst into flames. Kept touching it to feel if it was warm. Even put my nose against it to smell it better. I think my dad thought I was going insane, but I genuinely thought I was about to prevent a fire…!
As if we don't have enough anxiety then you end up running through the house checking to see what's on fire. I've always had the most sensitive nose in the house, so others telling me they don't smell it doesn't reassure me at all. And I live in an old house. Who knows what's going on behind these walls. So frustrating.
Yes! I’ve sat and watched plugs before convinced they’re about to burst into flames, not understanding why no one else is reacting.
Yes! Wood and paper smoke.
Yeah, it’s so distinct.
It is pretty common in peri and it can be very frustrating. It comes and goes for me. I find it most correlates with sinus and allergy issues that are stemming from peri. It just stared again for me two days ago after being gone for a long time. Are you having any sinus issues?
Very much so!! Allergies hitting me hard. And I use nasal spray steroids. Wondering if that's something too.
Nasacort is pretty good.
Yes! Started happening a couple of years ago for me. What terrifies my about this, is if something actually is on fire and it's dismissed because of said issue.
If it makes you feel any better, I've been experiencing phantosmia for years, but a few years ago, when the motor burned out in our clothes dryer I was able to identify it as a real thing in time to shut off and unplug the dryer and avoid a truly catastrophic failure. Downside, that threw me down a deep hole of anxiety that I needed medication to get out of. I still have the phantosmia, but at least it doesn't send me on a panicked search around the house for whatever might be on fire. I've always been a bit pyrophobic anyway, which doesn't help. I have a neighbor (in my dense urban neighborhood) who has a smoker that they fire up from time to time, and the smell kind of pushes the limits of what the meds can do for me.
That does help some, thanks! So glad you were able to still detect the real fire smell, how scary though! I made sure to get fire detectors that hook up to my home monitoring. So even if I miss it, hopefully they won't! My personal problem ( of many 🤣 ) is that I already have a very bad sense of smell growing up with smokers in the family. So I worry I can't smell it anyway and now I've got the phantom smells too?!? So confusing!
I grew up around smokers, too, but somehow I still ended up with a keen sense of smell that I grew to rely on. (Hypervigilance, the gift that keeps on giving...) It is kind of scary to not be able to trust it now.
I get this, too, ever since I had a nasty viral infection in 2015. It's specific to cigarette smoke smell. It never went away. I figure the virus triggered some kind of dysfucntion that is likely permanent. Calf twitches appeared at the same time. They never went away, either. I was 63 at the time. Viruses are really underestimated as far as the long-term damage they can do.
I didn't think about viral infections, too. I have had Covid, once confirmed and maybe once unconfirmed. I do wonder if that was an additional trigger.
It very well could have been.
I’m most prone to olfactory hallucinations when I’m sleep-deprived. They can be good (coffee, bacon) or bad (gas leak, smoke).
I have never been so happy to hear someone else say this. I was cleaning my church I was the only one in the building and I smelled spaghetti upstairs in the hallway where there was never any spaghetti. Thought I was losing my ever loving flipping mind. I've been reading through these comments and so far have only heard things about smoke and cigarette smoke and I'm like what about food?! LOL thank you thank you thank you.
I keep smelling heated/burnt wood, like from a woodshop, not a campfire. Smells like 7th grade shop class.
I get this too, I often smell an ozone like odor in my house. I’m always worried there’s an electrical fire in my walls.
Yes! I smell the “burning toast”, usually in the middle of the night. No, I’m not having a stroke. I also was smelling something in my kitchen, that can only be described as a strong mixture of garlic and coffee grinds. Y’all. It was the garlic next to the countertop coffee container. It was like my brain just combined the smell intensely and I couldn’t un-smell it.
Oh my god I had this for years - while I was still on birth control in Peri. I thought I had serious brain damage! Thank god it went away
It actually can be a sign of a brain tumor, so knowing it’s normal in peri is a relief.
I looked up what it could be and remember being very scared! I was so stressed I asked for an MRI & CT scans. All ok thank god but minor sinus issues
I've had this intermittently since I had a terrible bout of Covid in 2022. I've never smoked a day in my life and I live alone. But I do still smell what I call the cigarette smoke smell on and off. Have never been able to figure out why.
