Mixed flora - "incompatible bacteria" (sex)
in Women's Health ·
That’s interesting... I honestly always assumed those kinds of bacterial issues were strictly a woman's thing, but clearly, I was wrong 🙂
I’ve got this "theory" about washing up BEFORE sex to see if it makes a difference, though I haven't actually gotten around to trying it yet because, let's be real, it probably won't do much... But after reading this, maybe it's worth a shot just to see if it lessens the irritation even a little bit. Even a tiny bit would be something.
Anyway, I sent an email to a gynecologist I found through a major US web portal to get a "second opinion." I'll paste his full response here, might be helpful for you too
1. You can't completely wipe out bacteria; they're just part of the natural daily flora
2. The issues your girlfriend is experiencing are usually caused by birth control. It thins out the lining, which makes the irritation worse after sex; she should try switching to a different brand, which usually helps. In the end, maybe take a break from the pill for a couple of cycles and see how things go then. And obviously, I don't need to state the obvious, but you both should be extra careful because fertility tends to be higher for a cycle or two after stopping birth control.
3. She could also try Johnson & Johnson—using an irrigator along with probiotic dissolving tablets. It's a relatively newer product (actually more of a hygiene solution) that lowers the vaginal pH to 4.5, which prevents pathogenic bacteria from growing and encourages the "friendly" Lactobacillus instead. It's fairly new to the US market, but based on early feedback, it works really well.
The guy numbered his points because I ended my email with several questions, just like in this post, but he interpreted them as three separate issues rather than one big question.😁
Is there any way for me to get rid of my bacteria that's hurting her, or vice versa?
Is there a way to "cure" this?
Is there anything at all that can be done?
best,
I’ve got this "theory" about washing up BEFORE sex to see if it makes a difference, though I haven't actually gotten around to trying it yet because, let's be real, it probably won't do much... But after reading this, maybe it's worth a shot just to see if it lessens the irritation even a little bit. Even a tiny bit would be something.
Anyway, I sent an email to a gynecologist I found through a major US web portal to get a "second opinion." I'll paste his full response here, might be helpful for you too
1. You can't completely wipe out bacteria; they're just part of the natural daily flora
2. The issues your girlfriend is experiencing are usually caused by birth control. It thins out the lining, which makes the irritation worse after sex; she should try switching to a different brand, which usually helps. In the end, maybe take a break from the pill for a couple of cycles and see how things go then. And obviously, I don't need to state the obvious, but you both should be extra careful because fertility tends to be higher for a cycle or two after stopping birth control.
3. She could also try Johnson & Johnson—using an irrigator along with probiotic dissolving tablets. It's a relatively newer product (actually more of a hygiene solution) that lowers the vaginal pH to 4.5, which prevents pathogenic bacteria from growing and encourages the "friendly" Lactobacillus instead. It's fairly new to the US market, but based on early feedback, it works really well.
The guy numbered his points because I ended my email with several questions, just like in this post, but he interpreted them as three separate issues rather than one big question.😁
Is there any way for me to get rid of my bacteria that's hurting her, or vice versa?
Is there a way to "cure" this?
Is there anything at all that can be done?
best,