Taking Care of the Female Genital Area.

A friend remarked after his wife complained about repeated vaginal discharge that “his wife had washed away all the good in her vagina” by frequently washing that area. He was damn callous that friend of mine, but he was damn right too!

The female genital area is much more complicated than the male genital area. The urine pipe that leads from the bladder to the outer part of the vagina is much shorter than the males and therefore a reason for more frequent urinary tract infections.

The vagina itself is not covered by a protective layer of skin like the penis rather, it is covered by mucous membrane that is vulnerable to trauma and infection.

The vagina also has its own normal flora. This means, that it has its own population of fungus and bacteria living together in harmony. Yes, not all bacteria are bad!

We do have good bacteria in our body and the vagina is an example of where they live.

It’s kind of a food chain in the vagina flora environment. The good bacteria eat up the fungi population to keep the fungi numbers low. This balance is carefully maintained by nature but often unintentionally we mess this balance up. When this balance is distorted then you get a vagina discharge from the overgrown population of the fungi called Candidiasis.

Candidiasis is a yellowish, usually thick, cottage-cheese-like vagina discharge. Usually, this discharge does not smell bad but it may cause a burning sensation around the vaginal area. Candidiasis also causes painful sex as well as pain when urinating.

Some of the ways of unintentionally causing this problem is by:

• Soaking yourself in a bath for a long time. This is likely to disturb the homeostasis of the vaginal flora.
• The use of perfumes or sprays around the vagina to keep that area clean and odor free.
• Regular washing of the vagina with antiseptic soap daily or more than once daily. It is best to wash the vagina area with water only and if you must, use a simple non-anti-septic soap
• Prolong and unnecessary use of antibiotics for the treatment of infections (not related to the vagina).

It is important to note that the anti-septic soaps and antibiotics are not selective. They will kill both the good and the bad bacteria. The loss of the good bacteria is not good for the vagina.

An advice for the females regarding the genital area is:

Keep it clean but keep it simple. Clean your vaginal area with water and if you must, use a simple soap.