Good Gyno Hygiene: Debunking Pelvic Myths

By Leslie Goldman
From Health magazine

Va-jay-jay, bajingo, cha-cha, down there. Given our reluctance to even say the word “vagina,” it’s no wonder that myths about this body part often go unchecked. You’ve heard that douching is bad and cotton panties are good—those are true.

But what about all those other health “factoids” concerning odor, medications, and peeing? Here, the real story.

Myth: Your vagina should smell like orchids

Debunked: It’s normal to smell a little sweaty or have a mild sour-milk scent from lactobacilli (a kind of healthy bacteria in the vagina that encourage a weakly acidic yet protective pH level).

“We’re taught that we’re supposed to be odorless or smell like flowers, but we don’t smell like
flowers—and we don’t smell bad,” says Elizabeth Stewart, MD, director of the Vulvovaginal Service at Harvard Vanguard Medical Association and author of The V Book. New odor-reducing, fresh-and-clean products hit the market every year, all with subtle sexual appeal. Don’t fall for it. You don’t even need soap to keep your vagina clean and happy. Warm water is totally adequate for good hygiene (although a gentle product could be used).

Myth: If a trimmed bikini line is good, totally bare is even better

Debunked: Pubic hair cushions and protects your vagina from friction and infection. Removing all your hair or leaving just a landing strip can lead to significant irritation—from the removal process itself and from rubbing against underwear or jeans. That friction can cause invisible microabrasions that give bacteria on the skin an opportunity to sneak into the bloodstream. “People think less hair is good,” says Melissa Goist, MD, an OB-GYN at The Ohio State University Medical Center, “but that’s only if you have lice or crabs.” Going bare might also increase transmission of skin-to-skin sexually transmitted infections like herpes or human papillomavirus (HPV). Still want to dare to be bare? Dr. Goist suggests shaving with a new razor every time and using warm water and shaving cream to limit the risk of infection.

Last Updated: March 5, 2009
Filed Under: Mind and Body