We need to pay careful attention to maintaining our health, through daily cleanliness, through routine breast self-exams and annual check-ups.

• Bathe regularly with mild soap and water and rinse well with clean water.
• Bathe before, and especially after, sex.
• Wash your hands before touching your vagina.
• Always wipe from front to back, vulva to anus, after bowel movements or urinating. Wiping the other way could spread bacteria to your vagina.
• Wear clean underwear with a cotton crotch. Other materials like nylon hold in heat and moisture- great for bacteria, bad for a healthy vagina.
• Avoid using feminine hygiene sprays and deodorants, douches, bubble bath products, colored toilet paper, and other people’s washcloths or towels on your genitals.
• Since the vagina naturally cleans itself, douching is usually unnecessary, unless prescribed by a health care professional. If you really want to douche, use plain water.
• Ask your partner to practice good hygiene.

*Adapted from All About Sex, A Family Resource on Sex and Sexuality, by Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Breast Self-Exam

Regular Medical Check-ups