I don’t scrub inside.
The vagina contains bacteria.
They live on carbohydrates stored in the vaginal lining (glycogen) [1],
turning sugar into lactic acid,
keeping pH low,
suppressing yeast like candida and unwanted bacteria like Gardnerella.
When he comes inside me,
I don’t wash him away.
I let it drop.
Sometimes it happens immediately.
Sometimes suddenly,
hours later into my underwear,
at work, at the supermarket, driving.
I smile.
pH shifts for a short while.
Semen is alkaline [2].
Then acidity returns to normal.
The vaginal microbiome is self-regulating.
It corrects back toward acidity.
Washing inside can disrupt that balance.
Soaps, scrubbing, and douching can interfere with the vaginal bacterial community that maintains the acidic habitat.
Disruption of that environment increases the risk of infection and yeast overgrowth [3] [4].
That shows up as irritation,
unusual discharge,
odour,
discomfort.
Normal discharge is not a problem.
That's for transport out: debris, blood, semen.
Wash the labia if you want.
Inside is not something that needs scrubbing.
I only intervene when something is off.
When I see him next I say,
"It discharged into my underwear while shopping.
It felt good, it reminded me.
I make it mean you're mine."
I’ve included my most recent gynaecological examination in this post.
Footnotes