How do I encourage vaginal health?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You’ve probably heard of pH levels in your body and having them run acidic or alkaline. Most everything in your body runs super-friendly while this is in balance. Your vagina is no exception! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Tampons have long been linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) which could be a life-threatening infection. This is believed to happen if tampons are soaked in menses and left in the vagina too long. A tampons job is to soak up whatever it comes in contact with. It’s dry cotton. It’s going to do exactly that. If you don’t use the right size or absorbency (like using a super tampon on a lighter flow day), it can soak up your vaginal fluids as well which is where all of the bacteria live. This will leave you susceptible to infection. We recently talked about vaginal dryness and tampon use.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Can menstrual cups cause infections?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In short, if they are used (and cared for) properly there is no link between menstrual cups and infections. Menstrual cups are approved to be left in the vagina for up to 12 hours, safely. At this point, they would need to be emptied and washed prior to being reinserted. Here at Pixie Cup, we formulated a menstrual cup wash that will not throw off your vaginal pH balance. If menstrual cups are used correctly, they are actually ideal for maintaining your natural vaginal pH balance. Menstrual cups do not absorb anything. They collect the menstrual blood to be discarded later. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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We have lots of helpful tips about how to maintain a healthy vaginal pH balance on our blog post "Vaginal pH balance: what you need to know." Check it out by following the link in our profile!