We all know tips and tricks for getting healthy hair and skin, but what
about having a healthy vagina? Most women are taught early on to cleanse
daily with strong soap or use "feminine hygiene" sprays, but this can
actually do more harm than good. Knowing the right way to stay clean,
choosing foods that will boost your health, and even exercising your
vagina are all ways you can keep your vagina in tip top shape. Read on
to learn more about how to have a healthy vagina.
The vagina is a tube of muscle inside a woman’s body that runs from
the cervix (the opening of the womb) to the vaginal opening. The
external sex organs, which are called the vulva, surround the vaginal
opening.
Looking after your everyday health can help keep your vagina in good
shape, says Dr Suzy Elneil, consultant in urogynaecology at University
College Hospital, London, and spokesperson for
Wellbeing of Women.
“Generally, good vaginal health is maintained by making sure you’re in
good general health,” she explains. “This includes healthy diet and
exercise. Normal exercise helps maintain good vaginal function, as
walking and running helps the pelvic floor to tone up and helps ensure
good general health.”
Vaginal secretions or discharge
Other than your period as part of your natural
menstrual cycle,
it’s normal to produce clear or white secretions (discharge) from your
vagina. This mucus is produced naturally from the neck of the womb,
known as the cervix. “Vaginal discharge is not ‘always a bad sign’,” says Dr Elneil.
“There is a myth that copious clear or white discharge is associated
with sexually transmitted infections. Changes in the amount of discharge
can be 100% hormonal – in other words, linked to the menstrual cycle,
pregnancy or menopause.”
The character and amount of vaginal discharge varies throughout your
menstrual cycle.
Around the time that your ovary releases an egg (ovulation), your
discharge usually becomes thicker and stretchy, like raw egg white.
The vagina contains more bacteria than any other part of a woman's body, after the bowel
Healthy discharge doesn’t have a strong smell or colour.
You may feel an uncomfortable wetness, but you shouldn’t have any
itching or soreness around your vagina. If there are any changes to your
discharge that aren’t normal for you, such as a change in colour or if
it starts to smell or itch, see your GP as you might have an infection.
Bacteria in the vagina
There are lots of bacteria inside the vagina, and they’re there to
protect it. Professor Ronnie Lamont, spokesperson for the Royal College
of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, says: “The vagina contains more
bacteria than anywhere else in the body after the bowel, but the
bacteria are there for a reason.”
The good bacteria inside the vagina:
- provide "numerical dominance": they outnumber other potential harmful bacteria that might enter the vagina
- help to keep the vagina’s pH balance (how acidic the vagina is)
at an even level, which helps to keep the balance of bacteria healthy
- can produce bacteriocins (naturally occurring antibiotics) to reduce or kill other bacteria entering the vagina
- produce a substance that stops invading bacteria sticking to the
vagina walls, which prevents bacteria from invading the tissues
If the balance of bacteria is disturbed, this can lead to infection
and inflammation. Bacteria called lactobacilli help to keep the vagina’s
pH balance at its normal low level (less than pH 4.5), which also
prevents the growth of other organisms. If the pH of the vagina
increases (in other words, if it gets less acidic), the quality or
amount of lactobacilli can fall and other bacteria can multiply. This
can result in infections such as
bacterial vaginosis or
thrush, which can cause symptoms including itching, irritation and abnormal discharge.
Washing your vagina
It’s a good idea to avoid perfumed soaps, gels and antiseptics as
these can affect the healthy balance of bacteria and pH levels in the
vagina, and cause irritation.
Use plain, unperfumed soaps to wash the area around the vagina (the
vulva) gently every day. The vagina will clean itself inside your body
with natural vaginal secretions (discharge). “During your period,
washing more than once a day may be helpful,” says Dr Elneil, who points
out that keeping the perineal area (between the vagina and anus) clean
is important too. “Good perineal hygiene is necessary, by washing that
area at least once a day using your normal bathing routines.”
“All women are different,” says Professor Lamont. “Some may wash with
perfumed soap and not notice any problems. But if a woman has vulval
irritation or symptoms, then one of the first things you can do is to
use non-allergenic, plain soaps to see if that
helps.”
Vaginal douches
A douche flushes water up into the vagina, clearing out vaginal
secretions. Some women use a douche to "clean" the vagina, but using a
douche can disrupt the normal vaginal bacteria so it isn't recommended
that you use one.
“I can’t think of any circumstances where douches are helpful,
because all they do is wash out everything that’s in the vagina,
including all the healthy bacteria,” explains Professor Lamont.
There is no evidence that douching protects against STIs or vaginal infections, and it may even increase the risk.
Scented wipes and vaginal deodorants
These perfumed products can disrupt the vagina’s healthy, natural
balance. “If nature had intended the vagina to smell like roses or
lavender, it would have made the vagina smell like roses or lavender,”
says Professor Lamont.
Washing with water and a plain soap should be all you need to keep
your vagina healthy. It’s normal for the vagina to have a scent.
“Vaginal odour can change at different times of the reproductive cycle
and shouldn’t always be thought of as being a sign of infection or
illness,” says Dr Elneil.
If you’re worried about the way your vagina smells, if the smell is
unpleasant, or you’re using perfumed products to cover up your vagina’s
smell, you should see your GP. You might have an infection that needs
treatment.
The most common cause of unusual vaginal discharge is bacterial
vaginosis, which can cause an unpleasant smell. It’s easily treated with
antibiotics,
Safer sex
Some bacteria and viruses can get into the vagina during sex. These include the bugs that cause
chlamydia,
gonorrhoea,
genital herpes,
genital warts,
syphilis and
HIV. You can protect your vagina against these infections by using a condom every time you have sex.
