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Most of the women go through periods very secretively and don't really care to figure out if the practices or methods they are following are hygienic or not. There are some basic hygiene practices that you must follow during your periods. This is because poor hygiene may put you at risk of serious problems like rashes, skin issues, and even reproductive tract infections. According to a study published in a journal BMC Infectious Diseases, there is a strong association between poor menstrual hygiene management practices and lower reproductive tract infections like Bacterial vaginosis (BV), Candida, and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV). We care for you and so we have listed some important tips which you should follow in order to maintain hygiene during your periods.
While some people pair up sanitary pads with cloth, tampons or another pad during periods, it is not a very good idea. Multiple pads/ cloth/ tampons used together can lead to serious skin issues like infections or rashes.
A pad rash is something that you might experience during a period of heavy flow. It usually occurs when the pad has been wet for a long time and rubs along the thighs causing it to chaff. To prevent this from occurring, try to stay dry during your periods. If you do have a rash, change your pads regularly and stay dry. And more importantly apply an antiseptic ointment after a bath and before bed. This will heal the rash and prevent further chaffing.
Menstrual blood, once it has left the body, gets contaminated with the body's organisms. When these organisms remain in a warm and moist place for a long time, they tend to multiply, and this can lead to conditions like urinary tract infection, vaginal infections and skin rashes. Therefore, keep changing your pads in every regular interval of 4-5 hours. However, if you have a heavy flow you may need to change it more frequently.
When going through periods, most women in order to keep their intimate area clean tend to use soap more vigorously in their private part. The vagina has its own cleaning mechanism that works in a very fine balance of good and bad bacteria. Washing it with soap from the inside can kill the good bacteria making way for infections. And in case you use vaginal wash liquids then keep a check on the chemicals like Diazolidinyl urea and DMDM Hydantoin which are preservatives and can cause allergy rashes and even cancer. Therefore, while it is important to wash yourself regularly during this time, the best you can do is use some warm water.
Always wash or clean the area in a motion that is from the vagina to the anus. Never wash in the opposite direction. Washing in the opposite direction can cause bacteria from the anus to lodge in the vagina and urethral opening, leading to infections like urinary tract infections.