Daily Notes on Reproductive Health

Daily care of reproductive health does not have so many fancy rules. There are only three core principles - don't mess around, do basic protection, and go to a regular hospital if you have any questions. Eighty percent of the "maintenance tips" uploaded on the Internet are IQ taxes, but it is easy to cause problems for a good body.

I met a 22-year-old girl in the outpatient clinic a while ago. When she came in, her vulva was so itchy that she couldn't sit still. When I asked her, I found out that she had read the Little Red Book and said that her private parts needed "deep cleaning." To be honest, for men and women in a healthy state, it is enough to flush the vulva with warm water for daily cleaning. The female vagina itself has a self-purifying function, and douching will destroy the acid-base balance. For men, if the foreskin can turn up normally, remember to wash away the smegma every time you take a bath. There is no need to use additional cleaning products. Oh, by the way, vaginal probiotic suppositories, which were very popular in the past two years, are now quite controversial. The current academic consensus is that only when bacterial vaginosis is confirmed to be caused by a lack of lactobacilli, doctors will recommend the use of medical-grade probiotic preparations. Ordinary healthy people do not need to take extra supplements. Your own flora can be balanced by itself. Adding foreign bacteria will disrupt the original homeostasis.

Don’t think that it’s done after just washing them. I’ve seen many people save their underwear for three or four days and throw it into the washing machine and wash it with their socks. Mold likes to hide in such moist blind spots. When you go back to the south, it’s best to use a dryer or boil water for 5 minutes to dry your underwear. Don’t try to save trouble by wearing semi-dry clothes, which is equivalent to providing a breeding ground for mold. There are also some little habits that many people don’t take seriously: for example, programmers sit for 12 hours at a time and wear tight jeans. The temperature of the testicles is already 1-2°C lower than the body temperature. Not only is it easy to get scrotal eczema, but the quality of sperm will also decrease if you sit down every day. There are also girls who wear two layers of tight safety pants to prevent leakage when visiting the aunt, and do not change sanitary napkins for three or four hours. The odor and itching are mild, and severe cases can easily induce pelvic inflammatory disease. Don't believe what the older generation said, "You can't take a bath during menstruation." As long as you shower and don't take a sitz bath, it's absolutely fine if the water temperature is right. On the contrary, it's more likely to cause problems if you don't clean it.

As for the hotly debated issue of "whether to perform routine circumcision", different departments actually have different opinions: the common view in pediatrics is that most physiological phimosis in early childhood will resolve itself before puberty. If there is no recurring inflammation or difficulty in urinating, there is no need to rush to get that knife; but in urology, If the surgeon encounters a situation where the foreskin opening is narrow and difficult to turn up in adulthood, or if the partner suffers from vaginitis repeatedly after having sex, the surgeon will generally recommend circumcision as a priority. This completely depends on the individual situation. Don’t blindly do it after hearing the online saying that “circumcision can be delayed”, which may lead to problems. There are also many contraceptive pitfalls. Don’t believe in “safety period contraception” and “in vitro ejaculation”. The failure rate can be as high as 30% or more. As for whether short-acting contraceptive pills should be taken, different people have different suitability: for girls with irregular menstruation and severe dysmenorrhea, many doctors will recommend taking short-acting contraceptive pills. However, if there is a family history of blood clots or long-term smokers, it is not suitable to take them. Don’t follow the trend, and don’t be biased against hormone pills. Just follow the doctor’s advice.

Many people think they don’t need to get tested if they don’t feel uncomfortable. Last month, a 30-year-old male patient was found to be HPV positive during a physical examination at work. He was scared to death and said that he didn’t have sex. In fact, HPV does not distinguish between men and women. As long as they have had sexual intercourse, they can be infected. Girls should undergo TCT+HPV joint screening regularly after the age of 21. Boys are also recommended to get checked if they have too many sexual partners or if their partners are repeatedly HPV positive. The absence of symptoms does not mean that there are no hidden dangers. Don’t think that reproductive health is only a matter for girls. Boys’ hygiene habits have a greater impact. Last time a young couple came here, the girl suffered from fungal vaginitis four times. After asking, she found out that the boy only rinsed the vulva every time he took a bath, and did not turn over the foreskin.

After all, reproductive health is really not that complicated. Don’t treat it as something unspeakable, and don’t be overly anxious. If you feel a little uncomfortable, go to Baidu to diagnose yourself. It is the same as protecting your face and stomach. Do less IQ tax items such as “ovarian care” and “private massage”. Follow its own rules. If you really have any problems, go directly to the gynecology and urology departments of regular hospitals to register. This is better than anything else.