How To Clean Your Vagi+na

Steaming won’t clean the uterus and it won't clean your vag!na, either. Even worse, it could cause an infection or burns.

The real surprise is that the vag!na does not need cleaning.

The vag!na has a low ph level with a host of healthy bacteria - a balance it maintains naturally. That balance prevents abnormal bacteria from multiplying and causing problems.

When the vagi!na loses healthy bacteria or the ph balance changes, infections such as bacterial vaginosis or yeast occur.

How does this happen? Touching, douching, washing with antibacterial soap or generally paying too much attention to the area. Doing so kills off good bacteria.

We can make things worse by wearing tight clothing, which traps bacteria, or thong underwear which spreads bacteria from back to front. Even if you have worn thongs all your life and have never had bacterial vaginosis, it's likely you will at some point. And after one infection, you're then predisposed to recurrent infections.
Interc0urse can also introduce a great deal of abnormal bacteria and can contribute to bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections.

While the vag!na maintains a healthy balance on its own, it cannot fight off pathologic bacteria, such as gonorrhea and chlamydia, which are sexua-lly transmitted diseases. So it is very important to use protection during sex and see a doctor if you notice any changes in the vag!nal area.

It’s also important to note that only the interior gen!tal region stays healthy on its own.

The outer gen!tal regions - the labia, mons and urethral area is not acidic and can be contaminated with abnormal bacteria. That means you do need to clean the area.

When showering, do not scrub “inside” the vag!na. A good rule of thumb is to use only a gentle, non-fragrant, non-antibacterial soap,  to wash the outer gen!tal areas gently, no more than once a day.

- Dr. Abby Lankhorst