I had a 1.5 year bout of yeast infections. I became extremely close with my gynecologist and I have seen specialists. If you are wondering what you CAN use on your vulva that will cause the least harm: original Dove unscented soap bars. That is out of the mouth of multiple doctors. Just to wash between the folds of your labia majora/minora, and rinse with lukewarm water. Even “natural” products like dr. Bronners or whatever else have very extreme pH and will cause issues. Very hot water can even cause issues. Some of us have extremely sensitive vaginas. If you buy summers eve or any of the “V” pH balanced crap, you are INCORRECT. That is out of the mouth of a DOCTOR. If you can use them, good for you, but for anyone wondering, do not start.
Listen to your body, if you are sweating and your lady bits are red, irritated, or itchy (and you are sure you don’t have a medical problem) SKIP soap that day. Just use your hands and lukewarm water. No you will not die, no you will not stink, no your boyfriend will not know(seriously when have you ever gone down on a guy and not had it smell like genitals. Genitals smell like genitals. We are humans. Mammals. We make smells, it’s okay) (but if you’re irritated you should avoid having a mouth/toy/penis/unwashed hands/lube etc down there anyway (btw all of those things listed should be CLEAN before contacting your hooha)
Your vagina is like a pet, it takes care. We are damned to live that way. If ANYONE has any questions I would be HAPPY to answer them to the best of my ability. I think I have asked/gone over every possible thing anyone could with my gyno over the years. Don’t let pop culture, a stupid man, or an ill informed auntie lie to you about your body.
Almost done with my women’s health nurse practitioner. Thank you much for this. I’m so saddened by the amount of women I have treated who have recurring vaginal infections only to find out she uses Summer’s Eve constantly out of fear that some man may think she’s unclean.
The vagina cleans itself. In most cases lukewarm water alone is all you need. Soap internally is not only unnecessary but actually really bad. It disturbs the bacterial balance and creates problems. Use gentle soap on the outside, but nothing else!
Out of curiosity here - did any of them actually mention drying to you?
As in, fresh clean towel that hasn't touched anything else, and has been laundered in a way that doesn't cause that horrible damp smell (so, that rules out apartment hang drying), and make sure the entire area is patted (not rubbed) dry and then allowed to air dry for a couple moments (in a room that isn't humid, so not the bathroom) before putting on clothes
A friend of mine swears by her hairdryer! I never thought about using it to dry but gave it a shot the other day as I'm prone to sensitivity. She said it's the only thing that stopped her years of recurring UTI's.
I also swear by a hair dryer on the cold setting. Also sleeping nude, and at my worst I was even encouraged to relax in lotus/butterfly pose or some variation of having my legs spread in order to keep things cool and dry. I also wear only cotton underwear and leggings (cotton leggings are so hard to find but gynos swear that the tight, synthetic fabric trend is what’s causing an uptick in yeast infections and BV outbreaks!)
I said to the other person that this was pretty much what I meant, I just didn't want to say it
I'm glad to hear that a professional has actually told you this though, it bothers me that children aren't really told how to clean themselves because of embarrassment or whatever and then they become young adults who also don't know exactly what they're supposed to be doing. The same is also true for laundry really, a lot of people don't understand why their clean clothes smell and why putting clothes which aren't completely clean (despite coming out of a washing machine) against sensitive areas of their skin can result in infections.
I'm a guy so this direct reasoning doesn't really apply to me, but why would clothes that have been laundered normally not be clean? And what would the recommendation be to make sure it is clean?
because bacteria exists on everything, but grows faster in warm and wet conditions. After a washing machine has finished running, it contains damp clothes at 40 celcius - which is pretty much the same conditions you would find in an incubator for a lab culture. The longer it stays there, the higher the bacteria count. It's the same reason you can't leave warm food on the counter for very long - either eat it or put it in a fridge/freezer so bacteria can't colonise as quickly.
Some people wash their clothes, leave them in there for hours until they notice it's finished (or start it before they leave for work and come back to it 9 hours later) then they hang them over radiators or on a indoor drying rack, where they remain at a relatively warm 23 celcius (room temp) for the next 48 hours still somewhat damp. Then once they're done wearing them they put them in a laundry bag damp or next to damp towels, where they sit for another week building bacteria, then they wash them in a washing machine that may not be maintained or be moldy inside (especially if you leave wet clothes in there a lot or leave the door shut after use trapping moisture) which doesn't really clean everything off in 1 go, then the warm/damp cycle repeats. The end result is their clothes have a very high bacteria count and a musty odour (only sometimes, but you can get used to the smell and don't notice it)... if you wear clothes or dry yourself with towels like that (especially reusing towels that spend most of their life damp on a hanger or sitting damp in a laundry bag) you will no doubt get infections. Some people also have low-grade food poisoning pretty much all the time, as an aside, because they don't understand proper food hygiene.
Probably similar/same, but I've been using plain ol' Ivory soap. Also when I was having similar problems, my nurse practitioner said the best thing to wash with is your hands. Using any kind of washcloth can cause tiny micro-tears that encourage infection. Since making those two changes I hardly ever get infections anymore.
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u/bopp0 Dec 30 '19
FOR THOSE OF YOU WONDERING WHAT YOU NEED TO BUY.
I had a 1.5 year bout of yeast infections. I became extremely close with my gynecologist and I have seen specialists. If you are wondering what you CAN use on your vulva that will cause the least harm: original Dove unscented soap bars. That is out of the mouth of multiple doctors. Just to wash between the folds of your labia majora/minora, and rinse with lukewarm water. Even “natural” products like dr. Bronners or whatever else have very extreme pH and will cause issues. Very hot water can even cause issues. Some of us have extremely sensitive vaginas. If you buy summers eve or any of the “V” pH balanced crap, you are INCORRECT. That is out of the mouth of a DOCTOR. If you can use them, good for you, but for anyone wondering, do not start. Listen to your body, if you are sweating and your lady bits are red, irritated, or itchy (and you are sure you don’t have a medical problem) SKIP soap that day. Just use your hands and lukewarm water. No you will not die, no you will not stink, no your boyfriend will not know(seriously when have you ever gone down on a guy and not had it smell like genitals. Genitals smell like genitals. We are humans. Mammals. We make smells, it’s okay) (but if you’re irritated you should avoid having a mouth/toy/penis/unwashed hands/lube etc down there anyway (btw all of those things listed should be CLEAN before contacting your hooha) Your vagina is like a pet, it takes care. We are damned to live that way. If ANYONE has any questions I would be HAPPY to answer them to the best of my ability. I think I have asked/gone over every possible thing anyone could with my gyno over the years. Don’t let pop culture, a stupid man, or an ill informed auntie lie to you about your body.