RISE Blog | Feminine Hygiene 101

By: Mia Chu, Peer Educator
June 16th, 2022

Hygiene is a basic and essential aspect of our overall health. Keeping our bodies, living spaces, and environments clean helps prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria which limits the spread of disease and assists in maintaining our overall well-being. Good hygiene practices are especially important for college students to practice since most students live with roommates, attend large classes, and work/are involved in student organizations with many people. 

Throughout our lifespan, we learn many basic hygiene habits such as brushing our teeth, washing our hands, and cleaning our bodies. We learn many of these skills at a young age and they soon become second nature. However, feminine health and hygiene skills are skills that may not be intuitive for many women/biologically female people. Female sexual and reproductive health can be seen as a taboo topic; therefore, many people don't receive this information. In this blog, I will be discussing different tips that pertain to aspects of feminine hygiene and health including genital and sexual hygiene, reproductive health tips, and general health tips for women/biologically female people. 

Genital and Sexual Hygiene

Change Menstrual Products Regularly: Most disposable menstrual products (including pads and tampons) need to be changed every 6-8 hours depending on an individual's flow. If you are using tampons, be especially mindful to change your tampon at least every 8 hours due to the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) and other potential infections. Reusable products such as period underwear and menstrual cups can sometimes be used for a longer time; for example, menstrual cups can be used up to 12 hours while period underwear can only be used up to 8. 

Dispose of Menstrual Products Properly: Disposable menstrual products should always be thrown in the trash after use, not disposed in the toilet. They can be wrapped in toilet paper and/or placed in a small plastic bag before they are placed in the trash (most Texas Tech restrooms provide small hygiene bags) as well to maintain cleanliness. Period underwear can be hand washed with cold water and soap before being put in a washing machine on the cold wash setting after each use. If you don't have access to a washing machine or choose not to use one, they can just be hand washed. Menstrual cups should be hand washed with neutral soap—it's important not to use scented soap due to risk of disrupting vaginal pH balance—and water with every use. At the end of the user's menstrual cycle, the menstrual cup should be boiled in a pot or in the microwave to sterilize the cup.

*Note- The RISE office offers free menstrual products including pads, tampons, and menstrual cups!

Avoid Overly Scented Products for Genitals: When washing your genitals avoid overly scented products. Neutral soaps are recommended. Don't put soap in the vaginal canal! Neutral soap can be used to wash the vulva (the outer region surrounding the vagina) but should not be used to wash the vagina itself as this can disrupt pH balance. Similarly, douching and use of scented products for the vagina can also disrupt pH balance in that region and are not recommended. While scented/flavored lube can be fun and safe to use on many parts of the body, placing flavored lube within vagina can cause yeast infections due to the sugar content in the lube. 

 

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