This month is well known for that happy love day for couples also known as Valentine’s Day.
Millions will be spent on flowers, chocolate, cards, stuffed animals, dinner and jewelry in an attempt to celebrate a relationship and for many, the night will end (or start) with sex.
Therefore, it is important to understand the ins and outs of the vagina. Here are five facts you may not have known.
First (and not very sexy), the vagina is its own little ecosystem and has a particular pH that is easily influenced by outside sources.
A healthy pH is on the acidic side, as normal is between 3.5 and 4.5. If the pH of the vagina changes then adverse symptoms often occur.
For example, blood, semen, most lubricants, spermicides, douching, and bacterial vaginosis (BV) increase the pH making it more basic (less acidic).
The pH also becomes more basic around ovulation in order to NOT kill any incoming sperm in hopes of becoming pregnant (remember, it is the way the body is designed, not necessarily what you want).
This can cause women to have itching, burning and abnormal discharge this time of the month. Yeast/candida often causes the pH to drop back into a more acidic level. However this drop may not be enough to avoid symptoms of an infection.
Second, the ecosystem relies heavily on good bacteria much like the intestines do, to help things run smoothly.
Lactobacillus is the predominant resident bacteria, which is why women can help control any negative symptoms by eating yogurt with live active cultures, or taking the supplement probiotics with lactobacillus in it.
This also helps when an infection occurs after a round of antibiotics as they kill all bacteria, including the good kind in the intestines and vagina.
Third, the vagina is made up of very strong muscles, obviously, as it needs to withstand different types of penetration and be able to birth a baby. Abdominal surgeries, hysterectomies, child births, hormone decline, age and certain medical conditions can all lead to lax muscles.
Add a CommentComments
There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!