Vaginal Health: 6 Tips You Must Follow to Maintain The pH Balance

Vaginal health was not something discussed openly and restricted to the confines of the gynaecologist's room. With healthcare awareness on the rise, today women have more sources and resources to understand its importance.

A healthy vagina is critical to a woman’s reproductive health and prevent UTIs and other infections. An important element of this health is maintaining the pH balance.

pH balance, as we remember from school, is the measure of acidity /alkalinity. Each organ system has its own ideal pH level. The vaginal pH tends to be more on the acidic side, and a range of 3.5 to 4.5 is considered healthy. There are a few home-testing kits available in India but it is advised to visit your doctor.

When there is an imbalance, bad bacteria growth increases. This can lead to irritation, foul odor, bacterial vaginosis. There are some things you can do to prevent this imbalance. Read on to get 6 tips for a good vaginal health > > >

Avoid using chemically-loaded soaps. Many vaginal odor products contain vinegar or baking soda, which actually makes you more prone to infections. Warm water and a gentle cleanser should be fine.

Semen is alkaline and unprotected sex can encourage the growth of certain bacteria that can lead to infections. Condoms can help prevent this, along with other sexually transmitted infections.

Tight fitting clothes and certain fabrics create moist conditions for yeast and bacteria to thrive. Wear breathable cotton underwear and change out of wet or sweaty clothes as quickly as possible.

Yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis, and trichomoniasis are the three common vaginal infections. If you recognise any changes in your vaginal odour, the colour of discharge or have prolonged itching and burning sensation, consult a gynaecologist immediately. They can then test for

Active lifestyle with healthy diet and no consumption of tobacco is key for most health issues, and especially so for your vaginal health. Drink lots of water and make sure you include natural probiotics like yogurt in your diet.

Common hygiene practices can go a long way in maintaining vaginal health. Change sanitary pads and tampons very few hours during your period.