Caring for your genital parts involves learning how to tweak some of our most basic daily activities in vulva-and vagina-friendly ways. Here are some tips related to basic hygiene and self-care that can help your lady parts stay happy and healthy.
Wiping
As a child or teenager, you may have been taught to wipe from front to back (the front being toward your clitoris and the back being the anus). Such directions are meant to keep bacteria from the anal opening away from the vagina, as the vagina can be quite sensitive. Generally speaking, it’s good advice to wipe from front to back for this reason.
As for what to wipe with, most healthcare providers recommend using regular, unfragranced toilet paper rather than moist wipes (such as those intended for cleaning babies during a diaper change). Moist wipes may have chemicals in them that can irritate the vulvar skin or leave the genitals wet for longer than they need to be. If you prefer to use a moist wipe (some women keep these at home and/or carry these in their purses for wiping when using public bathrooms), ask your healthcare provider to recommend a brand that is unlikely to cause genital irritation when used regularly. Finally, some women use a water bidet to clean after using the bathroom. Patting oneself dry afterward with toilet paper can be helpful, as keeping the genitals wet for too long can cause irritation.
Vaginal Discharge
The uterus, cervix, and vagina produce natural discharge that comes out of the vagina. This is generally called “vaginal discharge” even though the fluids
coming out may be coming from the vaginal walls, cervix, or uterus. This is one way in which women’s bodies clean themselves. Vaginal discharge is completely natural, and it often changes appearance throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle.
It may be clear, milky white, or have a slight yellow tinge to it. Sometimes it seems clear and thin. Other times, women notice that their discharge is more clumpy, possibly even leaving little clear or white clumps in their underwear or on the pubic hair closest to their vaginal opening. It’s also not uncommon to notice white or light yellow stains on one’s underwear. Darker yellow or green discharge or stains may indicate an infection and should be brought to the attention of one’s healthcare provider.
If you find that your body produces excessive discharge, we recommend asking your healthcare provider about it. He or she can test you for vaginal infections, including sexually transmissible infections (STIs) that can cause increases in vaginal discharge. After all, some STIs don’t have many noticeable symptoms. One woman that Debby knows of noticed that she was experiencing more vaginal wetness than usual, which she attributed to being highly sexually aroused, or horny. When she learned that she had gonorrhea, she was surprised, but it all made sense. This isn’t to say that vaginal wetness is always a bad thing (it’s not) or that it’s never a sign of arousal (often, it is) but if you experience vaginal discharge that is unusual in some way for you, please do bring it to the attention of a healthcare provider. Try to avoid using pantyliners, pads, tampons, or other menstrual products as a way to keep vaginal discharge in check.
Menstrual products are only intended for use during a woman’s period (i.e., on the days that she is bleeding). Wearing pads or pantyliners too often can irritate the vulva, especially if the pads or pantyliners are fragranced. And wearing tampons on non-period days can make the vagina feel drier and cause irritation as well, so save your period products for your period days! Your body and your wallet will thank you.
Keeping Clean: Easier Than You Think
Because the vagina cleans itself out via vaginal discharge, there’s very little to do when it comes to keeping your genital parts clean. However, many women are convinced that they need to clean their lady parts. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Try to avoid using fragranced and scented bath products. This includes scented, colored, or antibacterial soaps, as these can irritate the sensitive vulvar skin.
Go basic. Although it surprises some women to hear this, many doctors who specialize in vulvar and vaginal health recommend that women wash their genitals with only water and their hand. That’s right: no soaps necessary.
Stay soft. An advantage of using your hand is that it’s soft and unlikely to irritate the sensitive genital skin. Loofahs and other cloths meant for scrubbing can irritate the genitals.
Avoid soaps. Harsh soaps and cleansers can cause irritation or itching of the genitals. If you feel you must use some type of cleanser on your vulva, consider using a gentle cleanser such as Cetaphil (sold over the counter in many drug stores) along with water and your hand.
