Caring for Your Intimate Region During The Menstrual Cycle

The monthly process of menstruation has biological and socio-economic effects on the women who experience them. Naturally, it is of utmost importance to take care of one's intimate hygiene and practice proper menstrual hygiene.

However, many women do not have access to authentic information on intimate hygiene and consequently fall victim to poor menstrual hygiene, experiencing its adverse effects.

In this article, we will be discussing the importance of menstrual wellness, the consequences of poor intimate hygiene, and listing a few healthy practices to follow during your menses.

A Pressing Need for Intimate Care During Menstruation
As tiring as periods can make a person, it is still necessary to make an effort and ensure your intimate hygiene is in top shape throughout the menstrual cycle.

Period blood is a breeding ground for bacteria, and needless to say, nobody wants that to happen. If your intimate region fosters bacteria, various issues could arise and affect personal hygiene.

Here are a few common issues faced by women with poor menstrual hygiene practices:

• UTIs
When the bacteria caused due to menstruation enter your urethra, it could lead to Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). The physical toll UTIs have on a person is painful enough. On top of that, your kidneys are also at risk if you leave them untreated for too long or do not prevent yourself from contracting them.

• RTIs
Although not as commonly occurring as UTIs, Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) can also affect women who are vulnerable to severe bacterial infections. This could lead to infertility, especially among women trying to conceive.

• Skin Irritations
The most common concern among women on their menses is skin irritations like rashes, itchiness, and swelling. The trouble is a direct consequence of the prolonged usage of sanitary napkins or tampons, which gives bacteria plenty of time to spread across your intimate areas.

• Strong Odor
Period odor is as natural as the process itself, arising from the blood. In most cases, it is not noticeable by others. However, if you smell a strong odor from your intimate region, that might cause worry. In most cases, this is an indication to change your pads or tampons, and in others, it may signify an infection.

• Vaginal pH IMBALANCE
The presence of menstrual blood can alter the normal vaginal pH levels. Since the pH level of blood is higher than that of the vaginal environment, it could increase the vaginal pH, causing an imbalance and leading to the growth of unwelcome bacteria.

Vaginal imbalances could also lead to bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition that significantly affects pregnant women and those trying to conceive.

• Risk of Cervical Cancer
While the risk of being diagnosed with cervical cancer is rare, it is still very much possible. Women affected by severe UTIs and RTIs are most prone to contracting it.

We agree that it might be worrying to read these issues, but there is always a silver lining. In this case, there are tried-and-tested preventive measures to restore menstrual hygiene and balance.

Intimate Hygiene Practices for A Safe and Healthy Menstrual Cycle
We will now discuss a few hygienic practices to combat the above-mentioned menstrual miseries and also suggest some intimate wellness products that can help:

• Change Sanitary Products Regularly
As mentioned earlier, prolonged contact of the vulva with the plastic content in sanitary napkins or tampons can lead to UTIs and skin irritations. It is advisable to change them once every 4 to 6 hours as this interval creates a chance for eliminating the bacteria to grow further. Depending on the intensity of your blood flow, you may choose to reduce these timings.

NOTE: If you use a menstrual cup, ensure you thoroughly clean and disinfect it before using it again.

• Wash Your Intimate Regions Frequently
The vulva has the most contact with period blood and thus is most susceptible to bacterial breeding. While changing your sanitary napkin, tampon, or menstrual cup, ensure to wash off the blood in and around the vulva at least twice every day during menstruation.

• While washing, you could also use intimate wellness products that can keep your vulva from itchiness, odor, and pH imbalance. We recommend earthvedic's Intimate Hygiene Wash for Women, whose Ayurvedic formulation greatly helps retain the delicateness of your intimate region.

• When washing your vulva, move from the front to the back. This way, you reduce the risk of bacteria entering your vagina.

The possibility of having bacteria breed during periods can be scary, but when you know how to take care of yourself properly, you can always prevent unwelcome hygiene troubles. All it takes is some extra effort to preserve your intimate hygiene.

We hope you found this article helpful. Here's hoping that you have a worry-free menstruation!