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CARMEN DAVIES, 29, FROM MANCHESTER, WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A RARE GENETIC CONDITION THAT CAUSES HER TO SMELL LIKE DECAYING FISH WHICH HAS SEVERELY IMPACTED HER LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH 10:44, 31

May 2025 A mum has opened up about living with a bizarre condition that leaves her reeking of decomposing fish. Carmen Davies, 29, was slapped with the diagnosis of trimethylaminuria (TMAU),

also dubbed fish odour syndrome, back in June 2023. This quirky genetic problem messes with her breath, sweat and wee, which seeps out a nasty pong especially after she scoffs down foods

like fish and eggs. Even though she can't sniff it out herself, this Manchester lass is acutely aware of the dodgy looks she gets when she's out around town and says the condition

affects her to the point she doesn't want to leave the house. Carmen's routine includes daily scrubs, relentless toothbrushing, and a splash of scent to mask the whiff, but she

often just parks herself at home to save others from a nose-full. The stinky situation's thrown a spanner in the works for her career and even had her sitting out her cousin's

send-off in 2023, reports Wales Online. Carmen told Manchester Evening News she tries not to take the snarky remarks to heart, but admitted it's a difficult thing to face each day. She

confessed: "I live my life having to stay away from people, and that's led to massive mental health issues. Smelling like rotten fish, rotten eggs, urine and faeces is horrendous -

it doesn't matter how much I wash. "I go out wanting to be cautious about other people and feeling guilty about myself standing next to someone. I have a beautiful baby boy though

and any issues from my condition have to be overcome." She explained: "He needs to be outside - so with having a child, I've had no other option but to try and take myself

out of my comfort zone at times. "It's a natural human reaction to go 'oh, what is that smell?' so I try not to take it personally, but it is really hard. My aim is to

try and explain it to other people. It really has altered my way of life in every single way." The condition stems from a mutation in the FM03 gene, which is responsible for breaking

down trimethylamine. When this process doesn't happen, the compound builds up and causes a fishy odour. Carmen began to notice her unusual scent during her college years, with hints

that the disorder could intensify after puberty. Keep up with the latest health updates by subscribing to our newsletter here. She reminisced: "It all started when I was about 18. There

was this one boy that told everybody that I smelled like poo - I thought it was strange, and just being malicious to me. "So I didn't take any notice of it, but then I started

hearing indirect comments about me from other people - that I needed to have a bath and have a wash. This guy then started to make songs about me on his YouTube channel - he'd nickname

me 'poo-dle'. ". After some time, Carmen sought medical advice, although she says her concerns were initially brushed off as mental health issues. According to Metabolic

Support UK, there are only around 100 known cases in the UK, indicating that the condition might be under-recognised and often misdiagnosed. Carmen revealed: "They believed I had a

condition where I could smell smells that weren't there - but I shower every morning and keep clean so I went back to the doctors and said I was sure something was wrong. I asked to be

referred to a TMAU specialist centre - I was told it was really rare and that it was all in my head. "I wouldn't leave it and kept going back to doctors as I couldn't do

anything without people commenting about how I smelt. I eventually had an official diagnosis from my doctor in 2023. "You can only manage your symptoms by food - I have to avoid red

meat, anything processed or frozen, green vegetables - you'll always have an odour. "Over the years I've found that fasting makes you smell worse in the first seven days but

if you continue your fast then your TMAU tends to smell like cinnamon. It was working in the sense that I didn't smell like faeces and sewage, but I became too thin from not eating

enough." Facing daily struggles due to her condition, Carmen generally avoids family and social gatherings. She continued: "I don't have any quality of life - I have to wake

up and have this smell every day. "I did ballet, singing, and dancing when I was younger, and I'd do anything to be able to do that again. Family get-togethers are out of the

question. I lost my cousin, and I couldn't attend his funeral because of it - I really do sit in my house all the time. Article continues below "I did meet someone on a TMAU forum

online, and we completely understood each other - it's so hard to explain to other people, and I wish the world could be kinder about things." FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS AND

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