Some time ago, the clinic met a little girl in her early 20s and asked me shyly:
Doctor, I read on the Internet that if you wipe with paper after urinating, you will get vaginitis. Is this true?
After so many years as a doctor, this is the first time I have heard this statement. I went home to search the Internet and found that many people really believe it. In fact, this kind of worry is totally unnecessary. Why do you say that? We should also start with the pathogenesis of vaginitis.
Why do you get vaginitis?
This is mainly because the balance of microecology in vagina has been broken.
The normal vagina is an environment with bacteria, with a variety of microorganisms living in it and forming a normal microflora of vagina.
Don’t be scared to see this. In fact, we have been carrying various bacteria, but under normal circumstances, these bacteria form an ecological balance, so they will not have negative effects on the body.
In female vagina, the important task of maintaining vaginal microecological balance is entrusted to [estrogen] and [lactobacillus], which inhibit the growth of other pathogens, kill other bacteria, prevent pathogenic microorganisms from adhering to vaginal epithelial cells, and maintain vaginal health in this way.
However, when some external or internal factors break this ecological balance, such as unclean sexual behavior and vaginal lavage, these behaviors are not conducive to the growth of lactobacillus, resulting in the destruction of vaginal microbial balance and vaginitis.
What are the common causes of vaginitis?
Unclean sexual behavior, contact infection and vaginal flora imbalance are the three main ways for women to suffer from vaginitis.
Common vaginitis among women of childbearing age includes bacterial vaginosis, trichomonas vaginitis and mycotic vaginitis. The pathogenic route of each vaginitis is different:
- Bacterial vaginosis and most mycotic vaginitis: all caused by imbalance of vaginal flora; Trichomonas vaginitis: mainly transmitted through unclean sexual behaviors, occasionally transmitted through public baths, bath towels, swimming pools, toilet bowls, clothes, etc. A few mycotic vaginitis: unclean sexual behavior, contact with infected clothing transmission, etc.
It seems that the common cause of vaginitis is not [wipe with paper after urinating].
Can paper wipe get vaginitis after urination?
As long as clean toilet paper is used, vaginitis will not be caused.
Under normal circumstances, a clean toilet paper is unlikely to contain trichomonas or other pathogenic microorganisms. Of course, the toilet paper we use everyday is not completely sterile, but the microorganisms on it are likely to be similar to those on a clean underpants.
Therefore, if wiping with paper after urination is an inappropriate contact with the vagina, thus causing the user to suffer from vaginitis, wouldn’t it be vaginitis if wearing underpants?
Therefore, this kind of online rumor is untenable.
Because of physiological structure, women need to wipe them clean with paper after urinating, otherwise it is easy to cause their private parts to be wet and cause other health problems.
It really does more harm than good to change the correct living habits because of a rumor of unknown origin on the Internet.
Keep good living habits, love hygiene but don’t be extremely paranoid about hygiene. Wear breathable cotton underwear and exercise regularly. You will find vaginitis is far away from you.