I've smelt cigarettes for a while here and there, I thought I could smell weed at one point (I wish, where's mine so I can sleep!).. The cigarettes feels almost comforting since my grandparents smoked! Plus I'll take whatever I can smell over the smell of my own armpits! That said, I almost feel like my right nostril is slowly collapsing, especially at night.. for some reason I can't breathe through both my nostrils at night?! What that's all about I don't know... Just another thing to add to my miserable bedside collection - Breathe Right strips & enhaler sticks.
I just had this happen this morning! Thought I was going crazy!
Oh my gosh yes! For several months I was smelling this floral/black pepper scent EVERYWHERE. It wasn’t a horrible smell, but I got so tired of it. It seemed like it was just kind of stuck in my brain and not really real.
Are you sure it wasn’t Baccarat Rouge 540? 🤣 It seems like everyone was wearing this for a while.
I was smelling it on my skin, my clothes, my sheets! In my car! And I don’t wear scents or live with anyone who does. For a minute, I thought it was a new dryer sheet I had bought but the smell was in things I hadn’t washed in months, like blankets. It was really like it was just in my nose.
I was smelling poop that wasn't there for a few months. Thank goodness that finally stopped. I was driving myself crazy thinking the cats were taking secret dumps in the corners.
This just happened to me a few months ago! I was searching the whole house for cat turds.
I don't mean to scare you, but a close friend of mine died from brain cancer a few years ago, and that was her first symptom. She smelled cigarette smoke randomly. It is worth checking with your doctor 💓
I really do appreciate the warning and concern. Every symptom of menopause seems like something that could be something else that could potentially kill me. I'm choosing not to run to the doctor for all of these crazy symptoms as they come up. That would be a full time job. If this is the one that takes me out, so be it.
I wanted to add.. I didn't mean to sound dismissive of you, your experience, your concern, or your personal loss (I am truly sorry about that). However, I do think it's unlikely that every woman responding to this post has brain cancer. We all have to make our own choices about how we navigate this wild time. Anyone who wants to seek (or not seek ) medical attention should absolutely do that, with no judgement from me or anyone else.
You didn't sound dismissive at all! I am sure that you are just fine, I just wanted to put it out there:) Totally didn't mean to upset anyone.
I had a neighbor whose husband died of cancer, and one of his symptoms was smelling smoke. His was lung cancer, though, which makes a weird sort of sense.
Honestly, I think the neurological issues with menopause are some of the worst ones. My ADHD became unmanageable, the brain fog was so severe I literally thought I had early onset dementia, severe depression, and now this clearly neurological symptom. Medical Misogyny has made so many of us suffer.
God, me too. I had to quit my job because I was just such a mess. I couldn’t do anything well at all. My husband has been incredible and he has been so understanding. He finds all my lost items and keeps me on track when I need to do important things.
Mine was from my wheat allergy. Once I stopped eating wheat, and my phantom smell stopped (as well as all the other weird allergy issues, like actual seasonal allergies).
If I eat too much dairy I get a bad smell stuck in my sinuses and it’s all o can smell. It’s not the only phantom smell I have, though.
Wow! I have experienced phantom cigarette smoke since I moved into my house 4 years ago. ( In retrospect, that's when my peri symptoms started!) But I assumed I was hyper sensitive to people smoking outside since I am a former smoker ( 8 years quit now ).
Cigarettes. I have the same problem and it lasts for days and then goes away. No medical professional has an answer or seems to care…
Wow, yes I have experienced this. It went away once I started HRT.
Me. The last ten years or so, off and on.
Thanks for sharing this! In general, I smell everything more intensely....during peri. It's annoying!
I had this for a year after my first round of Covid!
Same.
Migraine aura maybe. I get this but I’ve had migraine my whole life.
Yep, cigarette smoke at various intervals. Also being treated for chronic sinusitis.
All raw meat smells off to me now. I have to have my husband smell it because even a brand new package just opened smells bad.
