Itchy vagina? Follow these 9 hygiene tips to the T to prevent vaginal itching

Summer is here! With summer, comes sweat and a lot of it. The worst part is that this sweat travels to a lot of places where it shouldn’t, causing dampness and itching. Yes, we’re referring to your vagina. Well, there are various reasons for an itchy vagina but you have to be vigilant enough to know what exactly is happening down there. And thank god, it can be prevented.

To know what’s cooking down there and how you can prevent it, we got in touch with Dr. Swati Gaikwad, consultant obstetrician & gynaecologist at Motherhood Hospital, Pune. And this is what she has to say:     

There are various causes of vaginal itching according to Dr. Gaikwad
“Sexually transmitted diseases, bacterial infection, and fungal infection are the basic reasons for vaginal itching”, says Dr. Gaikwad. Apart from these, she has mentioned two more causes:

1. Non-infectious itching: This basically happens due to the dryness of vaginal skin. “We need to take care of our vaginal skin as much as we take care of our lips because it is very delicate and we need to moisturize it regularly”, she says.
2. Itching due to low hormones: “When hormones are low, like in the case of postmenopausal women, one will experience dryness in the vaginal area and this situation is known as atrophic vaginitis. This happens due to the deficiency of hormones”, says Dr. Gaikwad.

Here are nine ways in which you can prevent vaginal itchiness once and for all:

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1. Maintain the pH balance of your vagina
“It is very important to maintain the pH balance of your vagina and to avoid itchiness, it should be acidic. Basically, lactic acid helps in preventing itchiness. The ideal pH level of your vagina should be 4.5 to 5.5.”, she explained.

2. Avoid douching
Well, douching is a complete ‘no-no’ if you want to get rid of vaginal itchiness. “You should avoid douching on a regular basis. In fact, you should only do it if you have an infection down there”, she says.

3. Use soap-free cleansers
“Although, I would not recommend using any cleanser as vagina is self-cleaning but if you are using any, then please see to it that they are soap-free in order to maintain the pH balance of your vagina”, Dr. Gaikwad explains.

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4. Moisturize your vagina
It might sound strange but you need to moisturize your vagina regularly. “That area is very delicate and to prevent dryness, you can use coconut oil or any other regular moisturizer that comes without fragrance”, says Dr. Gaikwad

5. No synthetic panties in the summer
Wearing synthetic panties is never a good idea and our expert is with us on this. Plus, she also recommends that in summers one should frequently change panties, especially if you sweat a lot. She advises wearing cotton panties instead of synthetic.

6. Keep proper menstrual hygiene
“We always underestimate the power of menstrual hygiene. If your menstrual hygiene is not good then there are high chances of you experiencing vaginal itching. You should change your sanitary napkin after every 4 to 6 hours. And if you wear a tampon or a menstrual cup, you should change after every 5 to 6 hours”, she suggests.

7. Hand hygiene is very, very important
“Our nails are the biggest source of infection. That’s why we need to ensure that we have really good hand hygiene”, says Dr. Gaikwad.

8. Don’t use a razor down there
You should never use a razor on your vaginal skin. “It is always better to clip your hair up to 1 or 2 mm. Otherwise, there are high chances of you getting a hair infection called skin folliculitis”, she says.

9. Diet also matters
“You should stay hydrated, consume more probiotics like buttermilk, curd, etc. Take vitamins and antioxidants for better immunity”, she recommends.

Dr. Gaikwad also suggested that if you are dealing with skin infection like psoriasis, you should take proper treatment for it as it can also lead to itching in your vagina. “Ignoring vaginal itching can be dangerous. If you experience it way too often, I would recommend that you visit your doctor as soon as possible”, she concluded.

Ladies, that’s all from our side on how you can protect your vagina from itching. So, do take care of it and go by the vaginal rule book shared by our expert, for the sake of your vulva.