10 Big Feminine Hygiene Mistakes You Might Be Making
As a woman, good feminine hygiene and a healthy vagina is a huge win.
The vagina is the part of the female anatomy that is often taken for granted because “she’s” so resilient. From the ability to clean itself to withstanding child birth, it plays a vital role in women’s health.
Yet, despite it’s strength, the vagina is also extremely sensitive as infections can be easily contracted. These can disrupt normal daily activities, and in some cases can lead to serious health complications if not properly addressed.
That said, unlike other organs of the body, the vagina needs special attention to thrive and stay healthy. But proper treatment and care of the vagina is often misunderstood or overlooked.
If you or someone you know is struggling to keep the vagina healthy and happy, here are some big feminine hygiene mistakes you’re probably making and how to fix them.
MISTAKE #1: DOUCHING
For women that practice washing out their vaginas to make it feel ‘cleaner’, this is actually one of the biggest feminine hygiene mistakes to stop doing immediately.
The vagina is a actually a self-cleaning machine so there is no reason to interfere with that process.
In fact, there is lack of evidence to support the detox benefits of douching and things like antiseptics and fragrances that are contained in commercial douches are proven to throw off the natural pH balance.
This leads to things like yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis, but also can lead to more complicated conditions like pelvic inflammatory disease, and even cervical cancer.
If by chance what you do is not considered ‘douching’, the habit of washing inside the vagina even with water—yes water— during a routine shower can be harmful.
Easy fix: Use your hands and focus on washing the vulva- the external area of the vagina- with gentle, unscented cleansers.
You can use products that contain surfactants or foaming agents, but mainly on the areas that have hair or sweat glands that is more prone to body odor. And again don’t splash or squirt anything inside.
MISTAKE #2: NOT CLEANING PROPERLY
Good feminine hygiene practices are not automatic, but taught. So if you ever went to the bathroom and ended up wiping your vagina from back to front’ you’re not alone.
But the practice is dangerous because the likelihood of faeces that contain bacteria coming in contact with the vagina increases.
And what happens when traces of faeces are transferred to the vagina, are symptoms similar to a yeast or bacterial infection or worse, and would need immediate treatment.
You also need to bathe frequently because no matter how sedentary your lifestyle may be the body accumulates sweat and dirt throughout the day that needs to be removed.
Easy fix: When using the bathroom, wipe from front to back, away from the vagina. Also, it helps if you cultivate the habit of showering at least once per day—more often in warmer climate— or as needed depending on your level of daily activities.
This will help to rid not only the body, but also the vaginal area of sweat and bacteria that may have accumulated.
MISTAKE #3: WEARING THE WRONG UNDERWEAR
Unfortunately, anything other than cotton fabric that cannot absorb extra moisture from and around the vagina can cause an infection.
This is especially important if you’re in a warm climate, because synthetic fabrics like polyester or latex doesn’t allow the vagina to breathe, traps heat and results in excess moisture; the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and yeast.
The wrong underwear can also cause allergic reactions, due to dyes or other chemicals that may be in the fabric.
Easy fix: Wear mostly cotton underwear if you can during the day. At night do the same or better sleep in the nude. This will totally remove constriction and increase ventilation for your vagina so that it can breathe and stay dry.
MISTAKE #4: USING SCENTED PRODUCTS
For some women that can use scented feminine hygiene products without any issues, this is obviously not for you. But for many others, fragrances like sprays and powders can irritate the vagina leading to infections that come with symptoms like itchiness, smelly discharge, and even pain.
Other common scented products to watch out for that can cause irritation even from a single use include tissues, body washes, and wipes.
You might be familiar with feminine washes that claim to be organic and specially formulated to maintain a healthy vaginal flora. But even those can still disrupt the bacterial balance of the vagina in some women and lead to complications.
Easy fix: Stick to all things unscented to cleanse the vagina. You can use your favorite fragranced body washes but be careful to avoid the vaginal area.
When using public conveniences, try to have your own products on hand—tissues, wipes etc.
Or if possible, take a quick whiff of the tissue available beforehand to ensure it’s not scented.