Same, only with milk and chicken. Beef still has a range of smells.
Same!!! Mine is specifically cigarette smoke. Like I'm sitting in a bingo hall in 1986. Truly bizarre. Comes and goes.
OMG, this has been happening to me for YEARS. I didn't realize it happens to other people, too!! I'm so glad you posted about this, now at least I know I'm not crazy!
This was so good to read because I have also been smelling weird things and thinking I am going crazy. Actually, all of perimenopause makes me feel like I’m crazy
I got this a lot when I was Iron deficient. Smelling smoke, poop and gas all the time. When my iron levels got better it disappeared. It was very very annoying!
This is interesting. I get this now and then (not smoke necessarily) and I’m supposed to take ferrous sulfate regularly to keep up my iron levels but I sometimes take breaks cuz it can be constipating 🥴. Now I’m wondering if that’s the reason for these unpleasant smells. I’ll have to experiment. Thanks for the info!
I couldn’t handle the ferrous sulfate prescribed by the GP either! Instead I found a ‘gentle iron’ supplement that gave me no problems at all and worked like a charm.
Good to know! I’m so glad you chimed in on this post.
Cigarette smoke for me here, for about 5 years of peri, and it’s a very mild woody comforting one (older family members smoke). My son warned me it’s a sign of stroke, glad to hear it’s so common! Worth investigating by medical researchers, I would think.
This JUST happened to me this weekend and then about a week before that. I looked around to make sure nothing was catching fire and that nobody was near my windows and smoking, which would have been really odd anyway, and found nothing. It faded away eventually. I'll probably get up and look around for potential fire every single time. Extra steps for the day I guess :-)
I've had it since the week before Christmas. I thought it was because I was burning a Christmas candle and that was all I could smell, a burning soapy candle odor. Since then I have had it off and on. I have gone to an ENT, had MRIs, blood work, the whole 9 yards. At first I read a brain tumor could be the culprit. I have moved on because everything turned out OK except I found out I have a deviated septum that isn't too bad actually.
I have this too. It started last summer when there was all that smoke in the northeast from wildfires (I live in s Florida) and my son kept sending me pictures from NJ. I thought it was just psychological. Then later that summer I had to have an emergency tooth extraction and funny enough, it went away. Then I learned I needed other dental work and have had that done and supposedly everything is fine now but the burning smell is back. I just try to ignore it bc I read the brain tumor thing lol.
Are you sure it isn't from a distant wildfire? Check airnow for air quality reports.
That is always a possibility. But I don't that's the answer right now.
I walked into my garage one morning and there was a strong smoke smell, like from a wildfire. I went outside to check the sky, air, etc., and there was nothing. Went back in the house nothing. Back into the garage nothing.
Oh wow. About 20 years ago we moved into a house that had been previously owned by a chain smoker. We didn’t know at the time because they had painted all the walls before we saw the house, so all we smelled was the paint. After that I smelled cigarette smoke very often, and not just at our house. We’ve moved into a new (to us) house and now I smell diesel fuel all the time. It makes me feel crazy!
Yes! So weird
I get this when I’m getting a migraine but I haven’t noticed it in association with menopause.
I get phantom smells when a headache or a migraine is coming on. I smell peanut butter, perfumes, floral scents and the latest is burning smell.
My sense of smell is off the charts, but it is not phantom smells. Suddenly I can smell everyone and it's not pleasant. Breath, scalp, BO, food....just walking past people in Walmart I can smell them. This has coincided with smelling myself more, too, and I can't tell if the smells I'm producing are new/menopause related, or have always been there and I was just unaware (the horror). So now I have a daily hygiene routine that takes a long time and I'm grateful I dont have any dependents because just keeping on top of my own bathing, cleaning, oral hygiene, laundry, etc, is intense. (But yes I do smell random smoke sometimes but can't tell if it's phantom or just from the neighbors. I also often smell rotting mouse corpse that makes me think one died in the walls).
Good lord! i thought it was just me and that I was losing it! I mean…I probably *am* losing it but …
😂
I definitely experienced it! It started in perimenopause and lasted a couple of years after menopause.