Turn down the heat. Opt for warm rather than hot showers, as hot water can dry skin all over one’s body. Of course, most people opt for warm-to- hot bath water. If you’re planning to have sex after a bath, try spending longer than usual in fore-play, as the vagina may be dry (due to the warm water) and may need time to get its lubrication going. You may find it helpful to keep a bottle or packet of personal lubricant nearby in case you need a little assistance with post-bath sex.
Don’t put any bath products up inside the vagina. Only the outside parts (the vulva) should be cleaned with water and one’s hand. The inside parts (i.e., the vagina) do not require any special cleaning.
Grooming
When grooming your pubic hair, try to choose a kinder, gentler method—
something that won’t make your genitals run for cover in the other direction.
Take care, for example, to groom carefully and not to nick your sensitive, curvy genital parts with razors or scissors. And while we don’t think you need pubic hair dye or labia dye, we understand that some women may want to use such products, either to cover gray pubic hairs or to have a little fun with their pubes or labia. We get it. If you go this route, please take care to follow package instructions, to patch test dyes on nongenital parts before using them on genital parts, and to avoid doing anything that doesn’t sound right to you. As pubic hair and labia dyes are not approved by any health organization that we know of, the instructions may contain inaccurate information—so please, ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about whether a product is safe for your cooch or whether you should adjust the instructions in a particular way.
Genital Odor
Most vaginas do not smell like fish—but some do. It is common for women’s genitals to have a slight scent to them, sometimes smelling a bit yeasty or like sour milk. This can be normal, healthy, and nothing to worry about. If you have questions about your genital odor, we encourage you to talk with a healthcare provider who can examine you and see if you may have a vaginal infection, such as trichomoniasis, that can result in a strong and often unpleasant odor. In some cases, women may have strong genital odor as a result of overactive sweat glands (this is sometimes treated with Botox). There are tons of sweat glands in the vulva, which is why you may have noticed a damp crotch during exercise.
Having sweat glands down there is a good thing. The vulva is full of blood vessels, which means that as blood flow increases to the genital area, it may feel warmer. Sweat allows the warmth to dissipate, which is useful because it will help you feel comfortable as you cool off. In other words, your sweat glands have an important role to play, so try not to be too hard on them.
Douches, Sprays, and Powders
The vagina is a self-cleaning body part. As such, feminine-hygiene products such as douches, deodorant sprays, and powders are not needed to keep the vagina smelling or looking clean (more on this in chapter 5). As this chapter is about health, we’ll go a step further and tell you a few additional icky facts about douching: not only can douching not prevent pregnancy or STIs, but douching may make a woman’s genital odor and discharge worse instead of better. Why?
Because it may promote more bacterial growth. Some research also suggests that women who douche have a greater risk of pelvic inflammatory disease and of ectopic pregnancy, which is when a pregnancy begins to develop outside of the uterus (such as in the fallopian tube). Bottom line: avoid these kinds of feminine hygiene products unless specifically recommended by a healthcare provider.
What to Wear Down There
As the vulva can be quite sensitive, healthcare providers sometimes suggest that the most vagina/vulva-friendly underwear is cotton underwear, as it allows the genitals to “breathe.” It also helps to keep the genital area dry rather than trapping moisture.
Some women also find it helpful or comfortable to sleep or go through their day without wearing underwear. This may be particularly helpful if they are prone to genital discomfort or pain. In addition, thong underwear has been
identified as a common irritant of the vulva, so you may find it more comfortable to choose other styles of underwear.
Laundry
Although most women find that they can use any laundry detergent they want and not experience genital irritation, not all women are so lucky. If you’re prone to vaginal or vulvar irritation, itching, or pain, you may want to use a detergent that is free of fragrances and dyes. Some women even run their laundry—or at least their underwear— through an additional rinse cycle to further dilute any detergent that may be lingering in their undies.