12 Tips To Keep Your Vagina Healthy

Vagina is a part of Female's genitals. This starts as an opening which is known as introitus or labia's inner part. A woman’s vagina ends at the uterus' opening, known as the cervix.

The health of the vagina of a woman could be regarded as the most important part of her overall health. The vagina affects a lot of activities going on in a female's body and its good condition is responsible for a woman's total body welfare.

If there is any sort of problem with the vagina, it could affect a woman's fertility, her desire for sex, and ability to reach an orgasm.

Vaginal discomfort and its related problems are not only limited to physical discomfort but they can create various mental issues as well. Because of this, women can have tension, stress, relationship issues and they can lack self-confidence.

There are so many ways to get relief from these vaginal infections (vaginitis), vaginal discharges and other vaginal problems, but using home remedies without proper knowledge could worsen the condition and lead to bigger problems.

So, obtaining proper knowledge and getting thorough instructions from a certified doctor may help you take care of your vaginal health at your home easily. You may also have to take a couple of medications too.

And this article is strictly written for the welfare of women who don't know how to properly take care of their vagina and below written are few points which can easily help you maintain the necessary hygiene of your vagina:

Sexual responsibility:

While having coitus, we should be very careful with our partner. Mostly, you should try to keep your sexual life a monogamous one which means having a single partner and this should be mutual (both partners have each other as their only partners). The sexual partner must be free from any kind of sexually transmitted disease or infection. Every time you have intercourse, never forget to use protection or condoms. And if you are in habit of using sex toys, then you should be very hygienic with them which means you should clean them after every use.

Limiting the usage of alcohol and smoking should be very minimal:

Sexual functionality of a person can become so much affected and can be impaired due to excessive usage of alcohol. A lot of cases have been observed where women are not able to get arousal because of the usage of nicotine. And a lot of people are in the habit of using substances too. For them, it is observed that they experience very poor physical as well as mental health, which ultimately leads them to bad sexual functionality. So, drinking a controlled amount occasionally and using nicotine products in a limited amount or avoiding them altogether could help you have perfect vaginal health.

Having proper vaccinations:

Women need to be very careful with having intercourse with more than one partners (polygamy) and should know about their partner's sexual health. There are about 200 related viruses spreading through anal, vaginal or oral sex and it is given a collective name as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and this can transmit through touch as this is a skin-to-skin infection. So, if you do not want to be affected by this, then you need to be properly vaccinated for specific viruses or disease.

Exercises and medications:

If you have prolapse or have a problem of urine leakage or having a weakness in the pelvic floor region then you should strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. The toning of your pelvic floor muscles could be done by a simple exercise called the Kegel exercise. If you are following any medications or undergoing any sort of treatment, then you should discuss the adverse effects of the medicine to your vaginal region with your doctor and never use any medications which are not prescribed by a certified doctor.

General hygiene of the Vagina:

This is the most important part that is needed to be kept in our mind. No scented sanitary items should be used. During the time of your periods, you should be changing your pad or tampon 4 to 5 times a day. The area should be washed or wiped regularly during the periods. You should be well hydrated during your periods which lowers the bacterial growth. You should be eating probiotics (like yoghurt), so that vaginal odor can be reduced and preventing the yeast infection and thus maintaining the pH levels in order.

Pubic Hair (to shave it or not):

They do not allow any kind of bacteria or virus and protect the vulva. Friction during the sex is avoided with the help of these as they act as a shield and cushion for the sensitive skin. There is no health risk if they are cleaned and shaved regularly and properly. The choice is only yours about what you want to do with them but shaving them may lead to razor burns, redness, infections, hair growing backwards and ingrown hair. Bacterias can harm if any cuts and nicks are made. Hair removal creams are not at all advised to use as they are very harsh to the sensitive skin of the vulva. 

Proper dressing and clothes:

Clothes should be worn which allows your vulvovaginal area to breathe easily and to remain dry and should be chosen accordingly. Because if moisture is present the growth of bacteria is sure and could lead to infection.

1. It's Washing and cleaning: A gentle soap is to be used along with warm water to wash it on a daily basis. For washing make sure you use your fingers to clean it instead of any cloth. Do not wash inside it because it cleans itself with a discharge.

2. A healthy diet is needed for maintaining a healthy vagina: This could be part which women don't consider as important or compulsory but it is one of the important factors affecting vaginal health.

3. Maintaining proper vaginal pH: The normal pH is 3.8 to 4.5 and to maintain it, douching should be avoided because it alters the pH levels and reduces the acidity which in turns affects the bacterial makeup of your vagina.

4. Treatment of infections: It is okay to self-treat when you have been encountering it repeatedly and you know the symptoms but even after the treatment if symptoms don't go away you should consult a doctor.

5. Home-made remedies: They are useful for avoiding a lot of problems easily. But it becomes a problem when you don't take any symptoms seriously and just continue to do the same and worsen your condition. The lubrication of your vagina is very important during intercourse and you should keep in mind that petroleum jellies should not be used for lubrication at all because it sometimes hinders the sperm when you are trying to get pregnant. If you are not getting pregnant then there are certain lubricants available which don't give you rash redness.

Conclusion:

At the end, we would like to suggest that before doing any of the methods suggested above, just make sure that what your allergies are, what discomforts you and consult a certified doctor. We hope that you found this article useful and helpful to yourself.