Keeping your vagina healthy and happy is easy peasy. We’ve narrowed down 5 tips that’ll keep your woo feeling its best self.
Your pH balance measures how acidic or alkaline your vagina is and plays a vital role in determining whether it is healthy. During your reproductive years (age 15-49), your vagina should have a pH of 4.5 or below, however, after menopause a healthy pH is likely to be higher than this. A pH of above 4.5 during your reproductive years can put you at risk for a range of infections including Bacterial Vaginosis (BV).
To keep your pH balanced, make sure you’re only washing your vulva (the outer parts of your woo) as your vagina itself is self-cleaning and does not require any scrubbing! Doing this can upset your balance and lead to infection. However, to clean your vulva you can opt for a pH balanced wash. Our Cranberry and Chamomile Cleanses are ideal for keeping your balance up to scratch! Plus they smell DIVINE. We’ve also recently formulated a pH balanced wash for our ladies going through perimenopause and menopause that also helps battle dry skin, UTIs and vaginal dryness.
That’s right, what you eat can affect the health of your vagina. The vagina is no different to your other organs in the sense that healthy choices make for a healthy woo. That being said, here are a few foods to include in your diet that can benefit the overall health of your vagina:
- Alllll the probiotics! Foods like yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and pickles are packed full of probiotics that’ll keep your woo thriving. Alternatively, you can take probiotic supplements.
- Foods high in omega 3 are ideal for vagina health such as most fish, chia seeds, walnuts and soybeans.
- Plant based fats, such as olive oil and avocado, are a great addition to your diet too! Yes, avocado toast can in fact help to keep your vagina healthy 😋.
- Finally, Vitamin C is key. Fruits such as oranges and strawberries are chocked full of vit C.
We understand that stressing less is easier said than done, but taking a little time out of your day to chill can have a positive impact on the health of your vagina.
Stress can lead to the tightening of our pelvic floor that causes uncomfortable tension which can impact our core strength and elevate the pain from period cramps. Our pelvic floor supports our bowels, bladder and uterus, so try to relax as much as possible during stressful times and give your pelvic floor that much needed rest. Stress can also affect our body's immune response which in turn affects our vaginal health. This can lead to infection due to an imbalance in healthy bacteria.
Overall, try to take some time out of your day to de-stress for your vaginas sake. Even if it’s 20 minutes of meditation, a quick yoga sesh, or a luxurious bubble bath (keep in mind our Blissful Bath Soak if you opt for this 😌).
Visiting your gynaecologist is as important as your annual health checks with your GP. Keeping up to date with your gynae appointments help to detect any health problems early and ensure your vagina is living its best life. If you’re over the age of 25, do not ignore that smear test letter! Smear tests are essential for ruling out cervical cancer and HPV. Stay safe, girls!
If you are someone that has a period, make sure you’re keeping track of your monthly cycle. Whether you’re tracking in your notes or using a period tracker app, keeping an eye on your symptoms, heaviness and mood is essential when looking out for any anomalies. You should be aware of when your period starts and ends as well as what is normal for you! Everyone experiences their period differently, so if you do find that something isn’t normal for you, contact your GP or gynaecologist to rule out any abnormalities.
We hope these tips give you some insight into how to properly care for your vagina! Don’t forget that we’re here to help keep your woo feeling on point.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/vaginal-ph-balance#normal-ph
https://poosh.com/tips-healthy-vagina/
https://poosh.com/foods-that-keep-your-vagina-healthy/
https://www.allaboutwomenmd.com/knowledge-center/tracking-your-period.html
