Genital health care is vital for every human being’s overall body health. Genital care entails the various practices and behaviors that one does to keep their genitals free from any infections or diseases such as genital herpes.
Genital health care is important to ensure one’s fertility is okay. In some ways, it also impacts the emotional, physical, social, and mental health of a person. For both men and women, getting proper education about how to take care of their genital health through good sanitary practices is important.
Genital care tips are mostly similar for both genders. However, due to the delicate nature of the female genitalia, they have more genital care practices. In this article, we have come up with a concise guide for proper genital health care.
1. Safe Sex
Once a person starts being sexually active, you have to practice safe sex to ensure that your genital health is not affected. The most popular safety practice that people know about when it comes to sex is the use of condoms, either male or female condoms.
However, the problem is that most people perceive condoms as just a family planning method. Therefore, most fail to use them as a preventive measure. Sex exposes one to a lot of possible sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
When having sex with a partner that you are not exclusive with, you should use a condom to protect your genital health. The effectiveness of condoms can be seen even when it comes to offering protection against non-treatable infections like herpes that can be transmitted through organs that are not covered by condoms.
Genital herpes can live on body organs such as the buttocks, scrotum, labia, etc. However, if infected, one can seek treatment for genital herpes over the counter. Condoms prevent infection by preventing the exchange of bodily fluids during sex. Thus, its usage is a must, especially when you are not fully aware of your sexual partner’s health.
Another safe sex practice that improves genital health is urinating after sex. Due to the extensive body contact during sex, urinating after sex helps to expel any bacteria from the urethra. This help to prevent the occurrence of any urinary tract infections.
2. Proper Cleaning
As kids, we were taught about the importance of bathing every day. However, as one grows older, one realizes that not all parts of the body are washed similarly. Sadly, this is a realization that has not been made by most people.
Over the past couple of years, a lot of scented bathing products have been released due to the upsurge of the desire to smell good. These products however are not good for use on the genitalia. For women especially, the use of scented soaps and shower gels messes up the vaginal pH balance.
Once the pH balance of the vagina is messed up, bacteria and fungus growth start. Once bacteria and fungus growth start, one develops vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections.
For cleaning the genitalia, one should use plain water. For men, using plain water ensures they stay clean and free of any harmful bacteria while also preventing skin dryness that emanates from using soaps and shower gels.
3. Use of Cotton Underwear
The use of nylon, spandex, polyester, etc. in the development of underwear has grown due to the urge to look fashionable in underwear. Though fashionable and good-looking, underwear developed using these fabrics pose a genital health concern.
The character of these materials that makes them fashionable is their glossy luster. This luster is gotten because they have compactly packed fabric strands. The compact fabric strands prevent air circulation and trap heat and moisture in one’s genitals.
When these underwear trap heat and moisture, they create a good environment for the growth of bacteria and fungus. To prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus, you should only wear cotton underwear. Cotton underwear is breathable and absorbs moisture thereby ensuring that there is good air circulation in the genitalia.
4. Sleeping Naked
Yes, you read that right. With fashion trends moving towards more tightly fitting clothes that restrict air circulation, your genitals must have some “breathing time”. After a whole day of wearing underwear, sleeping without them is a good genital hygiene practice.
Sleeping without underwear creates room for good air circulation around the genitals. Sleeping naked can also help get rid of conditions such as eczema caused by continuous wearing of underwear made using synthetic fabrics.
As an added advantage, sleeping naked will also improve the quality of your sleep.
5. Trimming Rather than Shaving Genital Hair
Most people perceive genital hair as an unnecessary component of the human body. This is, however, very wrong. Pubic hair serves a couple of purposes. The most vital function of pubic hair is the trapping of dust, debris, and possibly harmful microorganisms that will affect genital health.
Pubic hair also helps reduce friction in the genitals that would otherwise be there if there was skin-to-skin contact due to exposure. By reducing friction, pubic hair helps reduce sweating and prevent skin tears.
Most people do clean shaves on their genital hair for grooming and aesthetic purposes. This however is prioritizing aesthetics over the more important health. Instead, one should trim pubic hair using scissors or a specialized shaving machine for the pubic area.
If it is a must that you shave, it is better to use natural hair removal creams rather than shaving blades. Hair removal creams prevent the occurrence of blackheads and also do not cause skin cuts.
6. Regular Checkups
The last tip to maintain good genital hygiene is to have regular visits to the gynecologist. The term regular visits have different meanings for the two genders.
For men, having a genital checkup once per year is satisfactory and enough to ensure good genital health. For women, however, genital checkups should be done at least once every 6 months. The higher frequency is because their genitalia is more prone to getting infections.
Regular gynecology visits help detect any problems early and offer treatment on time.
Conclusion
Genital health care is an important aspect of human health that should be widely taught. Unlike now when people are getting to learn about the concept of genital health care in their early or late teens, genital health care should be taught from a young age.