Hello, and i would be happy to answer your question today. Getting your period at the wrong time can happen to any woman and may be caused by stress, weight changes, travel and even worrying about accidental pregnancy. However, the fact that you notice a strong odor means whatever is going on is definitely not normal. First- if you have been having unprotected sex and not using contraception, you should perform a urine pregnancy test to rule out pregnancy. Another possibility is- if you use tampons... You may have accidentally left a tampon inside from your last period. I know it may seem that should never happen, but I have seen many patients with symptoms of odor and spotting instead of a normal period who have tampons left inside. If you do not use tampons, a vaginal odor is usually present due to an infection. An examination by a women s health provider can help you get a firm diagnosis and, if you do have an infection, you will need a prescription for antibiotics to help treat the bacteria causing the odor. He or she will also be able to remove a retained tampon if there is one inside. So in summary, you most likely have (and you may have more than one of these) an early pregnancy with an infection, a retained tampon, or a bacterial infection of the vagina. You really do need a physical examination to get an accurate diagnosis, so I strongly encourage you to make an appointment with a GYN provider so you can be properly diagnosed and treated. I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and that this information was helpful. Best wishes, Dr. Brown