4 Major Things You Should Always Do After Sex for a Clean Vagina

Pee after sex

You should always pee after sex, even if it means you have to cut cuddle time short by a few seconds. During sex, sneaky bacteria can make its way into your urethra (the tube you pee out of). FYI, that's totally normal and not something you should worry about — as long as you pee after sex. Peeing after sex clears your urinary tract of any lingering bacteria trying to transform itself into a urinary tract infection (if you've ever had a UTI, you testify that peeing after sex is totally worth the tiny hassle).

Plus, peeing after sex (assisted by gravity and wiping, of course) can help get rid of any of those lingering fluids we talked about earlier. It's a win-win! If you really want to get fancy, you can try using a bidet to really flush out those juices.

Pee after anal sex, too

One last thing about peeing after sex: While it's usually fine if you let semen or vaginal lubrication linger for a while in your vagina, the same cannot be said for feces. If you and your partner engage in anal sex and then vaginal sex, that means your vagina has potentially been cross-contaminated with poo germs. Even your own poo germs (and especially someone else's) can cause a UTI — it's the same reason we're taught to wipe from front to back. After you pee and wipe, it would also be a good chance to cleanse with some gentle soap and warm water, rinsing very well.

If you shower, use non-scented soap

While showering isn't exactly necessary to clean your vagina after sex, sometimes you're just too much of a sweaty mess to even think about anything else besides a nice, long shower. We get it. In that case, be sure you're using a gentle, unscented soap around your lady bits, as the chemicals in perfumes can knock your pH balance wayyy out of whack, causing itchy, uncomfortable yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis (which is similar to a yeast infection, but the discharge will be more watery and accompanied by an odor). Not good, y'all.

"The vast majority of vaginal infections I see in my office are self-induced — generally by women who think they're doing a good thing by washing their vagina with soap and water, or worse, with douche," Stern said.

Stick to simple soaps when washing your vagina (the same goes with vaginal wipes) — and even then, you really only need to clean the external area. A rinse with warm water inside your vagina will do just fine.

More: Does Eating Pineapple Really Make Your Vagina Taste Sweet?

Dry off your vulva and labia after sex

After a particularly wet sex sesh (or after stepping out of the shower), make sure you're letting your vulva and labia dry off a little before putting your undies and clothes back on. You probably already know that the vagina is a very warm place — which when combined with wetness, also happens to be a condition that yeast thrives on. And while your vagina already has yeast and other bacteria inside it, it's best not to create an environment that could disturb that balance. You've gotta help it out by letting it dry after sex — that way you're not stuck with an annoying-as-hell yeast infection. Just pat yourself dry, ladies, and be on your way!