It’s hard to believe this story has to come with a disclaimer but here goes: Don’t forget to wash your private parts. Like, ever.
Learn from this woman, who recently decided to go on the telly to get some advice about a spot of bacterial vaginosis she’d contracted after not washing her vagina.
The patient, whose name is Nunu, told a professional on E4’s Sex Clinic, she has been forced to reconsider her hygiene routine – or lack thereof – after she noticed a ‘fishy’ smell.
Check it out:
Speaking to the TV sexual health expert, Nunu said she knew she was suffering from BV because of the pungent smell – but that’s not all.
She said:
That’s how I know I’ve got it because of the fishy smell, but also when I forget to wash my vagina.
After Nunu casually dropped into the consultation conversation that she forgets to wash her vagina, the health professional seemed surprised and asked her how this was possible.
Well, turns out Nunu had embarked on a six-month stint of voluntary celibacy, which isn’t really an excuse.
Frankly, you should clean your body for yourself and your health first and foremost, and the fact your sexual partners aren’t faced with a nose-full is a happy by-product…
The patient explained she is now extra careful after her bacterial experience to urinate after sex – very good practice, she gets a gold star – and to wash her privates, which is really the base line of bodily hygiene.
Her newfound clean routine was also inspired by a fear she’d contracted an STI prior to her temporary celibacy.
In a bit to camera filmed before the actual appointment, she said:
I need to make sure I’m clean that’s the most important part. I need to get tested because it’s not a good look if you have an STD. I’m a bit nervous.
Later in the show she breathed a sigh of relief as she got the all clear.
While the tweeting and viewing public are primarily focused on the so-called gross-out sexual health issues patients bring to the table, the show is actually helping de-bunk some sex myths along the way.
But if you prefer your commentary from actual experts, Professor Ronnie Lamont, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, has some real talk.
Lamont said:
The vagina contains more bacteria than anywhere else in the body after the bowel, but the bacteria are there for a reason.
If nature had intended the vagina to smell like roses or lavender, it would have made the vagina smell like roses or lavender.
The NHS advises every woman is different, but it’s a good idea to avoid douching as well as perfumed soaps and wipes which can affect a woman’s pH level.
They said women should use plain, unscented soaps to wash the area around the vagina (the vulva) gently every day, while the vagina will clean itself inside the body with natural vaginal secretions.
Stay fresh, folks.
You can stream the whole episode of The Sex Clinic online now.
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This story has been reposted and is not contemporary news.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.