What You Should Know About Your Vaginal Health According To Your Age

Of course, your vaginal health will not be the same at 20 as at 50, so you should know what to expect at each stage

To maintain vaginal health it  is important that you know it and be clear about what is happening to it  at each stage.

For this reason, if you want to know how the years affect your vagina, we recommend that you continue reading.

As you get old , your body goes through many changes, which also include your vagina.

The vagina is a soft tissue canal in which you will notice changes as you go through the stages that life has in store for you.

Your vaginal health at 20

This is one of the best stages of life, both for you and for your vagina; and this is mainly due to your sex hormones.

The estrogen , progesterone and testosterone found in one of its highest peaks . Estrogen is what ensures that your vagina is always lubricated, elastic and with a healthy acidity level.

On the other hand, with your libido so high that you have around 20, your sex life is probably very active.

This increases the risk of having urinary tract infections that are caused by bacteria that travel from the vagina into the urethra.

To minimize this risk it is important that you urinate as soon as you have a chance after having sex . In this way you will make the bacteria come out of your vagina.

At this stage of your life, your vagina will perform the cleaning task itself. It does this by producing a white or clear discharge that helps kill bacteria.

Unless you have pain during intercourse, itchiness, irritation or foul-smelling discharge, your vaginal health care should be based on cleaning it daily with mild soap and water.

At this stage you should visit your gynecologist once a year.

This stage of life is accompanied by the darkening of the labia minora due to the changes that occur in your body at the hormonal level.

If you stay pregnant , the discharge from your vagina may increase and appear milky, which usually has a mild odor. Everything is fine as long as the color is not green, yellowish or has a bad smell.

After delivery, your vagina may lose some elasticity due to the traumatic process it represents for that area .

It is recommended that you do exercises such as Kegel to strengthen the pelvic area and restore the tone of your vagina to some extent.

On the other hand, if you are taking oral contraceptives, you may experience increased vaginal discharge, dryness, and breakthrough bleeding. These symptoms usually resolve on their own.

However, if they persist, it is better to consult your doctor to recommend the contraceptives that least affect your vaginal health.

Your vaginal health at 40

Courtesy of premenopause, your vagina will go through significant changes.

As estrogen levels drop, the walls of your vagina will become thinner and drier. This is called vaginal atrophy.

This problem causes symptoms like:

• Burning
• Redness
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Vaginal discharge
• Itch
• Burning when urinating
• Shortening of the vaginal canal
• Increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases

Having sex regularly will help your vaginal health to benefit. This is because blood flow to the vagina increases and keeps it elastic.

On the other hand, you can apply vaginal moisturizers or estrogen creams to combat dryness if you have this problem.

If you prefer a more natural treatment, you can try applying a little olive or coconut oil to help maintain the hydration of your vagina.

Your vaginal health at 50 and over

By this stage it is likely that you no longer have menstruation and that your estrogen stores are low or depleted. Your vulva may appear shrunken and you may suffer from vaginal atrophy.

The acidity of your vagina can also be affected, and it can increase the risk of infections due to the growth of bacteria .

Additionally, low estrogen can also affect your urinary tract and atrophy can occur in the urethra. This results in leakage of urine and an overactive bladder.

In these cases you can resort to oral or vaginal hormonal therapies to help reduce symptoms. However, this is not an option for all women. There are other remedies:

• Do bladder training exercise.
• Use of vaginal dilators to improve elasticity.
• Follow a healthy diet.
• Keep a healthy weight.
• Consume less caffeine .
• No Smoking.
• Do exercises for the pelvic floor.
• Using vaginal lubricants.
• Using vaginal moisturizers.

Another concern is vaginal prolapse , which occurs when all or part of the vaginal canal falls onto the opening of the vagina.

In this problem the bladder , the rectum and the uterus.

Pelvic floor exercises, insertion of a support device to hold the area in place, or, as a last resort, surgery is recommended to treat prolapse.