Feminine Hygiene Myths

1.

Unfortunately, no research exists to definitively answer the question of whether pineapple sweetens the taste of your private parts. However, "In some ways, 'you are what you eat,'" urologist Koushik Shaw, MD, of the Austin Urology Institute, tells Health. It's possible that if you're eating foods with higher sugar content, like fruit, bodily fluids might taste a little sweeter, but that effect certainly wouldn't be noticeable in an instant.

"Pubic hair is unhygienic"

This is one of the most common misconceptions about pubic hair. In a nationally representative 2013 survey of 7,580 people, 59 percent of women and 61 percent of men who groomed their pubic hair reported doing so for hygienic purposes. But pubic hair isn’t actually unhygienic. Like other hair on your body, your pubes trap sweat, oil, and bacteria. So, they might have a slightly stronger odor than other areas of your body. As long as you wash regularly, this shouldn’t be cause for concern.

Douching is necessary to keep the vagina clean.

False. There is a delicate balance of bacteria within the vagina and those bacteria are supposed to be there. Just like the bacteria that inhabit your intestines, these bacteria play an important role in keeping you healthy (and annoying symptom-free)! If left to their own devices, these bacteria will keep the vagina healthy and clean. When a woman douches, she flushes out all of those good bacteria. Unfortunately, problematic bacteria can then seize on the opportunity to set up shop and start replicating since the normal healthy bacteria are no longer there to keep the bad bacteria out.

Tampons and pads need to be changed every 2 hours.
Tampons and pads should be changed depending on flow and comfort. Consistent with FDA guidance, tampons can be used for up to 8 hours.

There are pesticides in my feminine care products.
For materials that are grown in soil, like cotton, pad and tampon manufacturers thoroughly clean and purify all fibers to ensure the materials are free of any harmful substances before they become part of the product. Regular assessments have confirmed that all materials in finished pad and tampon products are safe for use.

There is one “best” type of feminine care for all women.
Only you can determine the product that best fits your needs. If you have any questions, ask your doctor.