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Vaginal Health in Your 30s: What to Expect
Life in your thirties brings all kinds of wonderful changes and milestone events. Many women feel more confident in their 30s, more secure in their careers, and more sure about what they want out of life.
There are, however, some less-welcome changes that come with the transition—specifically changes around your vaginal health. Here’s everything you need to know.
Something’s different down there
It’s no secret that aging causes all kinds of changes in our bodies. Our vaginas aren’t exempt. During your 30s, you may start to notice some differences in the color or consistency of your discharge, your periods, and more.
Don’t panic, though—most of these surprising developments are due to changes in your body’s levels of hormones.
For example, it’s common for women to notice their inner labia has darkened during their 30s. The culprit? Hormones. It’s no reason to worry.
Baby dry, dry, dry
Another hormone-related development is increased vaginal dryness, especially if you use birth control pills. This is likely a sign that you are or have become sensitive to the hormones in your pills. You can speak to your doctor about switching your birth control to another brand or ask about vaginal moisturizers and lubricants.
What to expect if you’re expecting
If you become pregnant in your 30s, you might experience a change in your vaginal discharge. Some women experience more discharge. It’s totally normal for it to appear milky or have a mild odor, even if it used to be clear or odorless. If your discharge suddenly appears yellow or green or is accompanied by a foul or fish odor, you could have a vaginal infection and should schedule an appointment with your doctor for further evaluation.
Loosening up
As we age, our skin loses elasticity…even down there. If you’ve given birth, you’re more likely to experience a dramatic change in your vagina’s elasticity. Kegel exercises are an easy and effective way to tighten up your private parts. You can do them practically anywhere.
Libido lows
During our 20s, our sex hormones are at their peak. Those levels start to go down as we age, which can lead to less of a sex drive. Don’t despair if you haven’t been in the mood as much—these kinds of hormonal changes often play out more like a roller-coaster ride than a steady decline. Many women experience a bounce-back in their libido throughout their 30s. Of course, toys can definitely help!
Navigating the changes in your vaginal health during your 30s can be challenging, but it's also an opportunity to become more in tune with your body and its needs. Understanding that hormonal fluctuations are natural and being proactive about your health, like stocking up on SheMed’s kits, can help you manage these changes confidently. Remember, every woman's experience is unique, and staying informed and proactive will empower you to handle whatever changes come your way.
To purchase or learn more about our Women’s Health Kits, go here and follow us on Instagram to keep caught up on new product launches, exclusives, women’s health tips, and more. @SheMed_official.
This following story is a 100% true cautionary tale about my dear friend whose family vacation was somewhat compromised due to her yeast infection not getting properly solved prior to departing America.
During my friend’s last week at home before departing to Europe for over a month, she spent ample time sunbathing and swimming as wanted to look and feel her best for the journey ahead.
Since she was leaving for such a prolonged time it also meant she had to soak up as many moments with her boyfriend as she could. Unfortunately this combination of nonstop swimming & swooning led her to develop a yeast infection. She knew something was wrong so she went to her gynecologist to receive tests for a UTI and a yeast infection.
Sadly, the gynecology office took over a week to get back to her and it wasn’t until multiple days into her travel that she received the news of a positive yeast infection test.
She felt uncomfortable, itchy, and overall sick, though she didn’t want to spoil the rest of the family’s plans so she kept quiet assuming they couldn’t notice, until one day, the infection made itself known.
The yeast infection had started to spread and my friend’s entire body was soon covered with a red uncomfortable rash. She was not only experiencing physical symptoms by this rash but she was also embarrassed to be out in public looking this way.
It was a complicated and long process to try and receive the correct medication for her situation. She tried a cream at a nearby Italian drugstore, and when that did not work she went to five other local drug stores near and far, with her father, trying to find an alternate solution while showing her diagnosis.
It wasn’t until her family moved locations to a larger city, two whole weeks later, that she was able to consult with a hospital. Even then, they were not sure what to prescribe and she had to do her own research and ask for a specific medication.
This story truly highlights the urgency of getting both tested and treated immediately when you are feeling onset symptoms to prevent spreading, and prolonged pain. Going forward, my friend has since been stocked up on our yeast infection tests, so she will never leave the country before receiving instant access to care again and treatment.
Google can be very misleading with at home remedies.
That is a lesson I have learned countless times before with at home hair dying, face masks, and more; but nothing solidified that lesson further than when my best friend and I turned to douching.
We both had serious boyfriends at the time and were having sex frequently. We were very open to talking about our sex lives and we would always share tips and tricks to improve the experience. One thing we were always conscious about was odor and cleanliness. We never wanted to feel embarrassed and always wanted to feel confident so we turned to the internet and tried many different outlets that were in our reach at home.
One day as we were walking the aisles of CVS together we saw douches and remembered seeing them as a great option to keeping your vagina at its healthiest state, so of course, we decided to try it. From the packaging, our understanding was that it just gives a thorough clean, and there are no real downsides to trying it.
We were wrong!
After we got back to our dorms we were excited to try our new product so we went to the communal bathrooms and were dying of laughter from a few showers away about how we get so easily persuaded into these things.
The next morning is when we realized that we made a big mistake.
We were both dealing with the itchiest, most uncomfortable situation we have ever endured. We texted each other during class so confused what happened and wondering if we did something wrong.
It turned out that douching can actually cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria that can cause you to develop a yeast infection.
After class we made our way to the health center and had to sheepishly admit what we had done as well as call our moms so they were aware what the medication charge was for.
Thankfully any young women who get bold with online suggestions can now purchase SheMed’s Bundle and be prepared for any aftermath from the comfort of your own home.