Va-Jay-Jay Friday: The 3 Common Vaginal Issues & Remedies

A healthy va-jay-jay is a happy va-jay-jay... so how do we keep her smiling? Read about the 3 most common vaginal issues to get a basic understanding of cause and effect. By the end of this article, you'll probably find yourself running out the door to Whole Foods to grab some... well... you'll see!
1. Yeast Infections
Causes: When new yeast is introduced into the vaginal area (like, say, whipped cream/chocolate during sex) or there is an imbalance of bad bacteria to good bacteria (after antibiotic usage).
Symptoms: Thick, white discharge that is similar in consistency to cottage cheese, vaginal itching, burning, vaginal soreness, pain during intercourse
Treatment: Anti fungal medication, taken orally or via vaginal tablets or suppositories. There are prescription and over the counter options (like Monistat). See other suggestions below.
Prevention: Yeast overgrows when there’s a buildup of moisture, so wear breathable cotton undies. Avoid douches and scented pads/tampons (seriously, a vagina is a vagina. It’s not supposed to smell like roses.)
2. UTIs
Causes: When bacteria that normally lives around the anal area moves up to your urethra (the hole where you urine), this leads to an infection of the urinary tract. This happens from poor hygiene (wipe front to back!) and vaginal intercourse (protected or unprotected), though it’s not considered an STD.
Symptoms: It hurts to pee and you urine far more frequently than usual. Only a little comes out a time, your pee is cloudy or pink (indicative of blood). If the UTI travels up your kidney, you’ll feel an intense pain close to your waist on one side, possible back pain, nausea, and sometimes chills.
Treatment: You should go see a doctor for immediate relief, but be careful not to consume too many antibiotics. Obviously, you want the pain to subside (so take the meds as soon as you get them), but read on to see how to avoid such occurrences in the first place. If you catch an UTI at its earliest of stages, you can flush it out by drinking a ton of water and unsweetened cranberry juice. I am also a fan of Azo Cranberry tablets.
Prevention: Drink tons of water, urinate after sex, avoid scented pads/tampons, and always wipe front to back.
3. Bacterial Vaginosis
Causes: An imbalance of bacteria in the vaginal region. It’s considered an STD by the Center for Disease Control, but they acknowledge that anyone can get it.
Symptoms: A fishy odor, white or gray discharge, burning while peeing, and vaginal itching. However, sometimes there are no symptoms at all.
Treatment: The natural alternative is to drink plenty of water with small pieces of garlic cloves infused in your water. Garlic is a natural anti fungal and despite what you may think, will not make you smell like garlic. If you need immediate relief, again you can resort to prescription antibiotics, but contrary to doctors orders, I suggest you taking little as possible while using more organic methods as well.
Prevention:Condoms, limiting sex partners, proper hygiene.
Alternative Remedies:
Probiotics, which can be found in plain yogurt, are gaining popularity in the U.S. as an alternative to help cure vaginal infections caused by BV and yeast infections. The idea is to use the probiotic to replace beneficial bacteria in your body. Echinacea is also used by some to treat fungal and bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections, gum disease, genital herpes and vaginal yeast infections. Personally, I ingest garlic (my absolute favorite) at least 3-4 times a week, although I should probably begin to do it everyday, because it is wonderful in every way, especially in the prevention and healing of vaginal infections. Obviously water is a great resource and it goes without saying, you should drink at minimum 64 oz. a day. I would also recommend you reading my previous Va-Jay-Jay Friday post about WaterWorks.
For my thong lovers, understand that while a thong is cute, sexy even, it is not sexy to get an infection. Thongs are prone to spreading fecal matter to your va-jay-jay since you basically have a string between your tush all day. Use a panty liner and change it often throughout the duration of you wearing your thong panty. Give yourself a break from thongs every once in awhile and sleep in cotton undies or nothing at all.
I'll say it again, a healthy va-jay-jay is a happy va-jay-jay.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line at GoAskHeatherG@gmail.com

Posted in: askheatherg, how to, out of the box, vaginal health, vaginal itching