You don’ t want to talk about it, do you? It’s the part of being a woman that you just can’t seem to talk about. You can barely say the word out loud without wanting to melt into the floor. Vagina! Now you’ve read it, you can say it out loud. Like it or not, sister, we’re about to go down this path and talk about it.

Vaginas — they’re a part of our bodies that serve so many incredible functions. They’re the very vessel through which we deliver babies, for goodness sake! So, why are we so embarrassed to talk about them? Why does even the strongest woman turn into a shrinking violet when she talks about vaginal health? It makes no sense, but you know that as you’re reading this you can most certainly relate to it too.

Vaginal health is an important topic we should all be concerned with and be able to talk about. After all, if you have a vagina, ensuring its health matters. While this may not be a subject that you are too familiar with just yet, you’re about to be.

If you know how the vagina may change over the years, then you will understand that your vaginal health will change along with it. What may have worked early on in life may be different now — and so the cycle continues. So get ready for a long hard look at that part of your body that you may have ignored up until now. You are about to learn all about this magical part of your womanhood, and what it takes to keep it healthy.

Your Vagina Changes with Age [1]

What made for normal vaginal health in your younger years may not necessarily be the case anymore. When you are twenty-something or before you have kids, you probably don’t give much thought to your lady parts. It’s only when something is wrong, such as the common yeast infection, that you start taking notice.

If you have ever lived through that itchy scratchy mess, there’s a good chance you started paying attention along the way. It’s like this at every stage, to a certain degree, but when you get into your thirties and start having kids, everything changes. For example, many women become less self-conscious about their vagina after they push a baby out — while some become more-so.

After your thirties and early forties, pre-menopause and menopause start to knock on your door. It’s a challenging time for most women, what with the substantial hormonal changes that occur during these times. It doesn’t need to freak you out though, so long as you know how to keep up with these changes. What mattered in your twenties will change in your forties, and so on. Know that your vaginal health will change shape, just as your body shape will as well. Stay in tune with it, and always know your vagina better than the doctor who inspects it each and every year.

Know it Well to Recognize When Something is Wrong

Yes, sometimes things are not exactly right down there. It may be a subtle sign such as a change in discharge, or it could be itching or dryness like you have never experienced before. It may be a bit more blatant such as an unusual smell or discharge that tells you something is most definitely wrong. Don’t panic!

The thing about vaginal health is that you are your own best advocate. If you take the time to get to know your vagina, you can be sure to notice when something is wrong. The signs may be subtle or may be obvious, but it’s up to you to be able to tune into them. If you get to know your vagina well, you can maintain good vaginal health moving forward. You learn what not to do, such as douching or putting something in there that doesn’t belong. You learn to clean it and take care of it as an important part of your body.

If you know what to look for and what your vaginal health should be like, you can react quickly when something is off. You may not want to admit that something is wrong, but it serves in your best interest to do so — your partner will surely thank you for it too!

Your Vaginal Health Matters – Contribute to It

You may need to put a little extra effort into vaginal hygiene. You should use a soft washcloth and treat your vagina with care to keep it clean. For example, that may mean getting up and going to the bathroom after sex. But that’s a small step to take so you don’t end up with an infection, right?

Though you may have breezed through your younger years without really knowing your vagina, that may no longer be the case. Yes, you may need to look into lubricants if dryness becomes a common theme in this region. You may not necessarily think this will happen to you, but do put in the work. Anything you can do to keep it healthy and clean will benefit you now and in the future as well.

Your “Normal” Will Change Over Time

You’re going to start to figure out what your “normal” is in your younger years. This may be right around the time of puberty or just after. If you are intuitive enough to pay attention during your teenage years or adolescence, you will be ahead of the game. However, just as you get used to the way that your vagina works, a new life circumstance may change things up.

You may get used to things like vaginal discharge and know your norm. You may get used to your cycles and whatever symptoms you suffer or deal with as a result of changing hormones and PMS. That is what you may experience for years and then suddenly you may go through pregnancy and everything changes. Each stage and age brings about changes to your body and to your overall health. You can fully expect that to include changes to your vaginal health.

You may not have ever had an issue with hygiene and suddenly you find that you need to put more emphasis on it. This is up to you to pay attention to because there are so many things that can factor into it. Hormones and hormonal imbalance, puberty and adolescence, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, aging, and menopause, as well as so many other things can change up your new norm.

You have to keep up with this as things change, which isn’t always easy. It may be that you put an extra emphasis on washing your vagina and keeping it clean in the shower. You may need to wear panty liners each day, which may have never been an issue for you before.

Hopefully you have uncovered your eyes by now and you can face this head-on. The reality is that vaginal health is nothing for you to be embarrassed by. Some call the vagina a regular “self-cleaning oven” if that somewhat unusual analogy resonates with you. This is your tool for good health and when something is wrong, so you want to stand up and take notice.

It may not be the most appealing thing to think about or talk about, but it’s real life. Besides, you are woman, hear you roar! You can handle anything and that means that you too can take control of your very own vaginal health once and for all.

References

• [1] What You Need to Know About Vaginal Health At Every Age   Healthline  https://www.healthline.com/health/vaginal-health/what-you-need-to-know-about-vaginal-health-at-every-age#1