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Sex Education: What eight hygiene habits should men and women adopt before and after having sex?

A comprehensive guidebook featuring tips and practices for maintaining sexual hygiene, promoting health and well-being for everyone

December 28 , 2024

In this era of pandemic, it is more important than ever to wash your hands and health experts are strongly urging it, but is it also necessary to do so before and after having sex with someone?

Yes, it is very important to do so, but it can be difficult for many people because how would you feel if you interrupted the pleasant moments before intercourse and sat down to ask your partner, "Have you washed your hands?"

However, sexologists insist that this is the first and basic rule of physical hygiene before intimate relations between husband and wife and a very simple and easy solution to prevent infections in the private parts.

Tamara Martinez Farinez is a psychologist and sexologist affiliated with the Espel Institute. Speaking to BBC Mundo, he said, "It is important to clean your hands, mouth and teeth before sexual intercourse because these parts come into contact with your partner's parts during intercourse."

He said that in addition to your hands, you should also clean your private parts daily. He said that just a 'quick wash' is not enough.

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Psychologist and sexologist Vicente Brett says that “sexual hygiene is very important because it can prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).”

He says that maintaining sexual hygiene not only makes you sexually powerful but also increases your desire for intimacy.

He said that keeping the body and genitals clean regularly provides the foundation for a couple’s sexual relationship to be stronger.

A comprehensive guidebook featuring tips and practices for maintaining sexual hygiene, promoting health and well-being for everyone

Instructions for men

The UK's Public Health Service (NHS) explains on its website how men and women should maintain proper hygiene of their private parts.

It is important for men to wash their penis thoroughly with warm water every day when showering or bathing, especially the parts of the penis that are covered with skin, so that smegma, a sticky substance, does not accumulate there. Smegma is a sticky antibacterial agent.

Dr. Brett says that "the main treatment for preventing the accumulation of smegma is to keep the penis and the surrounding area clean."

If smegma accumulates in this area and is not cleaned, it can provide an ideal environment for harmful bacteria to breed, while it can also cause body odor.

Not cleaning these areas can also cause swelling in this part of the body (baldness).

“It is surprising that many men do not wash the parts of their penis that are covered with skin,” writes medical expert Patrick French on the NHS website. “And not taking care of hygiene in this regard can not only lead to medical complications for men, but also have unpleasant effects on their partners.”

He agrees that “men fail to pay attention to these hygiene rules.”

He told the BBC that “due to lack of information or ignorance, some men make the mistake of not washing their genitals properly, despite the negative consequences such as bad smell, discomfort and infection.”

He explains that this part of the male body is the most suitable place for infections and other urological problems to arise.

He said that this part of the male body is the place where urine and semen are excreted, which accumulate in the body and cause infection, but it is also a place that is very sensitive.

He says that in addition, if we allow sweat to accumulate in these areas and do not wash them regularly, our actions will facilitate the spread of bacteria and fungi.

The NHS also advises against using a lot of soap and shower gel on the male genital area and, according to experts, washing it thoroughly with clean water may be enough.

According to the NHS, if soap is to be used, it should be ‘mild or unscented.’ That is, the soap should not be such that it causes discomfort to sensitive skin due to the chemicals it contains.

‘The hidden parts of the penis can be cleaned by using plenty of water and a soap with low chemicals.’

A comprehensive guidebook featuring tips and practices for maintaining sexual hygiene, promoting health and well-being for everyone

Instructions for women

Medical experts say that although many companies and industries are working to improve women's vaginal hygiene, misinformation is widespread.

According to the NHS website, 'The vagina naturally cleans itself with the help of fluids (vaginal discharge) from the female body. It does not need vaginal wipes for further cleaning.'

'There are many natural bacteria inside the vagina that protect it.'

In fact, many cosmetic products available on the market for cleaning the vagina are considered not only unnecessary but also dangerous by medical experts and sexologists.

'The vulva (the outermost part of the vagina) can be cleaned with soap and other available products, but still the use of these products depends on whether you do not get irritated or infected by doing so. I recommend that women wash this part of their body at least once a day with water.

However, sexologists agree that the risks of cleaning the inside of the vagina with products available in the market, other than the refrigerator, may outweigh the benefits, which is why they do not recommend using these products at all.

The following possible risks or adverse reactions may occur from using such products:

  • Changes in pH (the skin's hydrogen capacity)
  • Irritation and itching
  • Reduction in the substance that lubricates the vagina
  • Allergies
  • Increased risk of contracting diseases
  • Complications during pregnancy, such as increased risk of premature birth

Health experts say that naturally 'our body is so wise that it knows how to maintain its internal hygiene.' That is, we only have to ensure regular cleaning of the external parts.

Bright says that there are moisturizing creams to deal with itching in and around the female genital area, but one should stay away from all such products that are used to make this area smell good, such as scented soaps or deodorants, because their use increases the risk of possible bacterial invasion in this part of the body.

Bright also advises against douching or using scented pads.

He explained that “the vagina normally cleans itself. Its inner skin produces a fluid substance that carries dead cells and other microorganisms out of the body.”

He said that during menstruation, women should take extreme precautions in this regard.

A comprehensive guidebook featuring tips and practices for maintaining sexual hygiene, promoting health and well-being for everyone

Instructions for both men and women

The first advice from sexologists for both men and women is to urinate before and after intercourse.

“Urinating after sex is a great way to prevent unwanted infections,” says Martins.

“Going to the bathroom and urinating at the end of sex removes any harmful substances that are produced during the process from the body. And doing so prevents these harmful substances from reaching sensitive parts of the body.”

“While urinating before intercourse is important because it primarily improves sexual satisfaction and relieves discomfort during sex,” Bright added that the practice is “a good prevention of some urinary tract infections.”

He said that we should urinate immediately after having sex to avoid diseases and reduce the chances of getting infected.

“And in fact, failure to do so is one of the most common causes of urinary tract infections,” Bright said.

Women are at higher risk for these types of infections and should make it a habit to urinate within 15 minutes of intercourse.

A 2002 study published in the Journal of Family Practice found that healthy women who urinate within 15 minutes of intercourse were less likely to get a urinary tract infection than women who didn’t.

Key recommendations:

  • Clean the genitals with water daily
  • Clean hands, mouth and teeth
  • Wear clean underwear and if possible, avoid underwear made of cotton
  • Visit your doctor and have a routine check-up once a year
  • Identify changes in the shape, color, size or texture of the genitals and observe them regularly
  • Use a condom during intercourse

It is not recommended to shave all pubic hair because the hair usually acts as a protection for the genitals, it is better to trim it, but not remove it completely

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