AD | Let's Talk BV With Canesbalance *

AD - This post is in conjunction with Canesbalance but all thoughts are my own
Canesbalance Bacterial Vaginosis Vaginal Gel is a medical device. Always read the instructions.

In today's post, I'm talking about something really important which is intimate health. It seems like anything in "that" region that is not "normal" shouldn't be talked about because it's far too embarrassing, however, I think that should change. I think we should be talking about our intimate health more openly with people who we feel comfortable talking about it with, because we all have intimate parts and talking about our health in that region more openly can help raise awareness and make people more aware of possible symptoms to look out for and also help to stop the taboo around the topic.

In terms of intimate health, I wanted to talk about a specific vaginal infection called Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) which is the most common cause of vaginal infections in women of childbearing age, so it's totally normal if you do happen to find yourself with BV at some point in your life.* 

So what causes BV and what can you do to help to prevent it?

Your vagina is normally acidic, which helps to prevent any bad bacteria from growing there and the acidity also helps to maintain the level of good bacteria which is called Lactobacillus.* If your pH balance is thrown off and becomes less acidic, it can allow bad bacteria to grow and can affect the overall health of your vagina which may lead to an infection.*

You can help prevent BV by avoiding using perfumed products in and around your intimate area, avoid over-washing the area, avoid using strong detergents to wash your underwear, make sure you change your tampons and pads and any other period product frequently throughout the day when you're on your period, ensure you wipe from front to back after using the toilet, dry your vaginal area after washing and also make sure you change your underwear after swimming and working out as well.*

What symptoms should I be looking for if I have BV?

The most common symptoms of BV are a fishy unpleasant odour and a watery, greyish white discharge and the symptoms may also get worse after having sex or during your period. However, everyone is different and BV can also be symptomless.*

As I said at the beginning of this post, I think we should be more open about our intimate health. Although I was quite shy about talking about intimate health/women's health when I first hit puberty and when I started my period when I was 11, I've been lucky that my mum has always been easy to talk to about any issues. So when I hit my mid-teens and felt less shy about the topic, I was pretty clued up on intimate health thanks to my mum and also my school friends that I felt comfortable talking to about the topic as well. I think it kind of depends on who you feel comfortable talking about your intimate health with because I know there are family members and friends who I have no issues talking about these kinds of things with and then there are other family and friends who I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable talking about intimate health in general with.

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Comments with an asterisk (*) by them means that the information was sourced from Canesbalance

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