If you’ve ever had a urinary tract infection before, you’d know how easy it is to upset the delicate pH balance of your urethra and vagina.
Here’s what you need to know about yeast infections: they thrive best in warm and moist areas. They’re caused by the fungus candida albicans and while the body can usually fend it off on its own, sometimes there’s an overgrowth.
According to Dr.Lee Lih Charn of the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, women who are pregnant, diabetic or have recently taken antibiotics are likelier to get yeast infections.
While a vaginal yeast infection is completely normal and can happen from time to time, here are some things you can do to prevent it from happening to you:
Because candida albicans thrives best in a damp environment, make it a point not to wear underwear at night as you sleep so that the area remains cool and dry.
If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of going commando at night, try wearing cotton underwear or opt for women’s boxers that don’t hug your thighs.
Doing so helps prevent bacteria from the anus from travelling to your vagina and urethra so that infections don’t occur.
Scented tampons and other scented feminine products can often upset the delicate pH balance of your vagina because of its synthetic chemical make up.
While douching might sound like a great idea when you’re having a yeast infection, the truth is the chemicals found in vaginal douches can sometimes really mess up the pH balance of your vagina causing even more bacteria to grow.
However, that’s not to say you can’t use feminine washes though. Instead of using regular body soap, these feminine washes are much more delicate and don’t dry out or irritate the sensitive area around your vagina.
Plus, if you notice smegma build up around the labia majora and labia minora and want to clean it off, feminine wash is great for it too.
It’s never wise to wait till your swim suit is dry to take it off. We tend to do that a lot on beach holidays when we think it’s okay to wear a wet swim suit to a beach shack nearby but in truth, the dampness of the suit coupled with the heat from your body is the perfect breeding ground for yeast infections to occur.
The cool air that circulates the room prevents bacteria growth and reduces the likelihood of a yeast infection. A cooler temperature also regulates the airflow in the room, making your vagina that much healthier.