Female personal hygiene-precautions and tips.
Female personal hygiene is neglected by women in India, because of a lack of awareness and the thought that many products and treatments are not affordable. Indian women shy away when discussing matters regarding personal hygiene and suffer silently.
Sometimes timely and routine hygiene practices may be all we women need to keep us safe and healthy:
Hygiene Practices:
- Hygiene –Take a bath and wash your private parts properly after going to the toilet/washroom.
Tip: Washing from forward to back is the right way to prevent infection from bacteria in the stool.
- PH level of the vagina of a normal healthy woman prevents most of the infections-So do not use products unnecessarily that will alter the normal pH level.
Tip: Avoid use of perfumed soaps, douches, bubble bath, vaginal deodorants, and feminine wipes to prevent bacterial growth caused by change of normal PH of vagina.
3.Periods- Precautions should be taken during periods –regular, timely changing of Sanitary pads and Tampons is crucial in preventing bacterial and fungal infections.
- Select undergarments or lingerie which is suitable to the climate. Cotton lingerie is preferable in hot humid weather conditions. Sweating and humid climate may cause many fungal infections to flourish.
- Practice safe sex-use condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
When to consult a Doctor?
- Bleeding in between periods
- After menopause bleeding
- Abnormal vaginal discharge-like-green, yellow discharges
- Discharge with fever and abdominal discomfort.
- If you have itching burning or stinging, red swollen vulva with discomfort while sitting, pain during sex then treat your condition, you may have infection.
50% of women with infections do not show any symptoms-so they go untreated.
Homeopathy is the safest and affordable alternative to end your sufferings. A proper consultation and prescription of homeopathic medicine suited to you, can give you a speedy recovery in urinary and vaginal infections. Homeopathy not only helps the body to fight infection but also prevent recurrent bacterial and fungal infection tendencies.
Menstrual hygiene and healthy practices enables women to reach their full potential. It’s estimated that 500 million women worldwide do not follow safe sanitary practices. Only 18% of Indian women have access to sanitary hygiene in India.
Spread awareness for a healthy future generation….Knowledge is power …
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Additional notes –
Different medical conditions -based on colour of vaginal discharge-
*Yellow-green colour –associated with STD or sexually transmitted diseases like-Trichomoniasis .
{In some women it’s associated with symptoms like frothy yellow green offensive discharge, burning and stinging while passing urine and soreness and itching around the lips of vagina.}
*Yellow-Gonorrhea infection
*Red/pink-can be normal and abnormal depending on certain conditions
*spotting before periods/end of periods – Its normal
*After few hours of coition/intercourse. – Caused due to friction –normal
*Spotting between two periods/ intermenstrual bleeding-
Ø Pink-vaginal discharge may be implantation bleed-small spotting around the time of periods.
Ø Early miscarriage
Ø After Menopause- periods stopped for a few months and years -then again bleeding after a long time-could be a sign of endometrial cancer, needing early diagnosis and treatment.
*White cheese like vaginal discharge -it’s due to yeast infection, /thrush-it’s caused by excessive growth of yeast normally present in vagina. Reason for this is removal of good bacteria, by excessive use of antibiotics resulting in over growth.
*Grey discharge-with fishy smell -associated with bacterial vaginosis-–PH of vagina becomes alkaline due to use of certain soaps, perfumes, leading to overgrowth of certain bacteria in vagina.
*Clay colored, stringy, egg white like discharge in small quantities is normal, it varies with the stage of periods cycle you are in Example-during ovulation period –increase of white discharge is normal.
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Dr.Dhanya George
