Well, you have high hygiene standards, and believe in showering at least twice a day. But the most you obsess about is your vagina, and how you should be keeping it clean. Should you be soaping it, use glycerine, a shower gel, or fancy vagina washes available on the market? Or is plain old water good enough. Then why do some people douche or steam their vaginas. And even if you were to clean your vagina how many times in the day should you be doing it.
The good news is vagina has a self cleaning mechanism by way of the discharge and this maintains the pH balance, prevents bacterial and yeast growth, and stays clean. The thickness and frequency of the white mucus may vary depending on which phase of the menstrual cycle you are on, and may sometimes even let out a smell, but all’s good in your vagina, it will cleanse itself up on its own. When you use external substances to clean your vagina you might alter this sacred pH balance and make it dry, deprived of its natural moisture, in the process.
We tell you about some of the odd habits women have when it comes to maintaining the health and hygiene of their vaginas, and these are some habits they need to totally get rid of.
1. Douching your private parts
Douching is basically spraying water. Now you can douche your vulva and the outer areas of the vagina to cleanse it. But you should never douche the inside of your vagina. It will absolutely ruin your vagina’s pH balance and make it prone to growth of organisms. Cleanse your vagina merely from the outside, do not try to disturb the insides.
2. Perfuming your lady parts
You think your groin has not been smelling good enough, and you are readying yourself for your partner and think perhaps spraying a perfume or body splash or rubbing a perfumed herb can make it smell like a garden of roses. Never do such a thing, at the cost of making your lady parts smell better you might invite some undue trouble, such as, there can be a rash or irritation, or you might even trigger a yeast infection. Keep chemicals and sprays away from your private parts.
3. Steaming your private part
Actor Gwyneth Paltrow once wrote in her blog famously endorsing steam as a way of keeping the vagina squeaky clean. But what she doesn’t know due to her lack of medical background is that steaming the insides of the vagina can upset the balance of female hormones, and is in fact harmful for your uterus too. Lactobacilli is a bacteria that keeps the vagina healthy, and steaming raises the temperature of the vagina to upset its natural environment.
4. Sleeping with panty on
Your vagina too needs to breathe, and for this reason you shouldn’t wear your underwear to bed at nighttime. Experts believe that if your lady bit is going to be constantly clothed it will gather moisture and this can lead to the growth of yeast and bacteria leading to itchiness and infection. Peel off that panty, pat your vagina dry after a shower and hit the bed. Sleep well.
Would you?
5. Urinating before sex
This is one bad habit that can give you a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). The best hygiene practice is to pee after sex, but never before it. Any bacteria released during sex can come out when you pee after sex as the stream would be stronger, and it can be easily flushed out. But if you pee before sex, you might not feel the urge to pee afterwards at all, or at best pee in a weak steam. This is not enough to get rid of the bacteria.
6. Wearing panty over a wet lady part
You have freshly taken a shower and are in a rush to leave, so you simply pull your knickers on and get going. This is a wrong practice as this leads to locking of moisture in your vagina creating an environment for organisms to grow and cause you infections and rashes. Just adapt this simply step every time after you bathe; pat your vagina dry with a towel. This will keep it clean and even the pH balance moderated.
Have you been doing any of these things? Time you stopped and cared for your vaginal health.
Myrnalyn N. Monticalbo says
Very informative.