6 Things You Must Do To Take Care Of Your Vagina At Every Age

Get an annual pelvic exam.

Some experts say that yearly exams might not be necessary. But it a biannual pelvic exam is recommended for all women ages 21 and older.

Even if you aren’t due for a Pap smear (more on that in a minute), regular well visits give you a chance to talk with your doctor about things like menstrual cycle regularity and any possible hormonal imbalances, says gynaecologist Dr Margaret Nachtigall. Your doctor will also perform a breast exam—which is important, especially if you haven’t started getting regular mammograms yet.

Get a Pap smear and HPV test every five years.

The former screens for cervical cancer and the latter screens for human papillomavirus—the infection that can lead to cervical cancer. Getting just a Pap smear every three years is an alternative option. "A key benefit to doing both tests together is that it reduces the risk of missing a potential abnormality," says Dr Peter Rizk.

But unlike an annual exam, you don’t need to keep getting tested until the end of time. If you’ve had your last test within five years and your results have been normal for the past 10, you can stop getting Pap smears and HPV tests at 65.

Practice infection prevention.

Yeast infections—fungal infections marked by burning, itching, and thick white discharge—are probably the first to come to mind. Indeed, three out of four women will get one at some point in their lives, according to a Clinical Microbiology Reviews report. But bacterial vaginosis—a bacterial infection marked by grayish or yellow discharge and a “fishy” odour—is nearly as common, affecting some 3 million women each year.

Both problems can happen at any age. They’re most common in pre-menopausal women though, say Dr Allison Hill and Dr Yvonne Bohn. To minimise your odds, they recommend practicing a few key healthy habits:

• Wear breathable cotton underwear and change out of workout clothes or bathing suits ASAP, to keep moisture and bacteria from building up.
• Eat probiotic-rich foods, and consider taking a probiotic supplement if you’re prescribed antibiotics.
• Bathe with a mild soap that’s free of colours or fragrances, which can irritate the vagina.

Be smart about UTIs

Urinary tract infections are most likely to affect women who are sexually active, especially those who use birth control methods like diaphragms (which can trap bacteria) or spermicidal agents (which can change vaginal pH). “However, we do see them recur in older women after menopause, when lower oestrogen levels cause the muscles and tissues surrounding the urethra to weaken,” Hill and Bohn say. That can have an impact on vaginal pH, upping the risk of infection.

No matter when they strike, the characteristic burning and frequent urge to pee is never fun. Take steps to prevent UTIs by:

• Staying hydrated and urinating before and after sex, which helps flush bacteria out of the urinary tract.
• Wiping from front to back after going to the bathroom, to keep bacteria at bay.
• Wearing breathable cotton underwear, to prevent moisture and bacteria from getting trapped.
• If you use a diaphragm or spermicidal agent, reconsider your birth control method.
• Drink green tea, which is packed with antioxidants thought to help fight bacteria, according to Frontiers in Microbiology findings. (And unlike cranberry juice, has zero kJsor sugar.)

Do Kegel exercises.

Kegels are an easy way to prevent or ease incontinence, which most commonly affects women after giving birth and post-menopause. Kegels strengthen your pelvic floor (the band of muscles that hold your uterus and bladder in place above your vagina) and ward off leakage and frequent urges to urinate. It can also make sex more pleasurable.

And doing them really is simple. To give it a try, contract your pelvic floor muscles just like you would if you were trying to stop the flow of urine while peeing. (But don’t actually do it while you’re peeing, since it can up the risk of infection.) Hold for 2 to 3 seconds, then release. After you get the hang of it, work up to 5 sets of 10 repetitions per day.

Don’t let dryness bring you down.

The problem can happen post-menopause when lower oestrogen levels cause the glands at the entrance of the vagina to produce less lubrication. This can make sex painful, but it can also cause burning or itching while exercising, standing, or even sitting.

Some experts say that eating minimally processed soyfoods like organic edamame, tofu or tempeh could help fight dryness since they contain oestrogen-mimicking compounds called isoflavones. Using a vaginal lubricant during sex can help too, “however this doesn’t usually eliminate the burning or itching at other times,” Nachtigall says.

That’s why Nachtigall recommends seeing your gynaecologist. “Dryness is a very treatable disorder,” she says. Your doc can recommend options like an oestrogen ring, tablet, or cream.