Welcome to Women’s Health Week! Keep checking this space for the next 5 days, because we’re asking different healthcare professionals all (and we mean, all) the uncomfy Qs about our bodies.

Today we have Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, MD (she / her) in the doc’s seat to discuss something that often gets overlooked: vaginal health. Dr. Minkin is also a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG), NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP), and clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale University School of Medicine. NBD, right?

Read on to find out what she recommends in a feminine wash, how to avoid common mistakes when it comes to taking care down there, and some updates on a few outdated beliefs.

Everyone’s thinking it so we’re gonna ask: What are the best ways to treat UTIs at home?
We can’t treat all urinary tract infections on our own, as antibiotics are not available over the counter. I usually encourage my patients with symptoms to go to a lab and get a urinalysis and culture to see what particular bacteria they might have. Sometimes they don’t have an active infection but just irritation. Remedies that can help are things like cranberry juice or extract, which helps keep bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder. Products like AZO are really more for calming down pain than killing bacteria. Drinking a lot of fluids can be helpful, too. With these measures, some women are successful in getting rid of the bacteria on their own.

Speaking of avoiding infections, what ingredients should we look out for in a vaginal wash?
I actually discourage women from using anything in the vagina. A healthy vagina has its own group of “good guy bacteria” which we want there to make acid and keep away the “bad guys.” These are similar to the concept of healthy probiotics. But if one wants to use a wash, you want to get a product that is actually acidic. [Like this one or this one.] In the vagina, acidic is good, not bad (unlike the stomach).

Myth or fact: Producing too much discharge means there’s something wrong.
Having discharge is quite common. Some women may feel ashamed of producing vaginal discharge, but there’s no reason they should. I encourage women to shed their feelings of discomfort and un-apologize for these normal bodily functions.

What are some signs from our vagina that tell us we should see our gyno ASAP?
If you have burning, itching, or irregular bleeding that persists, you should check in with your healthcare provider. Women who are sexually active, particularly if they are not using a barrier method like a condom and have these symptoms, need to be concerned about STIs.

What common mistakes are being made when it comes to taking care of our vaginal health? How do we avoid making them?
In order to take care of our vaginal health, we need to look at our sexual health, too. We don’t want to acquire an STI, which could jeopardize our long-term gynecological health and our reproductive health. I encourage all women to meet at least once a year with their healthcare provider and discuss the possibilities of dealing with a sexually transmitted infection, which will then lead to protecting their reproductive health.