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Health
The vagina cleans itself, and washing it causes the problem
Douching raises the risk of exactly the infection it is meant to prevent.
Photo:
Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya
· CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
3.8–4.5 pH
the healthy range
A healthy vagina sits between pH 3.8 and 4.5, maintained by lactobacilli that produce lactic acid. That acidity is the defence. Douching, scented washes and soap raise the pH and strip the bacteria, which is why studies consistently find douching associated with a higher rate of bacterial vaginosis, not a lower one.
The vulva — the outside — can be washed with warm water. The vagina requires nothing. Semen is alkaline at around pH 7.2 to 8.0, which is why some people notice a change in odour for a day afterwards; that is the pH recovering and not a sign of anything wrong.
Did you know
Bacterial vaginosis is the most common vaginal condition in women of reproductive age, affecting roughly a third at any given time, and up to 84 per cent of cases produce no symptoms at all.
The sex-toy guide
A shop has two hundred of them. One of them is right for you.
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General information, not medical advice. Anything persistent or painful belongs with a doctor, who has heard it before.
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General guidance about categories of product, not medical or therapeutic advice, and not a recommendation of any particular brand.
