An In-depth Look into Vaginal Health and Vaginal Infections

Let's face it, vaginal health is not exactly a subject that comes up in the average conversation, even between best friends or between mother and daughter. For that matter, many women find it a topic uncomfortable to discuss even with their own gynecologist!

Often our mothers tell things a certain way but then our doctors tell us differently. If you search online, you get it all the ways. So how do you sort out the real facts amidst all the statements that seem unbelievable? Take it from someone who has had actual experience, that's how. In this article I'm going to give you the hardcore facts about vaginal health that no one wants to discuss.

Normal conditions

It helps to first understand that when the vagina is in perfect health there is very little to no odor. A clear or whitish discharge is normal as this is how the vagina keeps itself flushed and cleansed. Some women also experience a very thick almost clear discharge that looks a lot like egg whites right around the time of ovulation.

How to tell when something is wrong

Your sense of smell plays a key role in knowing whether or not something is amiss with your body. As I noted before, a healthy vagina does not usually have much of an odor, therefore if you start to experience very strong odors coming from your vagina or discharge there might be an infection brewing. Noting the actual type of odor is helpful in determining which type of infection you may have.

The coloration and consistency of your discharge is also a good identifier. Something is probably off if you are getting excess discharge and it is yellowish or tinged slightly greenish in color. If the discharge is extra thick and "cheesy", this is also a sign of something amiss.

Then of course, if you are experiencing abnormal sensations such as burning, itching, pain and/or pain during intercourse, you should take note as these are also signals of something wrong.

The Most Common Infections

Yeast infections are extremely common. This is because the Candida yeast is always present in the vagina. A yeast infection means the environment changed to allow the yeast to grow out of control.

A bacterial infection, or Vaginosis, is actually The most common type of vaginal infection. This fact may seem surprising because most women tend to know or have heard about yeast infections but not about bacterial. As in most areas of the body, there is always bacteria present in the vagina, both good and bad. Vaginosis occurs when there is imbalance and the bad bacteria outnumber the good.

How to tell if you have an infection

Yeast: The odor of the discharge tends to be sour, much like what you would expect fermenting yeast to smell like. The vaginal discharge may become thicker, whiter and almost cheesy (like cottage cheese). Yeast infections often cause burning and itching.

Bacterial: If the odor is a very strong fishy smell, then it is more likely a sign of a bacterial infection. The discharge will be thick and yellowish, sometimes almost greenish in color.

Treatment

As with anything, you should always consult with your doctor before making any decisions on diagnosis or treatment. There are many over the counter medications to treat yeast infections, you should seek professional help in deciding which one is right for you.

Bacterial infections are treated with a prescribed antibiotic. While there are now kits available to allow a woman to self-diagnose vaginosis, you will still need to see your doctor as they do test for other possible causes of the same symptoms, including several STD's.

If you experience vaginal infections of either kind several times a year, you should bring this to the attention of your physician as it could be a sign of a larger problem.

Causes

I have not listed causes of these infections as they are quite numerous, but I have included links to sites that go into more detail about causes.

http://women.webmd.com/vaginal-discharge-whats-abnormal

http://women.webmd.com/yeast-infections-common-causes

http://www.vaginosis.com/#6

Prevention

For the average woman, here are some ways to help prevent vaginal infections:

Do Not douche!: When I was first told by a gynecologist to NOT douche, I was very surprised. Douching is supposed to help keep you clean right? That means it's a good thing right? Wrong. A woman's vagina is a highly sensitive area. To stay in proper health it needs to keep a level ph balance. Even the mildest things can upset the natural ph balance. This includes things such as douche, soap, body wash, shaving cream and anything else that comes in contact with that area. Douching can also push an infection further up into the vagina and worsen the condition.

Use mild and unscented soap: Although we love to pamper ourselves with those wonderful smelling body washes and shower gels, these are very bad for the sensitive vagina. Not all women have to avoid these, but if you find that you are getting infections more than once a year, you may want to switch to a mild, unscented bar of soap such as Ivory. Personally, once I switched to using Ivory in the shower the infections almost stopped altogether.

No bubble baths: I was disheartened at this one, being a bubble bath lover, however, just as with the soap, the bubble baths can upset the natural ph balance in your vagina. Plain water baths are excellent though as the water does help cleanse the vagina without upsetting the ph balance (provided your water doesn't have unusually high levels of bacteria, chlorine or contaminants).

No shaving cream or gel: If you regularly shave your bikini area, avoid using shaving creams and gels as these can get into your vagina and upset the ph. Personally, I use the Ivory bar soap and my Gillette Venus razor. (see this article about the Gillette Venus Razor.)

Cleanse after sex: You don't necessarily need to hop into the shower or bath after every instance of intercourse, but you should cleanse the area afterwards. I keep unscented baby wipes handy for this. Also avoid "leaving it in" too often as the extra fluid can change the environment leaving it open to breeding infections.

Hopefully this article will help clarify some of the questionable facts that are out there. Your best defense is to know your own body. Take note of how your body is during normal healthy conditions so that when something changes, you'll be more aware of it.