FaQs ON VAGINAL HYGIENE

 

Dear ladies, welcome to another episode of Health Tuesday blog. I'm super excited that you get to visit the blog posts every time and that you find it so lively to share the Health tips here with other ladies out there. 

Health Tuesday is a blog that's aimed at enabling women both young and old achieve optimal health and wellness. Every series and episodes of these Health Knowledge are for you and everyone of you ladies are so special to me. Over time I still get to cover a special session called The Exclusive and in it, I get to address the general Health for all genders and ages too.   

Right in these blog post, I'm driving towards answering some of the questions thousands of ladies all over the world do ask and this is regarding their Vaginal Health. 

Woohh I'm so excited, I will get to answer your question and this will help you to clear off every uncertainties, misconceptions and assit you be or remain at your healthy self Safe and Happy you know(smiles).

You see the reproductive organ of every female can be so delicate, fragile, vulnerable and so absorbable. This should give you a clear picture why it is called the "Private Part", so sacred an organ, right? It easily get vulnerable and prone to Infections/diseases.

As a unique and elegant lady that you are, I really want you to understand that your vagina and every reproductive organ in your body, undergoes several changes throughout your life. And becaues of the continuous changes, it is important to:

— Firstly know what the reproductive organ in your body looks like ; knowing what the normal organ looks like, such that you will be able to detect any abnormalities. 

— Secondly, you should know the function of this organs so as to know and understand when there is a dysfunction.

— And lastly, you should be able to know what to expect as growth and aging steps in. This is vital for mothers who will be beside their growing little Queen and to help them adapt to any developmental changes from puberty to full blown adulthood.

When you've gotten to understand all of what I started above, then you will not find it difficult to spot for the signs and symptoms in your vaginal to know if something is amiss, and take appropriate care. 

When the knowledge of how your body works doesn't lie within you, it's so much possible to live with an Infection for years and then discover later that because you didn't treat the Infection earlier, it has resulted to something worse or even detrimental. Pheew.

 "It is imperative for every woman to maintain good hygiene down there...."

 Practicing a healthy vaginal hygiene is a step to conquering invading Infections and Diseases. From this Questions I'll get to spell out the Do's and the Don't in practicing Excellent Vaginal hygiene.

May I pull you deeper into what you should know by answering your questions?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION ABOUT VAGINAL HYGIENE:

Q.1) How Do I Make Sure My Vagina Is Healthy?

Ans: One of the commonest and safe way to ensure that your vagina is healthy, is to be sure your vagina does not have foul smell or fishy smell, no discharge, no redness, burning or discomfort, and no swelling.

The moment any of this appears then your vaginal is unhealthy. If you’ve ever seen discharge in your undies that is clear, white and ut doesn’t have a new odor or tinge — that’s evidence that your vagina is functioning just right.

Q.2) Is It Okay/Normal To Have a Black/Brown Discharge?

Ans: Dearie, it is only okay to have black/brown discharge only when you are menstruating; preferably on your first day and the last day of your menstruation. This is though not similar for all ladies. I got to explain why the menstruation happens to be black at some point. Please do well to visit the previous post for more light on what your normal menstruation should be like. https://healthtuesday.blogspot.com/2022/11/faqs-on-menstrual-cycle.html

The normal discharge is clear, transparent, and odourless without any redness and itching.

Q.3) There is itching down there at my Vagina and if I scratch it feels pleasurable, but that does not stop the itching from going, should I visit a doctor for this?

Ans: Dear friend, itching is not a good sign, it could be so discomforting, it could even result to painful sores due to the scratch. However, this itching may indicate a fungal or yeast infection in the vagina or the skin of that area. It could also be due to an irritation from drops of urine in your undies or a sign of STD. Like I said, this could be so discomforting and embarrassing at some point, you will have to meet with a Health Specialist who will suggest a test to detect the exact cause of the itching in relation to other Symptoms you would have experienced and then proper medication will eliminate it all .

Q.4) At What Age Should I Start Developing My Routine For My Vagina, In Terms Of Dieting? 

Ans: Well this is individual based but it isn't wrong to start it as early as you can, while you are still a teenager.

As started by a health practitioner in HealthLine, to maintain the most optimal vulvar and vaginal health your routine diet must contain these 

— Antioxidants.

— Vtamin E.

— Vitamin C.

— Omega-3 fatty acids.

— Omega-6 fatty acids.

— Protein like Egg, milk, meat, fish etc. 

— Probiotics like yoghurts.

Before the next question let’s recap some basic anatomy on the female genital:

1). The vagina is the inner canal inside your body.

2). The term “vulva” refers to the outer parts around the vagina, such as the:

— Clitoris

— Clitoral hood

— Inner and outer labia (vaginal lips).

Let's stop there, please follow me on to getting your next answer.

Q.5) While Having My Bath, Can I Slip In Water To Wash My Vagina, I Feel It Could Be Dirty Becaues I Have Never Done It All My Life?

Ans: No, that's not helpful. You can wash only your vulva not the vaginal.

Washing the vagina can lead to many problems. The vagina is a self-cleaning oven — a pretty accurate metaphor. (Smiles)

Washing your vagina can also affect your vagina’s ability to clean itself which then leads to dryness and when dryness occurs it totally becomes a different strain on you because while having sex with your husband or engaging in some exercise you could experience pains and blisters could form. So if you want a clean vagina, leave it alone to clean itself!

Q.6) How Best Do I Wash My Vulva?

Ans: It's best you wash your vulva with warm water, please not boiled water to avoid burn. If you’d like, you can use a mild soap without fragrance that won’t irritate the skin, but this isn’t necessary honestly.

Every lady actually have the way they choose to wash their vulva, you know. Nonetheless, there is an ideal way to get this done:

— Spread your lips apart and gently cleanse around the folds, using a clean washcloth(specifically for your Vulva) or better still as usual your hands. Avoid getting water or soap inside your vagina.

— While washing your Vulva, you might want to wash your anus this is actually okay but this is where you must apply the Rule Number 4: Wipe from Front — Back, not the other way round. It’s a good idea to wash the anus and the area between your vulva and anus every day. 

Wiping from "front to back" wash your vulva first and then your anus. Otherwise, bacteria from the anus can spread to your vagina, which can cause severe Infections like Urinary Tract Infection.

Q.7) Is It Okay To Douche?

Ans: No! No!! No!!! There us a misconception out today that has sold so well to lot if ladies that "Douching helps to remove STIs." That's not true. Vaginal douching involves squirting a solution into the vagina, usually with the intention of cleaning the vagina. This doesn’t work and it is not safe not healthy for you at all. Do you know it is one great reason for recurrent Infections. You keep treating and treating thinking it's over and then after the medication, you go ahead to Douche only to discover that the Infection will relapse.

Douching doesn’t make your reproductive system healthy. Because when you Douche it doesn't stop at your vaginal, it goes to other reproductive part and this could connect with other triggers in your body to cause INFERTILITY. Making use of fragranced feminine washes, powders etc can still be a trigger for cervical cancer, they’re unnecessary and harmful.

If you have more questions on about your vaginal and how to maintain it's Hygiene, please don't hesitate to send in the question via the comment box, I'll be there to give you concise answer. Thank you and don't forget to share this post.

STAY SAFE AND STAY TUNED TO THIS BLOG FOR MORE INSIGHTFUL HEALTH LITERACY NEXT WEEK.

-Favourite Nurse Favour