Sometimes, it can feel like your vaginal area is as temperamental as a small, earth-like planet. It has its own little biosphere, where moisture, itching, and irritation can come and go for seemingly no reason.
Throw in something unexpected, like a new spin class, new pair of leggings, or new sexual partner, and forget it. The weather down under can change entirely, bringing yeast, bacteria, and discharge at the worst possible moments.
Fortunately for you and your lady bits, there are lots of little things you can do to create a healthier, happier vulvar ecosystem. For instance, simply staying hydrated (read: drinking enough water every day) can stave off many common symptoms.
In this article, you’ll learn a few more things you can do to keep things feeling healthy and balanced. You’ll also learn a few key things to keep out of your vaginal area to achieve optimal health.
1. Amp Up Your Diet and Supplements
A colorful, nutritionally balanced diet full of fruits, veggies, vitamins, and minerals can do wonders for your vaginal and vulvar health. It may even help ward off conditions like uterine fibroids, yeast infections, and UTIs, and help boost your libido and fertility.
Certain foods and nutrients, like avocados, soy, and dark leafy greens could play a role in preventing vaginal dryness. Others, like omega-3 fatty acids, could help with sexual function and ease period pain.
To prevent bacterial infections, like BV, and keep vaginal membranes healthy, try foods with vitamin A, C, D, E, and beta carotene. To reduce PCOS symptoms, try keeping your insulin and blood sugar levels stable, with high fiber whole foods like sweet potatoes. Maintaining a balanced microbiome is important for whole body health, but especially vaginal.
An imbalanced pelvic triangle microbiome (which consists of the gut, vagina and urinary tract) can lead to increased risk of infections like urinary tract infections or bacterial vaginosis. To help maintain a balanced microbiome, look for a probiotic for women that contains strains that are clinically proven to work in those specific areas.
2. Keep Things Clean and Dry(ish)
If you’re prone to UTIs and yeast infections, it’s especially important to keep things clean and relatively dry down there. While your own natural moisture is healthy, trapping the day’s dirt and post-gym sweat in your clothes can throw off your pH levels.
When your pH levels are unbalanced, that means your vagina’s natural acidity levels change, getting higher or lower. This can make your body more susceptible to infections like UTIs, yeast infections, and BV.
All that said, despite popular misogynistic myth, your vulva is probably already a lot cleaner than you think. In fact, your vagina is self-cleaning, so don’t mess around with douching, fragrances, or any kind of chemical products.
These are generally a very bad idea, because they can cause irritation and further disrupt your natural balance of bacteria. Instead, wear breathable fabrics, and wash just the outside of your vagina regularly with fragrance-free soap and warm water.
3. Practice Safer Sex
Reducing your risk of contracting a sexually-transmitted infection is one of the most important ways to protect vaginal health. While no method is 100% effective, using barrier methods like condoms, dental dams, and gloves can make a difference.
It’s also a good idea to get tested regularly, and check in with any and all partners to make sure they’re doing the same. If you’re fluid bonding (that is, exchanging semen or other bodily fluids), this step is extra important.
With modern medicine, many STIs, including HIV, are treatable or manageable with the right plan of care. STIs are also incredibly common, so there’s no reason to feel shame or panic if you do happen to catch one.
If you notice symptoms or if a recent partner discloses an STI, get care from your gyno or local health clinic as soon as you can. Follow your treatment plan closely, especially when it comes to contraindications and medication instructions.
4. Lower Your Stress Levels
Stress is bad for just about every aspect of health, from cardiovascular fitness to gastrointestinal issues. Stress can harm vaginal health in a few different ways, including throwing off your hormonal balance and reducing blood flow to vaginal tissues.
For instance, chronic stress can reduce circulation, leading to a decrease in natural vaginal lubrication. Stress can also change estrogen and progesterone levels, hurting fertility or making you more prone to infection.
To reduce the risk of stress-related issues, treat any illnesses first, getting necessary medications or therapy for mental health diagnoses. From there, you can also try meditation, yoga, or other mindful relaxation practices.
Regular exercise and time in nature can also help reduce stress-related health issues. Sometimes, however, the best remedy for stress is to eliminate the cause, like walking away from a high-pressure job or a toxic partner.
5. Check-in With Your Gyno
Whether or not you’re currently having issues with your vaginal health, it’s important to get regular medical check-ups. It should also go without saying that if you have a condition that affects pelvic health, like PCOS or fibroids, you may need to go more regularly.
If you have insurance, look for a nonjudgmental, conveniently-located gyno you can trust and see regularly. If you don’t have insurance, you can try a local clinic, Planned Parenthood, or even an online healthcare solution, depending on needs, concerns, budget, and barriers to access.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, people with vulvas should start seeing an ob-gyn sometime between 13 and 15 years old. In most states, a teenager can go alone without their parents.
From ages 21 to 29, or from the time they become sexually active, most people with vulvas should see a gyno about once every year. From 30 to 65, most healthy folks who aren’t pregnant only need to go once every other year.
Whole Body Health
The key to a healthy vagina and vulva involves a two-pronged solution: treat medical conditions and practice good overall health habits. If you have any acute or chronic conditions, follow your treatment protocol closely and keep regular appointments with your doctor.
To prevent future issues, eat a healthy balanced diet, and get plenty of rest and regular exercise. Avoid the usual suspects like alcohol and cigarettes, too, which can decrease fertility and libido and make you more susceptible to infections.
