Is it him?

BV & Thrush can appear to randomly occur causing us to lose confidence and look for quick remedies…

Here’s a quick myth buster. We probably thought that the only way we could get BV or thrush was when we became sexually active. NOT TRUE. As you may have gathered there are so many things that can cause BV. Let’s dive in…

Scented products & synthetic ingredients

There are so many mainstream products out there that have synthetic scents and ingredients that are hazardous to the health of our vaginas. They can cause vaginal dryness, thrush, BV, unwanted odours, itchiness, the list goes on. We get it, sometimes in the moment we think, let me add some scented oil or use this scented soap to try and mask a smell. It may do the trick temporarily but 24hrs later you’ll be experiencing the downsides! We say, stay away from scented products unless the scent comes from an essential oil or naturally scented ingredient such as vanilla.  Bigger brands are also known for using product fillers, these are ingredients that are cheap for produce used to add bulk into a product… more product for us & less cost for them. These usually are low quality ingredients that can do more harm than good. The cheaper option is not always the best option! 

Tight clothes 

Do you sleep with underwear? Some of us do, some of us don’t and that’s ok. But if we are talking reoccurring BV or thrush then we might want to take a look at what we might be doing & start the process of elimination. We know it can be a lengthy process but who wants an itchy vagina? Not you! Sometimes we just need to let it be free. Remember when we were in the middle of a pandemic and we had to wear face masks everywhere? Our makeup was sweating underneath our masks, we were getting breakouts & felt like we were suffocating in our own breath. Well, that’s how our vagina’s feel in underwear 24/7 even if it’s cotton.

Now let’s get into the materials, cotton is the best material for underwear, it’s breathable and light. Nylon isn’t the best but most of the time the underwear comes with a cotton strip so that it’s not directly in contact with our vagina’s. But let’s be real they still do trap more heat in than fully cotton underwear, causing you to sweat more which may lead to an overgrowth of bad bacteria. This includes any thing you wear over your underwear; swimwear, bikinis, shape-wear, bodysuits. Now imagine when we add trousers into the mix, how trapped our vagina’s would be. I hope you get the picture, it’s so important to let your vagina breathe, even if it’s just at night but can make all the difference. 

Sexual partners

Our partners have a big part to play when it comes to BV, there are a few factors. Men sometimes like to put the blame all on us when it comes to BV or thrush but ignorance is bliss. Any foreign object/product can potentially cause a pH imbalance for us ladies. If using scented products on the exterior of our vaginas (vulvas) are harmful, imagine the interior.

It’s best to insure your partners hygiene is top tier. So what does that look like? Make sure he does not spray aftershave on or around his genital area, any creams he uses on his genitals should be natural; pure coconut oil, pure Shea butter, pure olive oil… you get the idea. The soap he uses should preferably be natural & unscented. Why is this? Sometimes soap residue is still left on our skin even after we rinse off, so if he is using low vibrational scented washes down there then it may also affect us. Now let’s move on to the areas he should keep clean; cleaning under foreskin, keeping genital hair trimmed (optional) & fingernails also must be trimmed, cleaned, teeth brushed & hands should be washed before & after any sexual activity. These areas harbour a lot of bad bacteria so it’s important they are attended to. Lastly, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; his semen. We know you can get lost in the heat of the moment but semen is the biggest cause of BV. Semen has a pH of around 9.5 (very alkaline) our vagina’s have a pH of around 3.7-4.5 (very acidic) so of course when they come together it will throw you right off. How would you know? Glad you asked; you may notice either an offensive smell after sex or an unusual/different smell, you may experience a change in your discharge the next day.

We do not recommend self diagnosis, it is always best to get checked out at a sexual health clinic for an official diagnosis and receive treatment. Both you and your partner should also get checked out before you enter into a committed relationship to eliminate the chances of STI’s & STD’s, otherwise condoms can be used to prevent this. There are latex-free condoms available if you are allergic to latex. 

Our diet

Foods high in sugar, alcohol, smoking, meat and processed foods change the environment of our vaginas causing it be too acidic causing BV, thrush and can also cause infertility as sperm can only survive in a more alkaline environment. Let’s be real, most of us are suckers to these types of food at some point in our week. In small amounts they are harmless to our vaginas, but it is important to eat a balanced diet and foods rich in omega-3, low sugar/low carb foods, dark leafy greens, fermented foods, foods high in fibre, fruit and veg rich in vitamin c, prebiotics, probiotics & best of all, lots and lots of water.