Personal Sexual Hygiene Guide by Sex Expert Tatyana Dyachenko

The key to living a healthy life is observing your hygiene. Sexual hygiene is one of the major factors you need to give much of your interest less you fall victim to infections. Sex is an important part of our daily lives, but do you know how to keep your sexual life healthy? Cleaning up after sex does not necessarily have to be a chore. Some people may prefer to do it an hour after while others may wait till morning. However, it is important to clean up at some point afterward.

Good personal hygiene practices are also important to our social life. Nobody would like to be seen hanging out with someone with a foul smell. Some simple things you can practice include cleansing the genital area, urinating after sex, and drinking water after having a good moment with your partner. You should seek medical assistance from your doctor for treatment if you feel you have contracted infections.

Understanding Personal Hygiene

Personal hygiene refers to comprehensive cleaning, taking care of your body, and looking clean in both personal and social lives. People who do not observe personal hygiene are prone to infections that may lead to serious problems. Also, a lack of personal hygiene can be a sexual inhibitor to our marital relationships and sexual lives. Therefore, personal hygiene may include many activities to keep your sexual life healthy, as discussed below.

Why Is Personal Sexual Hygiene Important?

People may wish they were like some animals and could have sex and go on with their lives, but it does not all end at sex for human beings. According to Torondel et al. (2018), Personal hygiene is important because you can avoid infections and other potentially dangerous illnesses by ensuring that your genitals are taken good care of. A person will have the self-confidence to have more sex If their sexual hygiene is up to par, which will boost their relationship. Therefore, personal hygiene does not affect the genital areas but the rest of the body. A person cannot be healthy if their sexual hygiene is unhealthy. Sexual hygiene is an important aspect of overall health.

Categories of Personal Sexual Hygiene

Vaginal and Penile Hygiene

Women must observe some aspects of a healthy vulva and vagina, although the vagina is self-cleaning. The time a woman would take before cleaning her genitals after sex may depend on factors like the risk of infection, their hygiene preference, and the kind of activities that happened during sex. It is always good to visit a bathroom after sex and pee to flash out the semen that may clog around the vagina and cause infections, as Fisch & Braun (2005) advised. You need to wash the place with plain water and not use soap as it may interfere with your vaginal pH. Always do it from the front heading to the backside when wiping your vagina. This will avoid the transfer of microbes from the anus to the vagina.

Some women find sex during menstruation to be more pleasurable. Consider putting a towel on the surface to avoid staining your sheets. Chimbiri (2007) advised that You could advise your man to use a condom to avoid contracting infections. Ensure you are lying in a comfortable position. Alternatively, you can enjoy the happy moment in the shower. Men are advised to wash their penis with water and mild, unscented soap. It is good to gently pull it back and clean the underneath area if you have a foreskin since there might be semen buildup. Consider putting on loose-fitting pants to allow air circulation when sleeping. You can also sleep without panties for a better feel.

Oral Sex Hygiene

According to Frederick et al. (2017), some prefer oral sex as foreplay. It is the oral stimulation of the genital and reduces on chances of getting pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases. Observing personal hygiene during such a process is important to avoid ingesting harmful properties. It is recommendable to take a shower before oral sex. Wash your genitals thoroughly following the procedure and dry them up before bed. You may consider washing your face, mouth, and teeth afterward.

Menstrual Hygiene

Some women are prone to infections during menstrual, especially when the cervix usually opens up to allow blood flow out of the body. Bacteria may use such opportunities to travel into the pelvic cavity and uterus. Women are advised not to skip a bath during such time. However, they should avoid using shampoo or soaps on their genitals and ill-fitted or tight clothes. Lawan et al. (2010) stated that sanitary pads and tampons should be changed after about 4 hours.

Anal Sex Hygiene

Having anal sex may cause tears of skin and bleeding. This is because, unlike the vagina, the skin inside the anus is thin and delicate and may increase the risk of infections and microbe transfer. It is a good idea always to take a shower and clean the anal opening with mild soap and warm water to flush off bacteria. You can lay down a towel or have anal sex in the shower to minimize mess. Wipe your anus from the front to the back to avoid transferring bacteria to yo Soft tissue is always a good idea to wipe down your anal openings.

Sex Toy Hygiene

The first thing you should do after buying your sex toy is to clean it. Also, once you are done using it, you need to clean it before storage thoroughly. Most sex toys usually come with a manual on how to clean them. Some may be cleaned using hot soapy water, while others must be wiped down. Such activities will not only get rid of dirt from your toy but also ensure they stay in tip-top shape. Platinum-cured silicone products can be boiled or put in the dishwasher for cleaning. Consider washing the part of the product in contact with your body if your sex toy has no cleaning instructions.

Safety Tips

• Keep your pubic hair clean since your private parts are not exposed to fresh air.
• Avoid sharing your shaving blade with your friends, as this may cause the transfer of infections.
• Avoid putting on tight pants when going to sleep. It will facilitate the easy flow of fresh air into your genitals.
• It is a good idea not to wear panties or boxers when sleeping.
• Check the standards of a salon before getting a bikini wax.
• Women should avoid having sex during their first and second days of menstruation. This will help to void infections and bad body odor.
• Do not put on pants that have not fully dried up. A damp cloth is a good habitat for breeding bacteria.

Frequently Asked Questions about Personal Sexual Hygiene

Is Douching Advisable?

