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After sex, what do you usually do? Each person may have different habits after sex. However, it turns out that there are three mandatory things that women must do after sex. These three things can prevent women from infectious diseases, such as urinary tract infections. Do you know what the three habits must be?
1. Urinate
After sex, it's important to go straight to the bathroom and urinate. This is one of the main ways to prevent urinary tract infections in women.
Women are more susceptible to this disease than men, because the distance between the anus and the vagina is very close, so it is easier for germs and bacteria from the anus to move and spread accidentally into the vagina during sex. Urinating after sex will help the vagina drain the bacteria in the urinary tract to pass along with urine.
2. Clean the vaginal area
Surely a lot of germs stick to your vagina after sex. Could be from your partner's fingers (which touch your vaginal area during sex), from the mouth, rectum, or other sources. The accumulation of germs and bacteria can increase your chances of developing an infectious disease.
Clean your vaginal area with warm water and a special vaginal cleanser containing 10% povidone-iodine to treat bacteria, fungi, and parasites that cause vaginal discharge, itching and minor irritation.
Gently clean your vaginal area from front to back. Simply clean the outer area of the vagina. You don't need to bother cleaning the inside of the vagina because actually the vagina has a mechanism for cleaning itself in various ways.
How can the vagina clean itself? The glands in the vagina can produce fluid that flows out every day, so this fluid helps clean the vagina of dead cells and other harmful substances. This fluid is what you usually call vaginal discharge. The folds in the vaginal area can also protect the vagina from infection by blocking small external objects from entering the vagina. The skin in the vaginal folds also has glands that produce fluid (called sebum) for added protection against infection.
3. Change your underwear
After sex, your underwear may get wet. It is not good if you let it cover your genitals, it could be the cause of your infection. Wet areas make it easy for germs and bacteria to stick, accumulate, and develop in the area around the vagina. So, in addition to your pubic area which must be clean after sex, of course the underwear that covers it must also be clean.
Wear loose, cotton underwear to cover the genitals, so that the air circulation in your pubic area is well maintained and the pubic area is always dry. Avoid nylon and tight underwear. This can make your pubic area become moist, so it is easy for bacteria to grow there.
4. Consume probiotics
Do you know what foods contain probiotics? Tempeh, yogurt, kimchi, and other fermented foods contain probiotics. These foods you need to consume after having sex with your partner. Why?
In accordance with its function, probiotics are needed to replace and increase the number of good bacteria in the body. According to Kelly Kasper, an obstetrician at Indiana University Health, the good bacteria found in fermented foods are the same as the good bacteria found in the area around the vagina, as reported by Women's Health. By consuming probiotics that are found in fermented foods, you will help prevent bacterial infections.
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