An after-shower habit that predisposes women to yeast infections

You get up, go about the house, drink your morning coffee in a haste, maybe have something to eat, check your emails and respond to messages, make sure the kids are ready to blast off to school. Oh yeah, you need to start actually getting ready for work, too. A quick five-minute shower will do. You pat yourself with a towel and get dressed. You’re ready to start your day!

But did you know that being damp, even just a little bit, and throwing your clothes on while damp, is actually bad for your vaginal health? Well, now you know.

If you put your underwear before your nether regions are completely dry is you virtually inviting a yeast infection.

Ob-gyns warn that dampness is the perfect environment for yeast infection to thrive. That is why the most dangerous time of the year is summer, when ladies forego drying up completely before getting out of water, be it a pool, a lake, or sea, or ignore the sweat accumulating in the intimate area.

Bacteria and yeast are present in the bagina all the time, which is completely normal, they are sort of dormant, but infections, including yeast infection, are triggered and breed due to the destroyed balance between them. The chain of events is basically this: moisture plus warmth plus friction can lead to pH alteration and irritation, which, in its turn, leads to yeast overgrowth and clinical infection.

So what can you do to safeguard yourself if you still have about five minutes to get ready? Doctors suggest putting dressing off while you’re still wet from the shower. Do your hair, put your make-up on while you’re still not dressed. You can also put other clothing items on before you put on your panties, like your bra and blouse, and wait until you dry off.

You can stay panties-less for a while, if the circumstances allow. The best type of material for panties is ordinary cotton, since it allows your skin to breathe and allows extra moisture to evaporate.

So, next time you’re fresh out of shower, make sure to get dry!