Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
Do you wear pants to bed? Many women would likely answer in the affirmative. However, experts say when a woman does so on a daily basis when it’s not necessarily because she is having her period, there may be untoward side effects to it!
Physicians aver that the female genital needs to breathe in order to maintain its PH levels and prevent fungi and odour. And that’s why doctors advise going bare below when it’s bed time at the close of day.
“With BV, there is an increase in harmful bacteria and a decrease in good bacteria. BV is the most common va’ginal infection in women of child-bearing age.”
Part of the problem, says Family Physician, Dr. Grace Obong is that during the day, women wear a variety of panties and tight outfits that hardly allow their privates to breathe. She says though it’s advisable and absolutely preferable to wear cotton panties, many women still opt for polyester panties, with the attendant heating up of the genital area while the day lasts.
And as for those who may not like to go to sleep without having pants on, Obong recommends wearing of boxers or pyjamas.
Bacterial va’ginosis
Talking about the need to maintain the PH levels of the va’gina, experts at womenshealth.gov say the va’gina normally has a balance of mostly “good” bacteria and fewer “harmful” bacteria. However, a condition, called bacterial va’ginosis, develops when the balance changes.
Obong says women with BV may have an abnormal va’ginal discharge with an unpleasant odour, while some women may complain of a strong fish-like odour, especially after se’x.
“The discharge can be white (milky) or gray. It may also be foamy or watery. Other symptoms may include burning when ur’inating, itching around the outside of the va’gina, and irritation; while some women with BV have no symptoms at all,” she adds.
Yeast infection
To further underscore the negative effects of wearing panties to bed, online portal, Medline Plus also notes that too much moist in the female genital area can lead to va’ginal yeast infection, most commonly due to the fungus Candida albicans.
“Wearing tight underwear or a pair made from polyester or some other material that doesn’t breathe can lock in moisture and lead to yeast infections,” the warning goes.
Again, Certified Sexuality Counselor, Evelyn Resh, says, “I do not recommend that women wear underwear to bed. Taking a break from underwear for the eight or so hours that you’re asleep gives you an opportunity to ‘air-out’ down there! Best to have an underwear-free zone while sleeping.”
And while yeast infection is not a se’xually transmitted illness, physicians say some men will develop symptoms such as itching and a rash on the pen*s after having se’xual contact with an infected partner.
The symptoms of yeast infection are as obnoxious as they are embarrassing, and they include abnormal va’ginal discharge, which ranges from a slightly watery, white discharge to a thick, white, chunky discharge; painful intercourse, painful urination, redness and swelling of the vu’lva; and itching in the va’gina and the lab’ia. You may also feel burning sensation when you have yeast infection.
Go natural
The online physician, Dr. Mehmet Oz, counsels, “It’s time to go au naturel. You don’t want it to be so moist down there. Let it dry out a little bit.” The reason for this timely advice, Oz says, is because the underpants can abrade on your skin a little bit, and can cause pimples. And you don’t want that.
