Maintaining a healthy vagina requires an array of daily practices and regular medical appointments, along with eating well-balanced meals, supplementing with probiotics and exercising regularly. Women also find value in having regular sexual experiences as it can strengthen immunity while strengthening pelvic floor muscles.
Always clean the external vulva with warm water and mild soap to maintain a natural pH balance and support good bacteria populations. Douching should also be avoided to prevent unnecessary growth of harmful microorganisms.
Healthy Diet
An effective vaginal health diet includes whole foods and probiotics in order to support its balance and natural secretions, but excessive sugar, dairy products or overly processed food may disrupt this balance of microbes and leave women vulnerable.
Probiotic-rich diets like those found in yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut may help restore balance and treat yeast infections. Consuming foods high in calcium like dairy products, leafy greens and some fruits as well as taking dietary supplements with live cultures containing Lactobacillus bacteria could also prove helpful in this endeavor.
Avoiding fried, sugary and carb-rich foods in favor of eating more fish, lean meats, nuts and seeds is beneficial to vagina health. Furthermore, consider using a vaginal moisturizer, such as one you apply with a disposable applicator to soften the vulvae while preventing dryness, odor and itching and burning.
Exercise
Exercise is an integral component of healthy vaginal care. Activities like yoga and jogging help develop strong, flexible muscles. Furthermore, regular physical activity helps regulate hormones while encouraging good circulation throughout your body.
Women should also incorporate Kegel exercises into their regular schedule to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support organs such as bladder, bowel and vagina. Weak pelvic floor muscles may lead to pelvic organ prolapse – this occurs when an organ such as bladder or uterus drops into vagina and causes pressure or pain – strengthening these muscles can prevent prolapse from happening or improve its symptoms.
As part of your exercises, try not to tighten your muscles when urinating as this could lead to fatigued muscles. Exercise while sitting or lying down. Women can try pelvic floor work using squats as a supplementary form. For individuals suffering from low back issues or hip conditions it would be prudent to consult their physician prior to undertaking these exercises.
Hygiene
Feminine hygiene aisles are packed with pink-packaged products promising to deep-clean down there, but in reality the body does this itself naturally and doesn’t need external assistance from special cleaning products that promise that. Furthermore, using such products could cause irritation of its delicate skin.
Maintaining good vaginal hygiene requires keeping the external pubic area as dry as possible to limit bacteria growth that could lead to infections. After showering or changing clothes, towel dry your external pubic area after drying with a towel; opt for cotton underwear rather than synthetic materials that trap moisture against your skin.
Douching (introducing water or other liquids into the vulva ) should be avoided to preserve bacterial ecology, prevent yeast infection and increase pelvic inflammatory disease risk as well as preterm labor risk. Douching may also decrease natural vaginal lubrication production which protects from organisms invading.
Yeast Infections
Candida (Candida) infections are a widespread condition, often leading to itchy outer genital areas and discomfort during urination and sex, reddening of the vulva and thick cottage cheese-like vaginal discharge. They can be prevented by wearing loose-fitting underwear and washing your vaginal area regularly with unscented soap & water; probiotics containing Lactobacillus acidophilus might also help, although further research needs to be completed in this regard.
If you suspect a yeast infection, visit a Planned Parenthood health center for an exam. A healthcare professional will examine both outer genitals and vagina using an instrument called a speculum to look inside. A sample of your vaginal discharge might also be sent for lab analysis to identify which kind of fungi are causing your symptoms; antifungal medication (oral pills, vaginal creams or suppositories) could then be prescribed to treat them.