MISTAKE #5: KEEPING ON WET CLOTHES
Pretty much for the same reason you should wear cotton underwear; excess moisture on the vagina is normally guaranteed to lead to an infection for a lot of women.
This can happen after working out, swimming, or any activity that involves water or results in profuse sweating.
Easy Fix: Keep the vagina dry by changing out of wet underwear as soon as possible. And, after an activity like swimming instead of lounging around for hours in your swimsuit until it dries on your body, try to shower promptly and change into dry, clean clothing.
MISTAKE #6: FREQUENTLY USING JACUZZIS
Spending long hours soaking in a Jacuzzi might seem harmless, but the negative effects of public amenities like this can get out of control quickly. The main reason for this is that bacteria grows rapidly in warm water.
To make matters worse, despite the use of disinfectants to clean and maintain Jacuzzis, bacteria can be resistant to it.
The result is a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses that can pass from person to person.
Easy fix: Don’t use Jacuzzis during high traffic or crowded periods. Or even better, if you can avoid public Jacuzzis altogether, stick to private ones that you can thoroughly disinfect before use.
MISTAKE #7: YOU HAVE A SUGARY DIET
The practice of controlling your sugar intake is important because excess sugar in the diet not only can lead to complications like diabetes, but there is a direct link to the occurrence of conditions like yeast infections as well.
According to this assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology, “When there’s too much sugar in the body, the immune system becomes suppressed and unable to ward off any bad bacteria; that can lead to an overgrowth of yeast in the vagina”.
Especially for women with PCOS that are normally insulin resistant and have higher levels of glucose in the blood stream, you may be more prone to yeast or bacterial infections than the average woman. This is another side effect of living with PCOS.
As a side note, if you’re taking in way too much sugar and have PCOS, you may be experiencing other symptoms. So learning more about the condition would make sense and how you can start to address the problem.
Easy fix: Curb your dietary sugar intake, which include refined carbohydrates. Instead, adopt a low carb or low sugar diet to control sugar levels, cravings, and insulin spikes in your blood.
MISTAKE #8: NOT PEEING AFTER SEX
At some point I learned that this is something that you should do but simply to relief the pressure on your bladder more than anything else.
During sexual intercourse, bacteria can be transferred more easily from man to woman by travelling up the urethra. The process of urinating helps to flush the urethra of any bacteria and protect you from complications like urinary tract infections (UTIs).
So drifting off to sleep right after sex may seem like the natural thing to do but it’s not the wisest.
Easy fix: As soon as possible after sex, try to urinate. You should also try to gently wash the vaginal area as an added step to help protect yourself from vaginal infections.
MISTAKE #9: MISDIAGNOSING YEAST INFECTIONS
The typical symptoms of a yeast infection include itching, burning, redness, swelling, and vaginal discharge to varying degrees depending on the severity of the infection.
But these symptoms are similar to bacterial vaginosis and even STDs such as trichomoniasis, and herpes that require specific treatment.
Hence, the confusion.
Easy fix: If you’re not sure whether you have a yeast infection, try to go to the doctor to get examined. Even if you’ve had a yeast infection before, if symptoms are severe then don’t diagnose yourself and rely on remedies that may prove ineffective, and possibly worsen the condition.
MISTAKE #10: IMPROPER USE OF OTC TREATMENTS
Conditions like yeast infections are so common that over the counter medications are readily available. But despite the convenience, there’s always a risk to skipping the doctor and opting for self-treatment.
That said, if you are convinced that you have contracted something like a yeast infection and you get your hands on a miconazole nitrate vaginal cream like’ Monistat’, you may be tempted to save product and discontinue treatment at the first sign of relief.
This is a common, but less obvious feminine hygiene mistake that will likely result in a relapse.
By stopping treatment of this kind of vaginal treatment prematurely, your symptoms may re-occur even if other hygiene practices are on point.
Easy fix: When it comes to Monistat, treatment courses vary depending on the strength of the product.
So it’s best to follow the directions carefully and complete the treatment to prevent symptoms from coming back.
TAKEAWAY
Women need to get more acquainted with the vagina and learn how to properly care for it.
Use this article of common mistakes to help you assess the areas where you may need to improve and try these tips if you haven’t already. You’re vagina will thank you for it.
