• It is important to keep your vagina healthy and clean
• This means you are taking good care of your body
• And sex can feel more pleasurable
• If you don’t do this, you can develop complaints
• You are also more likely to get an STI
• Do not wash your vagina with soap. Preferably use only water
Keeping your vagina clean
• Do not use soap. Also do not use products that contain soap, such as Chilly or Lactacyd
• Do not use douches that you insert into your vagina
• Use enough lubricant during sex
• Do not use vinegar, cola, chlorine, Dettol, or lemon juice
• Do not steam with herbal baths
• Wash your vagina only with lukewarm water
• Do not wash your vagina after every client
• Do not dry yourself too roughly. Gently pat dry around your vagina
• Use a condom during sex
Soap and vaginal douches
No, do not wash your vagina with soap. And do not clean the inside with a douche that you insert into your vagina. Also do not steam with an herbal bath. You may feel clean and fresh, but this can actually cause an infection.
What is true and not true about caring for your vagina? In this video you can hear what soap does to your vagina.
Symptoms
There are fungi and bacteria in your vagina. These keep your vagina healthy. If you do not care for your vagina properly, you can get too much of certain fungi or bacteria.
This can cause a vaginal infection, such as candida or bacterial vaginosis. You are also more likely to get an STI.
What symptoms can I get?
If you keep your vagina clean in the right way, you are less likely to get an infection.
These infections can occur if you do not wash your vagina correctly:
Candida
Candida is a vaginal infection caused by a fungus.
Possible symptoms:
• Itching in your vagina
• White discharge from your vagina, without odor, sometimes crumbly
• Your vagina is red, swollen, and painful
• Pain or a burning sensation, sometimes only when urinating or during sex
On soaaids.nl you can read more about candida.
Bacterial vaginosis
With bacterial vaginosis, there are too many of certain bacteria in your vagina.
Possible symptoms:
• Vaginal discharge is gray-white and more than normal
• Your vagina smells different than you are used to
On soaaids.nl you can read more about bacterial vaginosis.
These infections are not dangerous and usually go away on their own. However, having such an infection makes it easier to get an STI.
Symptoms? Take an STI test
Do you have vaginal symptoms? You might also have an STI. Get an STI test at the health department (GGD) or at your doctor. Then you will know for sure whether you have an STI. And you will get medicine if necessary.
A dry vagina
No, it’s better not to have sex if your vagina is dry. You can get small wounds in your vagina more easily when a penis, fingers, or a sex toy enters. This increases the risk of an infection or an STI, and it can be painful.
Always use enough lubricant during sex, including with a client.
Read on condomerie.com what to look for when buying lubricant
