Feminine hygiene is important for a healthy vaginal pH level (which is your vagina’s acidity level). Your vaginal pH level is basically the level of good and bad bacteria present in your vagina. A vaginal pH level of 3.5 – 4.5 (acidity) means that you have the right amount of good bacteria and now overgrowth of bad bacteria. If you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria, this can lead to odor, irritation and infections. As you can see Choma, even if you haven’t thought about it before, your vaginal pH level is very important and keeping it level is important for your health. Here are a few things that can throw your pH level off balance and lead to bad bacteria growing:

Feminine hygiene products 

Scented soaps and feminine products are manufactured to make your vagina “smell good”, but that’s not what they do. Using scented feminine products actually strips your vagina of its healthy bacteria that are meant to protect you from getting infections.

Douching

Douching is the process of washing or spraying the inside of your vagina with water or other fluids. Your vagina is a self-cleaning organ, meaning that you don’t have to do much to keep it clean since it essentially just cleans itself. So remember that you should avoid putting anything up your vagina in order to “clean” it, including things like plain yogurt, salt, cinnamon, milk or vinegar.

Unprotected sex  

Semen (sperm) contains a pH level of 7.1- 8 which is already higher than the normal vaginal pH level. This means that unprotected sex and sperm can throw off your natural pH levels, which will then result in an imbalance.  

Menstruation

Blood has a higher pH level than your vaginal pH- which means that during your period, your vaginal pH levels can increase.

Medication

Medication like antibiotics are meant to kill harmful bacteria, but they can also kill the good bacteria that are meant to protect you from infections. This means that your vaginal pH may increase and be out of balance.  

With the wide range of information that we have access to- be it from our friends or the internet, it’s easy to come across a lot of myths that may lead you to make a lot of vaginal health mistakes. Keeping your pH levels normal is possible and I will share another article soon on how to do that.

In the meantime, if you need advice or help, remember that you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me a Facebook Message, a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).