The vaginal myths and facts women should know!
For a massive amount of time the importance of vaginal and female pelvic floor health has been overlooked by so many other industries. The blind spot of information is what causes the impacts on the rest of the body and what has introduced the harmful myths with the unrealistic and sometimes dangerous solutions to the industry.
Vaginal myths have been around for generations. In ancient times myths would circulate about vaginas having teeth… or the sexist ads that warned women they’d lose their partners if they didn’t douche… It’s easy to dismiss these examples now as being, well, ridiculous, but many circulating vaginal myths aren’t unbelievable and when people do start to believe them, that’s when they can have damaging consequences.
Let’s address these common myths…
You need to clean your vagina with special products…
For generations, the sexist myth that vaginas are dirty has circulated; myths that they should be scrubbed with scented soaps and douches to extract their natural odour. Most of these myths coming from the brands who supply feminine hygiene products.
Gynaecologist, Farhat Ali said: ‘I hope eventually, in some generation, that we can break the stereotype that the vagina is a dirty and smelly place’.
The truth is the vagina is a natural self-cleaner and adding in these products may actually be doing more harm than good for your vaginal health.
‘When women add in these harsh products to their routine it just introduces irritation from the get-go. They take away the natural cleaning process of the vagina and instead introduce the increase of yeast and the increase of bacterial infections”.
Instead, try using a mild soap and water.
Every time you get itchy down there it means you have a yeast infection…
‘Aw yes, the itching! So many women associate any sort of itch that they get with having a yeast infection. I know it often can be the case but there are so many different explanations to itching!’.
Vaginal itching can be an indicator of several things, ranging from changes in hormones, bacterial vaginosis to something as simple as an irritation caused by an irritation to a product you may have used.
‘its always best to contact a professional if the itching is persistent and before you turn to just using an over-the-counter thrush medication, especially if it is a reoccurring thing. Many women ignore their symptoms, but it is always better to be safe you don’t want to do any further irritating’.
Discharge means something is wrong…
‘Discharge is such a normal aspect of being a woman, but it is something that is so negatively stigmatized! Its expected, especially mid-cycle when women are ovulating this causes more discharge than normal and may be a little bit more slimy than usual. The same as some women may get more than normal before their periods or even when their period has come to an end, it’s just about understanding what is normal for you on a monthly
cycle’.
The key to understanding this myth is understanding what is normal for your own individual body- then if you do notice a difference to normal, like a foul odour or dramatic change, you’ll know to contact your doctor or your gynaecologist.
‘If you are worried about your discharge look at it this way, every woman has it, it is a normal bodily function. However, if you ever are concerned someone will be there to either assure you, or help you fix the problem, don’t be embarrassed to speak about it’.
Your vagina will get lose if you have a lot of sex…
This has been a stereotype that has been around for generations and is often used in a shameful way towards women, blaming ‘vaginal looseness’ on women for engaging in ‘too much’ sexual intercourse. A stereotype that is so factually incorrect as a vagina does not become permanently ‘stretched’ from just simply having sex.
‘Even though sometimes the vagina may feel a little looser or even a little tighter within certain circumstances, the vagina in itself as an orgasm is one that is capable of great extents of elasticity, Afterall its capable of childbirth!’.
Even though vaginal births can make the vagina feel a little less tight than beforehand, there are pelvic floor exercises that can help this.
‘Kegel exercises are a great way to strengthen your pelvic floor! They can be done literally at any time, all it requires is tightening your pelvic floor muscles and holding it for 3 to 5 seconds at a time, the best result you’ll get if from doing it 5 to 10 times a day’.
Your vagina gets dry with age…
So many women think that as you get older your vagina gets drier, the laxity of it decreases, your orgasm intensity decreases and even your sex drive decreases, all just as a result of age?
‘This myth kind of relates to what I was saying before! The stronger your pelvic floor is, the more natural lubrication you’ll have. Its unexpected but orgasms, sex drive and even your lubrication are all associated with your pelvic floor as well, the stronger it is the stronger they’ll be. I know that can seem quite random but the stronger your pelvic muscles, the better the blood flow’.
‘So, the myth that your vagina gets drier, and your sex drive decreases is not true at all’.
The myths…
So many of the vaginal myths that are around today and have been around in the past-a lot more than just the ones listed within here-stem from the ‘old-fashioned’ way of looking at the vagina. Fortunately, today there are solutions and further research available to understand the importance and functions of the vagina better.
It is important to remember that as women, we are capable of more than even we can imagine. Vagina health is equally as important as the health of any other body part, respect that for yourself and for other women and talk if you have any concerns and step away from the negative stereotypes and unrealistic myths.
There are some links below to some useful websites!
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