How Vaginal Hygiene Practices Can Affect Intimacy-3Min Read

Maintaining proper vaginal hygiene is essential not just for your health, but also for your intimate relationships. The way you care for your vaginal area can have a significant impact on your comfort, confidence, and overall sexual satisfaction.

Here’s what you need to know about how vaginal hygiene practices can affect intimacy:

Balancing Cleanliness and Natural Flora

The notion that the vagina is a self-cleaning organ has been mentioned for decades, but what does that mean? Let's dissect that concept a bit so it is clear how this may impact your hygiene routine.

The vaginal environment houses a delicate balance of bacteria that naturally protects it against infections. Disruptions of this delicate balance with harsh hygienic practices or products can lead to acute and chronic irritation, dryness, or non-sexually transmitted infections.  Bacterial vaginosis and yeast vaginitis are examples of infections that can result from vaginal imbalances.  Acute or chronic infections such as these can cause discomfort during sex, potentially making intimacy less enjoyable.

To maintain vaginal balance, use mild, fragrance-free soaps to clean the external genital area, and avoid douching, which can upset the natural pH balance. Remember, less ingredients and additives are more when it comes to vaginal hygiene.

Impact of Scented Products and Irritants

If using scented products such as sprays, wipes, or soaps, be mindful that these may do more harm than good. Scented products often contain chemicals that can cause irritation or allergic reactions resulting in itching, burning, or discomfort.  Some of them can even disrupt the vaginal pH leading to a change in discharge, tissue integrity, or worse, an infection. Any of these symptoms can make sexual activity painful or uncomfortable, which can, in turn, affect your desire and enjoyment.

Though unscented products are best for the sensitive environment of the vagina, I advise women who use scented products to keep use limited or sparingly. Consider a patch test on the non-genital skin with new products or those that are highly scented. My clinical advice would be to avoid using any products with high chemical content at the opening or inside of the vagina. Meaning, under no circumstances is it ok to try to alter the natural smell or lubrication of the vagina by using chemically-enhanced products that you have not discussed with a healthcare provider. 

The Role of Proper Lubrication

Vaginal dryness can be a barrier to pleasurable intimacy. Hormonal changes, decreased libido, disease states, and certain medications can affect your body’s natural lubrication.  Staying hydrated and using gentle cleansers are non product-based approaches to help maintain natural moisture levels, making intimacy more comfortable.

Even though many cases of vaginal dryness can be fixed with OTC lubricant options, consider a thorough evaluation from a healthcare provider to discuss possible secondary causes and recommended treatment. To counteract dryness, consider the best lubricant for your particular situation and intimacy needs. 

The type of lubricant chosen should be considered based on ingredients, presenting symptoms, skin sensitivities, and planned use for lubricant (ie vaginal, anal, manual intercourse for example).  You can find out more about vaginal lubricant options from this previous newsletter article. You can also click here to explore my lubricant brand picks.

Preventing Infections for Healthy Intimacy

Non-sexually transmitted infections such as BV, yeast infections, or urinary tract infections (UTIs) can cause significant discomfort and impact your sexual health. Proper hygiene practices play a crucial role in preventing these infections. For example, the direction a woman wipes after using the toilet helps prevent bacteria from spreading to the vaginal area and contact irritants in clothing and products may create an environmental imbalance to increase the risk of infection. 

Consistent safe sex practices, screening, and diagnostic sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing are important to reduce the risk of transmission, re-transmission, or delaying treatment.  Acute or chronic untreated STIs may result in abnormal vaginal discharge, odor, decreased lubrication, pain with intercourse, and decreased libido.

If you suspect you have an infection, it’s important to seek treatment promptly. In addition to affecting sexual intercourse, untreated infections may lead to more serious health issues.

Stay In The Comfort Zone 

Though there is not one optimal vaginal hygiene routine, good practices can significantly boost your confidence, making you feel more comfortable and self-assured during intimate moments. On the other hand, concerns about your hygiene and any secondary symptoms may impact your desire for intimacy.

Vaginal hygiene is more than the activities and products included or those that are avoided in a routine. It’s equally important to understand the desired state of balance of the vagina and having a threshold for reporting changes from your baseline. 

Attention to your vaginal hygiene can go a long way in enhancing your intimate relationships while building confidence in your intimate experiences.

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