Gynaecologist Advises Women to Wipe From Front to Back After Defecation

He said that women in particular could give themselves infection if they did not observe good hygiene.
 
``Clean yourself well after using the toilet; women should wipe from front to back; there are three important orifices in a woman; you don’t want to drag bacteria from faeces into the vaginal orifice; if you do, the bacteria will grow there,’’ he said.
 
He explained that there are three orifices in the vaginal area: the anus, the vagina and the urethra, saying that lack of good hygiene could cause self-infection in the area.
 
Igboeli lamented that most women did not know how to take care of their private part, noting since the vagina is exposed to air, it required regular cleaning.
 
The gynaecologist cautioned women against douching saying it was bad for the vagina.
 
 Vaginal douche is a process of rinsing or cleaning the vagina by forcing water or another solution into the vaginal cavity to flush away discharges or other contents.
 
The MedicineNet.com says most doctors and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that women don't douche.
 
Douching could change the delicate balance of vaginal flora (organisms that live in the vagina) and acidity in a healthy vagina, it said.
 
The site adds that ``one way to look at it is that in a healthy vagina there are both good and bad bacteria. The balance of the good and bad bacteria helps maintain an acidic environment.
 
``Any changes can cause an overgrowth of bad bacteria which can lead to yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis.
 
``If you have a vaginal infection, douching can push the bacteria causing the infection up into the uterus, the fallopian tubes, and the ovaries.’’
 
``Wash your hands every time you use the toilet and really take good care of your private parts.  Lots of people also don’t take care of that. I see thousands of women and sometime what I see there, only God will tell you.
 
``The vagina is not a sterile environment, it’s exposed to air so it requires self-cleaning. I don’t want women to go out douching; douching is bad for the vagina.
 
``The vagina is created with some bacteria and some other elements, other flora inside it that makes the area commensurate.’’
 
Igboeli urged women not to use too many antibiotics as they could kill off the bacteria that were supposed to stabilise the flora of the vagina, causing yeast infection.
 
``The antibiotic may go and kill off the bacteria that are supposed to stabilise the flora of the vagina, then there will be an over-growth of yeast infection and when that yeast infection comes, it will itch you like crazy, apart from that yellowish head of cuddled milk.
 
``At the end of the day, you have a problem; you have inflicted upon yourself the damage because the excoriation will now attract more bacteria and you begin a cycle of infectivity.’’
 
Igboeli also advised women to avoid wearing the same pant continually and to go to bed without their pants on.
 
He said the vagina should be allowed to have some air as excessive sweating would form a good culture media for bacteria and other agents to multiply.