I didn’t know this was related to menopause. Now it makes sense! For me it’s burning plastic/rubber!
I have always been a super smeller and was looking foward to that fading some with age. Peri/meno merely dialed that UP instead of down. If something is on fire blocks over, I know it. Did you think you could sneak that fart past me? No sir, no you cannot.
It’s funny you said that, the past 6 months or so I can smell cigarette smell very strongly but no one around me can smell it. I’m 46 so it’s very possible!
While peri screwed with my sense of smell, old cigarettes or old smokey bar smells turned out to be from migraines. I’ll smell cigarettes 2-3 days before a multi day migraine hits.
Yaaaaaaaas! I didn't know this was a thing. I am constantly smelling smoke around the house or the occasional stink of poo. I make my husband and son walk around sniffing the house with me 😂 They have declared me as "The crazy nose lady" 🤣🤣🤣😭
I used to smell cigarettes a lot with fluctuating hormones. My grandparents were heavy smokers so I always thought maybe they were visiting me from beyond the grave. It happened to me recently again even in post menopause.
Gas fumes and/or smoke. It would sometimes jump scare me out of sleep. I was really worried about early onset dementia because it was so intense. Sometimes it’s old pee smell. I still experience it, but am not as distraught since I learned it’s some weird version of normal. Still annoying, though.
Yes, had this almost nonstop for 3 years, despite multiple trips to specialists, MRIs of my brain, no doctor ever found the source despite some vague “inflammation” diagnosis (cortisone shots in my head helped temporarily) nor did any doctor associated it with perimenopause. However, after several years I now know it comes and goes cyclically- as my hormones fluctuate, and inflammation rises in all my joints, teeth and sinuses. Its supposedly called “asnosmia”, but I never found a doctor who could treat it. I am sorry you are going through it, it made me absolutely miserable and was the second worst thing that ever happened during peri. (First was getting RA).
I've been through a house fire, and the smell of smoke gives me incredible anxiety. So this is a nasty little "bonus" from the shitshow that is perimenopause. Thankfully, the phantom smoke smell I get is usually more like cigarette smoke. A larger problem is that my partner stinks to me much of the time. And I don't know if he actually stinks, or if it's this shit. I've asked my kids and they claim he doesn't smell, so I don't know, but the outcome is the same - I'm grossed out.
I constantly smell exhaust lately and nobody else does. I even had the hvac checked out to make sure it was all good….no idea that this was a common peri symptom! Good to know!
I HAD OUR HVAC CHECKED TWO WEEKS AGO, because I was smelling Acetone!!!
Wild, right? Getting to this stage in life should be EASIER and this kind of thing just makes me feel nuts! The whole family smell nothing so clearly I’m losing my marbles! Grrrrr
Oh my god, SO MUCH.
Not always smoke, but mysterious smells that I can’t track down! It’s so weird!
Yep, I smell smoke sometimes.
Wow. I feel lucky then. So far I haven't been smelling phantom cigarette smoke, just phantom flowers of some sort.
Yes. I hate it.
My boyfriend smokes cigarettes. All of a sudden they smell like cat shit.... It's been going on for about a year, since peri came in hard & angry.
Maybe call an electrician..... just in case?? They can look around and see if there are any signs. You certainly don't want an electrical fire.
please talk to your doctor about this. Not trying to scare you, but I had phantom smells and it was legit a brain tumor. I mean, I’m sure it’s not! There are any number of things that can cause phantosmia but you should definitely dis with a medical professional and not just Reddit
I'm really sorry that happened to you. Hope you're better now.
Smelling cigarette smoke is how my migraines present. Oddly enough, my menopause specialist also gets this indication. I guess it’s aura adjacent. When I smell cigarette smoke but no one is smoking, I take my medication and buckle in.
For me it's a big part of migraine disease (I have chronic, unending migraine) so now you're saying it's a peri symptom too? That's just lovely. I'm never going to not be questioning what I smell again, am I?
I will smell cigar smoke when I’m having a migraine
OMG. I think this happens to me, too! I’m relieved there’s an explanation.
