Underwear is a vital part of our every day routine. It can set the tone for the day or make you feel good on the inside, despite the fact no one sees it. However, there is specific underwear which is good and also underwear bad for your vagina, and here’s why.
The term ‘Thrush’ is usually met with shock and disgust. This harsh-sounding word is unknown to most, yet should be spoken about far more. Thrush is a vaginal yeast infection caused by the Candida species of fungus according to the NHS website’s description – however, I feel this description simply makes the reader grimace. Thrush is actually a really common infection which is often not even caused by a fault of your own and has a really simple solution too. It can be caused by various factors such as damaged skin, antibiotics or pregnancy. The symptoms of vaginal thrush include white, thick and odourless discharge, soreness and irritation as well as stinging during sex or when going to the toilet. As for the solution – a tablet or pessary you take once, and maybe some cream. Then with regards to lessening your chances of getting it altogether? This is where your underwear can help.
In my own experience, it took me weeks to realise that what I had was thrush, an infection which could have been solved within days. My suffering for weeks was due to my own lack of awareness, which made me realise that most people are probably also unaware and misinformed. My infection was triggered by an antibiotic I took for a UTI (unlucky, I know) and when I asked the nurse about avoiding that medicine again, I was told that women getting thrush is actually a possible side effect of any medicine.
So why has this not been spoken about more? Why is no one shouting about this?
As someone who did not know the signs and was forced to see five doctors and then a specialist later, I give to you the advice I believe everyone should know. I’m not a doctor, I’m not studying medicine and I have no qualifications. But trust me, as a woman in an uninformed medical world, I’ve learnt these things the hard way.
The main thing is, your underwear matters! Every doctor I spoke to mentioned underwear as a solution to lessen the chances of getting thrush and creating a healthy environment for your vagina. I know we all love thongs – I definitely can’t talk as I might just have most of Lounge Underwear’s warehouse in my drawer – but sometimes they may not be the best option. Thongs may look pretty but the lack of material can turn out to be tight and eventually rub and irritate your vagina. I’m not saying don’t wear thongs ever – wear them for leggings, wear them to hide your VPLs or wear them when you’re feeling sexy! But sometimes, on your average day, your vagina may benefit from a break in some soft comfy underwear.
Secondly, the fabric matters. My specialist told me that cotton underwear is the key to letting your vagina breathe whilst also being absorbent at the same time. I did find this hard to find as clearly there is a gap in the market for women’s underwear which is 100% cotton and good for your vagina – so if you study fashion, please take note and solve this problem for us one day! You can, however, find underwear which has a cotton gusset – this is still perfect. I found that for the commonly used lacy, pretty underwear, the majority only has a cotton gusset rather than 100% cotton, but this works just as well as a second resort.
As for 100% cotton underwear, I recently only discovered two suitable brands that were aimed at young people and still made me feel sexy. I found a new love for the ‘cheeky’ style in underwear, where I didn’t feel like I was wearing granny pants but also still felt attractive. Victoria’s Secret was perfect for this, where if you search up ‘100% cotton’, they have a range of ‘cheeky’ panties with lace trims in a range of colours. Hollister is the second brand which has simpler, loungewear-style underwear. From there, I got some more ‘cheeky’ style panties in fun patterns and colours. I know these are more expensive than your usual 5-pack or less sexy than your Lounge Underwear thongs, but your vagina health will definitely thank you for it.
I learnt that the best way to avoid any kind of infection of your vagina, it needs to have space to breathe and be comfortable. I’m not saying that this is a solution to all your problems, but a good choice of underwear will certainly help in this case.
Written by: Madeleine Brooks
Edited by: Harsheni Maniarasan