Keep your vag happy.
By Bianca Mendez,TeenVogue
Hate to be the person who ruins summer for you, but your favorite season can cause some unwelcome problems for your down-there parts: turns out summer is prime-time for your vagina to get a yeast infection.
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Of course, yeast infections can happen at anytime of the year, but it’s the hot weather and humidity and what it does to your body that makes it easier for yeast to grow.
“Yeast is a fungus, and it loves to proliferate in moist and dark places,” Alyssa Dweck, M.D., a New York-based ob-gyn and author of The Complete A to Z for Your V, told Teen Vogue.
Dr. Dweck also mentions that common habits such as staying in a wet bathing suit all day or not changing right after your sweaty workout could up your risk. And think about all those times you’ve felt too lazy to change out of your wet clothes — yeah, exactly.
And the weather and sweat isn’t the only thing to blame for yeast infections. According to Dr. Dweck, high sugar diets could also increase your chances. “If you have high sugar in your diet, it means your blood stream has higher sugar and yeast thrives on that,” Dr. Dweck said. And who doesn’t love an ice cold glass of soda or an ice cream cone in the summer?
To minimize your yeast infection risk, always bring a change of dry clothes every time you hit the pool or beach, Dr. Dweck advised. And as tempting as it is to stay in your workout clothes all day after a grueling workout, you should change and shower as soon as you’re done exercising.
Dr. Dweck also suggested taking a daily probiotic, since it helps balance out your gut bacteria and it’s thought to help with vaginal yeast as well.
If you do develop a yeast infection, there are a few common treatments your doctor may advise, including creams or oral medication.
And as for whether or not it’s ok to have sex, Dr. Dweck said it’s fine, but warned that could cause pain down there.
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“There’s no medical danger to having sex with a yeast infection, but it’s going to hurt,” she said. “ When you have yeast, the tissue inside the vagina is inflamed and raw so having sex is going to cause discomfort.”
And of course, use condoms. Some people's pH is altered after having sex, and using a condom might help prevent that, Dr. Dweck said, along with pregnancy and STIs.
Obviously, enjoy your summer and make the most of your remaining beach days, but this extra knowledge will help you save you (and your vagina) some trouble.