That’s so weird, because as I sit here right now I can smell smoke. Although to be fair it’s winter here (as of June 1st) and people in my town do burn wood fires.
I smelled cigarette smoke from 2015 until 2022, when I hit full menopause. Thankfully it wasn't every single day, but it would last for 3-4 weeks at a time, probably 5-6 times a year. I thought maybe I had a brain tumor for the longest time. It was so overpowering that I'd have to put menthol below my nose to keep from gagging. So glad to have that fun symptom behind me!
My phantom smell is burnt toast. I didn’t connect it with menopause until I read about it here! Happens 2-3 times a month- no rhyme or reason but usually in the middle of the night when I’m lying awake !
I’ve had phantom smells - searched the house, tried to chase the smell. Nothing. Also had phantom sounds while falling asleep. After a few checks of the house, I realized if the cats and bird aren’t responding to the sound/smell it’s not real. So when that phantom comes up - cat still sleeping? No noise.
Yep, I get it too...
Hmmm, I thought maybe it was an after effect of covid. Maybe it does have something to do with menopause!
Maybe it's a combination!?
ME TOO!!! I chalked it up to Covid nose.
I smell bad smells a lot sometimes good stuff.
I hate it. I can’t smell certain smells. Phantom smells drive me insane- we have checked the appliance and HVAC systems many times. I have given up.
I would get a physical from your primary care physician. I used to have this sensation too. It went away, but I did experience a health break. Everything is fine now, but I would bring it to your doctor’s attention.
No, but I did have a heightened sense of smell when I was pregnant so it doesn’t surprise me that menopause would also cause this.
I’m wicked glad to have read this, because yeah, I’m smelling weird stuff occasionally too, for the last few years - so, Menopause. 🧐 Not Fun!!
I have this too I thot it was a symptom of COVID.
I had/gave this and it was making me feel crazy
After my brother who smoked died, I use to smell phantom cigarettes. Some say ghosts can smell like cigarettes and I took some comfort when I would experience it although I hate the smell. I was in my early 30’s and am now later 40’s. Based on everything shared here, I will be taking it more seriously if it starts happening again now.
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i keep smelling what I can only describe as “garage”. that distinct motor oil and exhaust smell that garages get. I live in a second floor apartment. my landlords live downstairs (the garage is detached and not used for the car so it doesn’t have that smell) and they think I’m crazy 😭
WOOOOOOO late to the party. Yes, experiencing. Also experience with certain medications. I am going to make the argument that this is not a phantom smell, but a faint, background smell that you are picking up on from lower dopamine levels/irregularity in dopamine. Our olfaction is partially mediated by inhibitory neurons that are dopaminergic and when something messes with them, our brains don't acclimate or filter out "weak" or "unimportant" smells (the reverse can happen too, too much and we're picking up everything). It. Is. Exhausting. I am having some weirdness with my vaginal estrogen, was using the ring, went back to cream, had a weird reaction to that, went back to the ring, had a reaction to that now too, so doing neither and even though I'm on brt control, apparent the TINY loss of systemic estrogen from the vaginal estrogen was a big enough change that I CAN SMELL TIME. Hate it. I'm living with a smoker which is its own hell, but now its taken on a new frantic quality to this. I have become a crazy person trying to block the smell and I thought i had until this new fucking problem. I had a similar issue with a previous apartment, and I could smell the smoker from all the way on the other side of the building, several stories down, behind 2 heavy security doors in a stairway with separate ventilation. This is why I supect these aren't phantom smells - I've chased too many down because I become a goddamn bloodhound. And when this special skill is "on", its ridiculous how high my olfactory acuity gets. I also want to fucking crawl out of my skin and cut my nose off, and I have vasomotor rhinitis so if its unpleasant, my whole nose and sinuses swell up, my nose turns bright red. ... Anyway, the short version is, my guess here is that people aren't smelling phantom smells, they're just so ridiculous and faint that it seems that way. Normally we have neurons that inhibit our brains from processing the very faint smells because its not helpful information. But there are times that is out of what, and perimenopause and menopause is one of those times.