Douching is the thorough cleaning of the vagina. Douching can be a good practice anywhere on the body except in the vagina. Some people make it worse by using harsh soap, thinking that the vagina needs to be clean extremely, but they are wrong and realize why too soon. The vagina is a self-cleaning organ with some useful bacteria. Doctors recommend against vouching because it changes the balance of bacteria and acidity in the vagina. An overgrowth of bacteria is no longer useful when women douche, making the vagina susceptible to yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis. The harmful bacteria can move on deeper into the body and cause diseases such as pelvic inflammatory disease when a bacteria is left untreated. The bacteria can still move further into the reproductive organs, which will result in problems during pregnancy. You may wait for int to give your vagina a thorough cleaning, but all you need is some water and mild soap to clean the area around the Vagina water is sufficient for the vagina because it cleans itself.

Why Is It Advisable to Pee After Sex?

It is good to pee after sex to prevent urinary tract infections.

A urinary tract infection is an infection that happens in any area within the urinary system. The urinary system involves the bladder, kidney, or urethra. The bacteria will multiply and cause an infection when bacteria get into your urinary tract. The bacteria are pushed further inside the body when you have sex, but you flush the bacteria out when you pee.

Is Drinking Water Important For Sexual Hygiene?

Drinking water is important for sexual hygiene because of the following reasons;

• The vagina is a self-cleaning organ; that water must come from somewhere. The water comes from your body, and the volume of water in your body will only increase if you drink water.
• The vagina lubricates itself so that sex is comfortable. Sex would be painful for the woman if it were not for location; a woman may also suffer from wounds in her vaginal area, which can cause some odor. Sometimes the woman may have yeast infections. The lubrication also comes from the water that the woman drinks.
• The water a woman drinks will flush out toxins such as the bacteria that cause UTI(Urinary Tract Infection)

Is Vagina Discharge Normal? When Should You Be Worried?

Vagina discharge may be normal or abnormal, depending on the circumstances. Vaginal discharge plays an important role in the female body. You may have heard that the vagina is a self-cleaning organ. The vaginal discharge does the cleaning by cleaning away dead cells and bacteria. Vaginal discharge is, therefore, usually normal. Vaginal discharge is abnormal only if it has an odor.

Is It Normal to Bleed After Sex?

Bleeding after sex, also known as post-coital bleeding, is not normal and can signify a health condition. Bleeding after or during sex can signify vaginal or cervical cancer. The following are some other conditions that may cause bleeding after sex;

• Vaginal dryness caused by less lubrication during menopause
• Vaginal damage such as torn vaginal tissues caused by childbirth and rough sex.
• Growths in the cervix
• Inflammation in the cervix

How Often Should You Go For Cervical Screening?

All sexually active and former sexually active women aged 20 -70 should seek cervical screening at least once every three years. Research has shown that screening too frequently isn't more beneficial than screening only once after three years because cervical cancer takes longer to develop. The cervical screening detects cervical cancer.

How Do I Get Rid of Vaginal Smell?

It is normal for the vagina to have a mild scent, like your skin. The scent of the vagina is based on factors such as your nutrition, your health status, the medication you are using, and your menstruation cycle. Consider visiting the doctor if you have a smell. The first thing you need to do is bathe and shower. You also need to stop douching so that vagina can clean itself as it was meant to. Douching will cause havoc on your vagina, and you will battle smelling caused by yeast infections. You may do the following too :

Drink water

Water is good for your skin and will encourage healthy sweating and cleaning of your vagina. The more water you drink, the more the vagina cleanses toxins.

Eat A Balanced Diet

Your vagina may be a reflection of what you eat. Some strongly-smelling foods can cause your vagina to smell.

Wear Clean Panties

You will feel like you have an odor if your panties are dirty. Keep them clean.

What Are the Best Intimate Wipes to Use?

Consider looking out for these words on the package when shopping for wipes.

• Hypoallergic – meaning the wipes cause less or no allergic reactions
• Fragrance-free- the wipes have no scent in an attempt to avoid allergic reactions
• pH neutral- this type of wipe has the right acidity vs. alkalinity balance and will not affect the vagina negatively
• No oil- to avoid any reactions from oil ingredients, for example, glycerol which causes yeast infections
• No alcohol- wipes with no alcohol seek to maintain the vagina's bacterial balance.

The Bottom Line

Women should practice personal hygiene to improve their sexual life. Oral sex hygiene is important to have good foreplay. Wash the anus to remove fecal remains before engaging in anal sex.

References

Chimbiri, A. M. (2007). The Condom Is An 'Intruder Marriage: Evidence From Rural Malawi. Social Science & Medicine, 64(5), 1102-1115.

Fisch, H., & Braun, S. (2005). The Male Biological Clock: The Startling News About Aging, Sexuality, And Fertility In Men. Simon And Schuster.

Frederick, D. A., Lever, J., Gillespie, B. J., & Garcia, J. R. (2017). What Keeps The Passion Alive? Sexual Satisfaction Is Associated With Sexual Communication, Mood Setting, Sexual Variety, Oral Sex, Orgasm, And Sex Frequency In A National US Study. The Journal Of Sex Research, 54(2), 186-201.

Lawan, U. M., Nafisa, W. Y., & Musa, A. B. (2010). Menstruation And Menstrual Hygiene Amongst Adolescent School Girls In Kano, Northwestern Nigeria. African Journal Of Reproductive Health, 14(3), 201-207.

Sundahl, D. (2003). Female Ejaculation And The G-Spot. Hunter House.

Torondel, B., Sinha, S., Mohanty, J. R., Swain, T., Sahoo, P., Panda, B., ... & Das, P. (2018). Association Between Unhygienic Menstrual Management Practices And Prevalence Of Lower Reproductive Tract Infections: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study In Odisha, India. BMC Infectious Diseases, 18(1), 1-12.