Vaginal Wellness Tips

*Keep the vaginal area clean and dry.

*Avoid using perfumed soaps or antibacterial soaps.

*It's best to use only water to clean your vaginal area as soaps can disrupt the ph balance and cause infection.

*Avoid wearing tight-fitting pants or underwear.

*Be sure to change out of wet/moist clothing as soon as possible (i.e. gym clothes, bathing suits, etc)

*Avoid using deodorant pads or tampons.

* Avoid using scented toilet paper.

*Avoid douching or using feminine sprays or powders.

*Avoid or decrease white and refined sugars and flours. Including breads and pastas. 

*Be sure your partner uses condoms when you have sex to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.

*Be sure to use lubricant to protect the delicate tissue from irritation.

*We encourage regular self breast exams.  Your provider can teach you how.

*Schedule a yearly pelvic exam.

Common Non-STD Vaginal Infections: 

• Bacterial Vaginosis(BV):  A thin watery, gray-white discharge with a fishy odor is usually present.  BV may occur simultaneously with other vaginal infections.  Though it is not clear why some women develop BV, some causes may be: the use of perfumed soaps or sprays, douches, prolonged use of tampons, vaginal contraceptives, a change in sexual partners, or irritation from intercourse.  A culture can be performed to test for BV.  BV is treated with oral antibiotics.
• Candida (yeast):  Candida is a fungus.  It is the most common type of vaginal infection.  Typical symptoms include a thick, white, cottage-cheese like discharge and intense itching, or burning.  Yeast infections are common among women who are pregnant, diabetic, or obese.  Use of antibiotics can also cause a yeast infection because it changes the body's metabolic balance of vaginal acidity and disrupts the balance of "good" bacteria to "bad" bacteria.  Some women find that taking oral "Acidophilus" capsules   (a "good" bacteria" ) helpful.