Cleaning the Inside of the Vagina
Question: Hi. I was wondering am I supposed to clean inside my vagina instead of just on the outside? I've heard its bad but I feel like if I don't I get a lot of discharge and smellier easier. I don't have an infection I've gotten checked and I don't use douches. Just my finger and warm water and it hasn't given me thrush or anything but I always wonder is it too detrimental to do because I hate getting discharge and I hate the feeling of it I like cleaning it out. I eat a lot of yoghurt and only wash on the outside with specific intimate body washes. And if we're not supposed to wash the inside are we supposed to wash in a little bit? Or strictly the outside?
Dr. Farah Kroman: Vaginal discharge is perfectly healthy. As long as it isn't lumpy, itchy, green or particularly smelly it's fine. Discharge flows outwards to gently flush the vagina and lubricate the walls. So there’s usually no need to clean the inside. However, if you're just using your finger and a little water and you're not having any itching, pain or burning, then you're probably not doing yourself any harm. Disturbing the natural balance within the vagina can actually upset the balance of natural microbes and cause infections; vaginal douches are particularly good at doing that so I’m glad you're not using one.