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"&amp;quot;I wash myself every day--how can I get cleaner?&amp;quot; --M.K., 26, Knoxville, Tenn. First take my little quiz: Using a washcloth or sponge is the most effective way to clean down there because it gets into all the little nooks and crannies. True or False? If I notice a strong odor, I should use a stronger soap. True or False? The best way to deal with discharge is to use a pantyliner. True or False? Occasional douching is fine--why else would they be sold? True or False? Although it may surprise you, the answers are all FALSE. One of my missions in medicine is to get rid of that &amp;quot;the vagina is dirty&amp;quot; thinking. I promise you, you&amp;#x27;re clean already! My rule: Treat your vulva and vagina like a newborn baby (but with less powder). Use your hands to clean yourself on the outside only (no washcloths up the wahoo--yes, some women do this). Wash once a day with gentle soap and water; I&amp;#x27;m a fan of Dove because it&amp;#x27;s so mild. No daily pantyliners--they don&amp;#x27;t let the vagina breathe, which can actually increase discharge (save them for light period days). No douching, &amp;quot;hygiene&amp;quot; creams or sprays--you&amp;#x27;re only likely to push bacteria up into your uterus, where it can cause trouble. No thanks. &amp;quot;If I know I have a yeast infection, can I just treat it myself?&amp;quot; --E.K., 32, Berkeley, Calif. Let me ask you this: Would you treat a broken arm yourself? Same goes for the vagina. A patient recently came in sure of her diagnosis, thanks to WebMD. &amp;quot;I know I have a yeast infection,&amp;quot; she informed me. And she so didn&amp;#x27;t; it was vaginosis, which is treated entirely differently. Even doctors are lousy at determining vaginal problems just by looking. Using incorrect treatment on your own--leftover antibiotics, say, or drugstore remedies that squelch only the symptoms, not the cause--just delays your getting the care you need. &amp;quot;Should I wax off all of my pubic hair? It seems like every other woman is!&amp;quot; --R.C., 24, Chicago I&amp;#x27;m not opposed to a simple bikini-line wax, but I am against the whole sphynx look. A full wax job means more friction on the skin during intercourse, which can be uncomfortable (though some of my patients do say it enhances their pleasure). Going bare also leads to an increase of folliculitis--ingrown hairs that become infected and itchy or painful. They can also be pretty worrisome: A patient recently returned from a trip to Greece fearing that she had gotten herpes, but the bumps were folliculitis from her pre-vacation wax. The Brazilian has become so common in younger women that I can almost guess the age of a patient by looking at her &amp;quot;haircut&amp;quot; alone. I blame porn, in part, for the phenomenon. These days men can just boot up their laptops to see oodles of totally bare vulvas, and women feel they have to keep up (in many cases because their guys ask them to). I say enough already. If you simply must go hairless, please have it done by a professional, and use a hydrocortisone cream afterward if you notice bumps. &amp;quot;I worry about oral sex because of how I smell down there. Do guys care?&amp;quot; --J.A., 30, New York City I promise you, any guy who gets that close is delighted to be there. He&amp;#x27;s thinking, I wonder if she&amp;#x27;s enjoying this, and, There? Or there? and maybe, hope she returns the favor--but little else. He&amp;#x27;s not paying attention to the natural musky scent vaginas have. Yes, it can change depending on the foods you&amp;#x27;re eating and the vitamins you&amp;#x27;re taking, but it&amp;#x27;s still a nonoffensive odor. Rest assured, no guy is worried about how he smells or tastes. Follow men&amp;#x27;s lead on this! And if you&amp;#x27;re so worried that you can&amp;#x27;t relax and enjoy yourself, take a shower first. &amp;quot;Lately I can&amp;#x27;t stop scratching, even in public. What&amp;#x27;s wrong with me?&amp;quot; --E.R., 30, Orlando, Fla. It&amp;#x27;s likely caused by one of these five common things: Tight pants, which lead to trapped moisture and irritation (time to break out that fabulous new skirt!). Dryness from overwashing (remember, once daily is plenty). Irritants such as perfumed soap, powder laundry detergent and even condoms, spermicides and lubricants. Change one product at a time and see what helps. Infection, most commonly a yeast one, which can be a nasty side effect of taking antibiotics. Your gynecologist can prescribe a gel, cream or even pill, depending on the source of the problem. Low estrogen, which may happen with the birth control pill or shot. Talk with your gyno about this one. &amp;quot;Does peeing after sex really prevent a urinary tract infection?&amp;quot; --E.S., 28, Greenwich, Conn. Yes! But you should pee before sex as well. Emptying your bladder preromp can expel any bacteria hanging out at the entrance of your urethra, which could get pushed up there during intercourse and lead to a UTI. The postcoital pee flushes any bacteria out of your urethra that might have snuck in there. I know it&amp;#x27;s not very sexy to get up out of bed for a toilet run, but a UTI is even less sexy. &amp;quot;What&amp;#x27;s up with all the discharge?&amp;quot; --M.M., 32, Waltham, Mass. Every woman has discharge--it&amp;#x27;s how your vagina cleans itself--so don&amp;#x27;t stress about it. It changes throughout the month with your hormones, but it&amp;#x27;s almost always present. What&amp;#x27;s normal Clear, milky white or pale yellow discharge. Stringy mucus or &amp;quot;egg white&amp;quot; discharge (this one you&amp;#x27;ll notice close to ovulation). Small, dry flakes or clumps. White or yellow stains on your underwear--hey, isn&amp;#x27;t that what underwear is for? What&amp;#x27;s not If you notice any of the below, schedule an appointment with your gyno. Any discharge that itches or burns. Discharge with an unpleasant odor, which could be bacterial vaginosis. Profuse, &amp;quot;cottage cheese&amp;quot; discharge (probably a yeast infection). Any discharge that&amp;#x27;s gray or green in color--it might be trichomoniasis, a little-known STD. &amp;quot;I don&amp;#x27;t always feel wet enough during sex...what can I do?&amp;quot; --K.N., 25, New Orleans In a word: lube. Arousal for us can take a while (only men can go from zero to hello! in the blink of an eye...there is no sexual justice). Many of my patients rely on lubricant every single time they have sex--some keep three different brands in their nightstand. Using lube certainly doesn&amp;#x27;t mean that your body isn&amp;#x27;t responding to your guy, or that there&amp;#x27;s something wrong with your plumbing. Lube can actually help ramp up the heat--imagine warming some in your palms, then slowly applying it to him, and then touching yourself with it. Sounds like...foreplay! Katharine O&amp;#x27;Connell, M.D., is an ob-gyn, an assistant clinical professor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City and a blogger for dailybedpost.com."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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