It is important to take your health seriously as a woman. Vaginal health is an essential component of women's overall health.
Exercise often and eat healthy fruits and vegetables. Also, keep up with regular health screenings. Vaginal issues can have an impact on fertility, desire for sex, and ability to achieve orgasm. Ongoing vaginal health issues can lead to stress, relationship problems, and a loss of self-confidence.
Infectious organisms can also enter the vagina through poor hygiene or unsafe sex. Always take safety precautions before indulging in any sexual activity. Sexually transmitted infections can occur when sex is not protected.
Different sexually transmitted infections that can affect your vagina include chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, and genital herpes. While chlamydia and gonorrhea have a cure, HIV and herpes don't.
Although HIV is more life-threatening, genital herpes should also be taken seriously. Non-treatment of herpes in the vagina can increase the risk of HIV infection (if you don't already have it).
Genital herpes also comes with pain, itching, and irritation. Fortunately, there is over the counter medication for genital herpes. The genital herpes treatment can give you relief from the long, painful outbreaks. With the right medication, you can manage the situation and prevent your vagina from getting other STIs.
For these reasons, the feminine wash is beneficial for women. It is a mild cleansing agent that helps to clean the outside part of the vagina. Using this feminine wash can reduce the odor and can keep your body fresh. Along with these, it will also help in maintaining the pH level that gets imbalanced due to reasons like an irregular diet.
However, they say prevention is better than cure. Here are ways that you can care for your personal hygiene as a woman.
Do Your Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises should be performed on a regular basis by women to strengthen the vaginal muscles. Tighter vaginal muscles indicate a more powerful and prolonged climax. Kegels also have other advantages, such as lowering the risk of bladder leaks later in life.
Front-To-Back Wipe
When you use the restroom, always wipe from the vagina to the anus. Wiping from front to back reduces the likelihood of bacteria from your rectum getting near your vagina or urethra. Bacteria near the rectum is fine as long as it stays there. It can also cause infections and irritation elsewhere.
Exercise Good Sexual Habits
Nothing that makes contact with your anus should touch your vagina. Toys, fingers, and penises should be washed after anal play before inserting into the vagina. Also, condoms should be changed when transitioning from anal to vaginal intercourse. When it comes to intercourse, remember to pee after sex to avoid UTIs.
Don't Wear Panties to Sleep
Going bare while you sleep is one of the simplest ways to improve your vaginal health. Even cotton underwear that is breathable absorbs moisture against the skin. This increases the likelihood of yeast and bacterial growth in your vagina. Sleep in cotton shorts or pants instead of undies. You have the option of going completely naked.
Have Protected Sex
Using condoms during sex protects you from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like genital herpes. As established already, there is no cure for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and genital herpes. Also, other infections, such as the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes genital warts, have been linked to causing cancer.
Be Deliberate When Picking Underwear
Your vagina should be kept clean and dry, and what you wear can have an impact on this. Yeast thrives in warm, moist environments created by certain fabrics and tight-fitting clothing. When shopping, choose cotton fabric panties. Cotton cools the vagina cool while absorbing excess moisture.
Change Your Sanitary Pads Often
You should change your tampons and sanitary pads on a regular basis during menstruation. If you have a lot of vaginal discharge, you should change your underwear at least twice a day.
Use the Right Bathroom Tissue
After using the restroom, always make sure to dry your vagina with the appropriate tissue.
One-ply tissue is not recommended because it is harsh and dry and can cause vaginal soreness. You should use soft, two-ply bathroom tissue but avoid scented ones.
Water Might be Enough
The vaginal organ is self-cleaning. Using harsh chemicals, prepackaged wipes, or douching can interfere with the normal process. If necessary, use a gentle soap on your external genitalia. Most products marketed to make you feel or smell better are unsupported by scientific evidence and can cause other problems.
Maintain the Cleanliness of Your Sex Toys
Between uses, your sex toys should be thoroughly cleaned. You must not use the same sex toy for days or weeks on end without washing it.
For cleaning toys, there are special soaps and fancy gadgets. But, in reality, a mild, unscented soap will suffice. Most of these items are already water resistant.
Don't Wash Your Underwear With Scented Detergents
The properties of scented detergents break down your vagina's natural protection, which protects it from infections. It's best to avoid detergents containing artificial chemicals or perfumes, especially if you're prone to infections.
Eat Foods for Vaginal Health
Eating a healthy diet and selecting specific foods can also improve vaginal health. Make sure you're aware of the diet that can help keep your vagina healthy. Here are foods that can help support your vagina.
Yogurt. Your vagina contains a high concentration of "good" bacteria, which help protect you from "bad" bacteria that may enter your body. Consuming foods like yogurt can help boost levels of beneficial bacteria.
Cranberry juice. You might have known that consuming cranberry juice helps prevent urinary tract infections. But it also helps prevent vaginal infections.
Cranberries contain compounds that may help balance the pH of the vagina. Their acidic nature aids in the fight against bacteria that cause infections.
Prebiotics are compounds found in high-fiber foods like fruits, legumes, vegetables, and seeds. Good intestinal bacteria need prebiotics. These bacteria help keep your whole body healthy and balanced. Your vagina is not left out.
Water can benefit your vagina by helping tissues stay hydrated. It assists your body in effectively eliminating waste.
Conclusion
Prioritize your female personal hygiene. Poor vaginal health is risky to your overall health. You don't want to go through pain and trauma because you didn't take safety and health measures.
Always select cotton underwear, wear clean panties and wash your dirty panties often. Also, don't have unprotected sex, use a condom, and avoid sleeping with multiple partners. Finally, eat healthy fruits to boost your vaginal health and performance.