feminine hygiene

[ninjette_mom]

Hi, I am new to the site. There are some questions that are too embarrassing ( ) to ask face to face so I really hope someone can tell me I am normal and there IS SOMETHING I can do about my feminine pH balance/ cleanliness.

Before I had my son I never had female issues. I had my daughter 2 years before him and never had an infection or any female issues of the sort, besides a little normal, clear discharge during the pregnancy. While pregnant with my son I had 3 UTIs, stayed with a yeast infection and a reoccurring blood infection. I was on antibiotics while giving birth.

I was told everything would return to normal, and for the most part it has. I havent had any more infections but occasionally I feel VERY unclean. I believe my pH levels have been knocked off track (especially with all the meds I was on during the pregnancy). I dont know what to do to get it back to normal. I use 'summers eve none scented wash', I eat yogurt, shower two times a day (when possible), and use cotton panties. What else can I do? It's been 2 years since the birth and if I miss that second shower I regret it, and for any moms with 2 or more little ones, you know one shower can be a lot to ask for on some days.

Thank you to anyone who can help me out with any answers.

 

[sept2010]

Why do you feel unclean?

I would say u need to start taking some decent probiotics like bio kult or something. Having lots of anti biotics kill all the good bacteria in ur intestines and in the birth canal. So you are right to think the ph will be off balance as its the 'good' bacteria that keep it in check. Also whenever i get the first signs of thrush which usually only happens when ive been pregnant. I dilute some raw organic apple cider vinegar in water and wash down there several times a day. Whenever i used the bathroom basically. Hope this helps

 

[sept2010]

Btw the apple cider vinegar can help restore the ph down there . Only if its raw though as it contains the 'mother' which i believe is where the good bacteria you need is located.

 

[ninjette_mom]

thanks, i didnt know that about the apple cider but i have recently started drinking water with the apple cider vinegar 2-3 times a day for my metabolism and detox. i would try it raw but i have GERD which prevents me from doing so. but i will look up the probiotics. exactly the help i was looking for. and i know that about the antibiotics because of the order i was given the meds and i was explained that they were causing more infections. thank you again! you are heaven sent!

 

[messica]

Sounds odd but I had the same problem after birth. My doc actually told me to soak a tampon in plain unflavored/unsugared up yogurt, insert and leave for as long as I could. Worked like a charm and I only had to do it once.

I do wonder if the frequent showering could be a part of your problem though? Washing that much could be counterproductive to what you're trying to do. Once a day or every other day should be more than adequate.

 

[sept2010]

Agree with pp about the showers.
The raw acv should be fine to wash with once diluted about a tbsp or so in a litre of water.

 

[Rachel_C]

I'd stop the second shower and stop using any products to wash, just use water - even specially formulated ones can cause problems if they don't suit you. Or try a different brand if you feel you need something. I assume your period is back now - have you tried cloth pads or a cup? They don't contain the chemicals that you find in disposable pads or the fibres that are lost from disposable tampons - I imagine if disposables are irritating you it could cause problems all month.

 

[ninjette_mom]

its super hot where i live so at least one shower a day is productive. and the soap helps, its recommended, and i only use that once a day at the end of the day. i could try another one but this is the 4th one i have tried and its the most helpful. its not HORRIBLE, just not where i used to be and i want to be like i was before. as for the periods i dont have any because im on depo. i do use cotton panties though. as for the tampon with yogurt thing, how does that work? i just stick yogurt up there? and how long did you leave (just trying to find time frames like half an hour or an hour?). i heard of eating yogurt but never inserting yogurt. thanks for the feed back though, really want to try something/anything to help. like i said, its not the worst, no one else notices and i have seriously hounded my husband about it but he really doesnt notice a difference. it could just be partially mental because, like i said, i never had any problems before my son and i could just be paranoid that its not all back to normal. i have another appt at the end of the month and i will go over it with my gyn (again) but she says its normal for bodies to completely change for good after every pregnancy and she cant see anything wrong either. i will run a few things by her (thanks to your suggestions) to see if i can make any difference.

 

[messica]

I just dipped/soaked the tampon and inserted like normal (left for maybe an hour?) but here is a link to several different methods:

https://www.msu.edu/~eisthen/yeast/diy.html