All posts tagged: vaginal

How Should Women Wash Their Vaginal Area?

How Should Women Wash Their Vaginal Area?

Published by skeptic

When it comes to body parts, there’s no shortage of products designed to keep the vaginal area feel fresh and clean. There are “feminine wipes” that claim to be more refreshing than toilet paper and skin care that costs more because it is packaged in feminine colours and has floral scents. But misunderstandings about how to best clean “down there” can be harmful and can lead to wasting money on unnecessary products. We asked health experts for the best way to keep vaginas and vulvas clean simply, without spending a fortune. Do we need to wash INSIDE the vagina? There’s no need to routinely wash inside vaginas because they are “self-cleaning ovens,” according to Dr. Karyn Eilber, a urogynaecologist and co-author of ”A Woman’s Guide to Her Pelvic Floor: What the F*@# Is Going On Down There?” Lactobacilli, a type of natural bacteria that inhabits the vagina, produces lactic acid to keep the vaginal pH in the normal acidic range. This helps keep vaginas clean, explained Dr. Alyssa Dweck, a gynaecologist and chief medical officer …

Drug-Emitting Vaginal Ring Safely Protects Pregnant Women From HIV

Drug-Emitting Vaginal Ring Safely Protects Pregnant Women From HIV

Published by skeptic

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter HealthDay WEDNESDAY, March 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A vaginal ring that emits the antiviral dapivirine has passed safety trials and could shield vulnerable women against HIV infection during pregnancy, a new trial shows. “We now have data on the ring’s safety during all stages of pregnancy,” said study leader Dr. Felix Mhlanga, a senior lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe Clinical Trials Research Centre. Based on that data, “we can now say with much greater confidence that the dapivirine ring is safe to use during pregnancy — safe for the mother and safe for her baby,” said Mhlanga in a news release from the Microbicide Trials Network. While anyone can become infected with HIV, Mhlanga and his team noted that pregnancy more than triples the odds of infection, compared to other time periods. Especially in countries where HIV is endemic, providing constant protection against HIV during a pregnancy could save the life of both a mother and her child. The new trial, called DELIVER, wanted to assess the safety …

Shock of the old: 11 vintage, vaginal and downright dangerous cigarette ads | Smoking

Shock of the old: 11 vintage, vaginal and downright dangerous cigarette ads | Smoking

Published by skeptic

It’s a stretch now to imagine a time when cigarette packets weren’t plastered with tracheotomies and rotten toes, and smoking was something you did in offices, homes and restaurants, instead of a shameful act, furtively executed in a plastic vivarium at the airport or in a urine-scented gap between two wheelie bins, while passersby stare at you in open disgust. But smoking used to be glamorous, kids, and that was at least partly down to the magic of advertising. Tobacco might be a definite Bad Thing, but trying to persuade people to put a burning paper tube of dangerous acrid leaves in their mouths has led to some extraordinary feats of creativity. It was easier back when tobacco manufacturers could claim their product was healthy and relaxing, or at least not actively killing people (props, though, to James I, who presciently called smoking “a custome lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs” in 1604). The earliest print ads, starting from the 1790s, were quite plain, but …

The Two Vaginal Discharge Changes That Can Signal You’re Pregnant

The Two Vaginal Discharge Changes That Can Signal You’re Pregnant

Published by skeptic

Pregnancy symptoms can be confusing, especially when they coincide with when your period is due. The body aches, fatigue, upset tummy — sometimes it’s hard to tell whether you’re just about to start your period or…you’re pregnant. But there are some signs that are unique to early pregnancy, such as nausea and vomiting. Alongside this, changes in your vaginal discharge can also be an indicator. Vaginal discharge changes throughout your menstruation cycle and can often show you where you are at in your cycle. It can also be a telltale sign that you’re pregnant. What is vaginal discharge? Dr Sarah Bonza, at Bonza Health explained that normal discharge is composed of fluid and cellular materials that are shed from a woman’s vagina. She said: “It’s a normal occurrence and it’s what you would call a form of “housekeeping”. Having vaginal discharge is a sign that the body is keeping the vagina clean and keeping the body protected from vaginal infections. Now, no vaginal discharge is the same. It’s influenced by one’s menstrual cycle, sexual activity, …

Vaginal prolapse: what a women’s health expert wants you to know

Vaginal prolapse: what a women’s health expert wants you to know

Published by Sam

Vaginal prolapse, or pelvic organ prolapse, takes place when one or more of the organs in the pelvis slip down and move away from their normal position, creating a bulge in the vaginal walls. Despite being a common condition, it’s one many people feel uncomfortable talking about, but it is important to normalise vaginal prolapse by emphasising that it is a common issue affecting many women and assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals. In addition, vaginal prolapse is treatable and easy to diagnose, so there is no reason to keep silent about the condition or feel embarrassed. Valentina Milanova wants to open up discussion about vaginal health Many gynaecological health conditions are associated with unnecessary stigma and shame, which is largely due to the overwhelming lack of information and education on women’s health. The most important thing we can do to normalise conditions such as vaginal prolapse is to talk about them candidly and openly, and to create an environment where patients feel comfortable sharing their experiences. What causes vaginal prolapse? Vaginal prolapse happens when …

Woman who suffered complications from vaginal mesh implant awarded at least £1m | Vaginal mesh implants

Published by Sam

A woman who suffered traumatic complications from a vaginal mesh implant has been awarded a record settlement of at least £1m from the NHS. Yvette Greenway-Mansfield, 59, was given a mesh implant at Coventry’s University Hospital in 2009 and went on to suffer serious complications. Her medical negligence claim against the hospital trust found that the surgery was carried out prematurely and unnecessarily and that her consent form had been doctored to include additional risks after Greenway-Mansfield had signed it. Greenway-Mansfield said that being awarded the compensation was a “huge relief”, but added that many other women who have suffered similar damage had received little or no compensation, and criticised the government’s failure to establish a financial redress agency for victims. “I’m not the only one. There are thousands of mes,” she said. “There should be a pot of money to provide damages for these women and a care plan in place as an automatic response to mesh-damaged people. It comes down to a perception of women and women’s health problems. We’ve all had enough …

The vaginal microbiome: how to look after it – and what to avoid | Women’s health

Published by Sam

‘Us girls, we have a lot of problems down there and it’s an absolute nightmare,” one influencer says on TikTok, like a seasoned teleshopping host. She reels off a list that includes thrush, bacterial vaginosis (BV) and urinary tract infections – common issues that many women are too shy, insecure or squeamish to talk about. But she has an answer to these woes: vaginal probiotic pills. These are being touted on the social media site as magical new supplements that can improve the health of your vaginal microbiome. But what is the vaginal microbiome? And does it need to be fixed? According to Ina Schuppe Koistinen, an associate professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and an expert in the subject, the term refers to the gene content of the microbes in that area of the body. “You can also call it the vaginal microbiota – or vaginal flora – and it means all the microbes that are present. That’s bacteria, but also viruses, fungi and all kinds of single-cell organisms.” We all have microbiota …