Gynecological health tips

I have been practicing in gynecological outpatient clinics for 8 years, and more than 80% of the "gynecological problems" that I come across for consultation are essentially physiological changes or minor problems caused by hormone fluctuations, daily habits, and missteps. They have nothing to do with "indiscretions in private life" and most of them do not require excessive treatment. Understanding a few core common sense can help you save half of the hospital visits and spend tens of thousands of dollars.

Don't believe it. I just saw a 22-year-old girl last week. She just got a boyfriend. She always felt that her private parts should be "cleaned to be hygienic." She used scented shower gel every day to wash the vulva and vaginal wall together. As a result, she was itchy for half a month and couldn't sit still. I searched for a long time at home and thought she had a sexually transmitted disease. She came in crying. After checking, it was found to be a simple imbalance of vaginal flora. I opened two boxes of probiotic suppositories and used them for a week and it was fine. There are actually two views on the cleaning of private parts. The mainstream Western gynecological consensus is that you only need to rinse the vulva with warm water every day. The vagina has its own microecological balance. Indiscriminate flushing will wash away the beneficial bacteria and leave room for harmful bacteria. ； Some TCM gynecologists also believe that if you have a damp-heat constitution and occasionally feel a little itchy before and after menstruation, using herbal lotions prescribed by regular hospitals to only wash the vulva can also provide relief. This does not mean that lotions cannot be used at all. The key is not to buy random Internet celebrity products, and do not flush the inside of the vagina. Oh, by the way, many people also ask whether you should boil underwear in boiling water or use special disinfectant lotion. In fact, as long as you wash them with soap and ventilate them and dry them in the sun, it is enough. If you live in the south, drying them in a dryer for 10 minutes is more effective than boiling them for 10 minutes. If you are used to cooking, there is nothing wrong with it, and you don’t have to be kidnapped by the saying “disinfection is necessary” on the Internet.

Speaking of this, I have to mention the issue of leucorrhea that many people are most anxious about. Many girls immediately panic when they see that the leucorrhea on their underwear has become more abundant, yellowish, and a little sticky. They either buy suppositories blindly or go to the hospital to find out what is going on. In fact, you should first check to see if you are in the ovulation period, a week before menstruation, or have just had sex. Changes in leucorrhea during these periods are caused by normal hormone fluctuations. As long as there is no obvious itching, burning sensation, or fishy smell, there is no need to deal with it at all. There is also a point that has been controversial clinically: some grassroots hospitals will directly judge "white blood cells +" in the leucorrhea routine as vaginitis, and prescribe a lot of medicines for washing and stuffing. However, the consensus among top tertiary hospitals is that as long as you have no symptoms of discomfort, a simple increase in white blood cells is not a disease at all and does not require treatment. Just pay attention to your schedule at home and don't stay up late. Indiscriminate use of medicines will disrupt the bacterial flora and really bring out vaginitis.

What makes girls more unsettled than abnormal leucorrhea is most likely irregular menstruation. I have met too many girls who rushed to prescribe menstrual medication after their menstrual period was delayed by 3 days, saying, "I used to get it in 28 days, but this time it has not come in 30 days. Is it an endocrine disorder?" There is really no need. The so-called "28-day standard cycle" is just an average. As long as your cycle does not fluctuate by more than 7 days each time, even if you come once every 35 days, it is still your normal cycle. There is no need to take menstrual medicine to make up for the so-called "standard time". I once had a patient who took Internet-famous menstrual regulating health supplements for half a year in order to make her menstrual period come on the 1st of every month. As a result, the original regular cycle was disrupted and became only once every 40-50 days. It took three months for her to stop taking supplements and regulate her menstruation. There is also dysmenorrhea, which is the most troublesome for everyone. There is currently no saying which method is the only correct one: if you are in unbearable pain, it is absolutely fine to take ibuprofen. It has been clinically proven. As long as you take it according to the dosage, you will not have dependence. The side effects are much less than if you are so painful that you vomit or can't eat. ； If you have a bad stomach and feel nauseated after taking ibuprofen, you can also try the method of moxibustion Guanyuan and eating less ice drinks recommended by traditional Chinese medicine. Both options are effective. Just choose the one that is comfortable for you. There is no need to listen to the extreme statements of "you can't take painkillers for dysmenorrhea" or "moxibustion is an IQ tax".

As for HPV, which is currently hotly speculated on the Internet, it is even more anxious. Once many people are found to be HPV positive, they are so scared that they cannot sleep. They buy probiotics that are said to be able to turn negative, and go to private hospitals for perfusion and photodynamic therapy worth tens of thousands of dollars. Here is another warning for everyone: 90% of HPV infections are transient. As long as your TCT results are normal, even high-risk infections will be cleared by your own immunity within 1-2 years. There is no "specific medicine" at all. Of course, there are different treatment opinions here: if you are repeatedly infected with the same high-risk HPV for more than 2 years, some doctors will recommend using interferon to help regulate immunity. Some doctors think that regular review is enough. The role of interferon is actually limited. At this time, you can find two more regular Doctors at the hospital should take a look and choose a plan based on their own situation. Don't be fooled by private institutions who spend hundreds of thousands to treat HPV. I just met a patient last month who spent more than 60,000 to treat HPV in a private hospital. When he came for a review, he didn't use any medicine. He turned negative in half a year, and all the money was wasted.

In fact, there are really not so many "musts" and "taboos" in gynecological health. Don't label yourself as "improper" or "unhealthy" as soon as you feel a little uncomfortable, let alone blindly judge the symptoms on the Internet. If you really feel uncomfortable, go to a regular public hospital to register. The registration fee of 10 yuan is much more reliable than searching Baidu all night.