Let’s Talk Sex | Dos and Don’ts to Maintain Good Hygiene Before and After Sex

Sex may permeate our popular culture, but conversations about it are still associated with stigma and shame in Indian households. As a result, most individuals dealing with sexual health issues or trying to find information about sex often resort to unverified online sources or follow the unscientific advice of their friends.

To address the widespread misinformation about sex, News18.com is running this weekly sex column, titled ‘Let’s Talk Sex’. We hope to initiate conversations about sex through this column and address sexual health issues with scientific insight and nuance.

In this article, Dr Jain will discuss the dos and don’ts of hygiene for a better sex life.

We all know that good hygiene is key to a healthy lifestyle, but it’s especially important when it comes to sex. Practicing good sexual hygiene is extremely important for a healthy sex life. It can not only reduce the risk of unwanted infections but also enhance your overall health and improve your sex life. Unfortunately, a large number of people are still unaware of sexual hygiene practices. Medical experts claim that poor hygiene can increase the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and hamper people’s sex lives. Therefore, it’s really important to make sure that you’re taking good care of yourself before and after engaging in any sexual activity.

Sex isn’t usually as glamorous as it appears in the movies. It can get messy with all the sweat, saliva, and bodily fluids involved, so you may feel the need to follow the hygienic tips post having sex. Here are a few dos and don’t you should follow to keep your sex life hygienic and healthy:

· Do bathe together before sex
Few people enjoy the intimate act of sex when they are feeling less than fresh. A great way to ensure that you are both feeling clean before you head to the bedroom is to shower together! Helping each other wash with warm water and mild soap will make you both feel better, and it works great as a foreplay activity as well.

· Don’t brush immediately before having sex
Some of these details may sound obvious, such as oral hygiene. Bad breath of course, can ruin an intimate moment, but it is important to know that it is not advised to brush your teeth immediately before sexual activity. This is because friction could harm the gums and make them bleed, or even leave little abrasions in them that cannot be detected in plain sight.

· Do wash your hands
It’s important to wash your hands with soap and water, before touching your partner’s genitals, this way you will avoid depositing any harmful micro-organism. It’s a simple, basic tip, but one that we might sometimes forget.

· Don’t urinate immediately before having sex
It’s a common misconception that just like a woman should urinate after sex, she should also go before sex in order to prevent UTIs from happening. In reality, peeing before having sex can actually increase the odds of getting a UTI. If you use the bathroom immediately before sex, then you won’t have enough urine in your bladder to properly push out the bacteria that accumulates during your intimate activities.

· Do use condom
Even if you are using another form of birth control, such as the pill or an IUD, all that does is prevent pregnancy. Condoms are important because in addition to preventing pregnancy, they protect you against most sexually transmitted diseases as well.

· Don’t douche
Some women think they need to clean inside their vagina after sex with water or pre-packaged fluids. But douching can lead to more infections. It messes with the internal pH balance and can lead to more infections. So, douching should be done only when recommended by your gynecologist because of health issues. Also, keep in mind that a mild smell is normal and may not be a sign of a problem.

· Do clean your genitals
It is advised to clean your genitals with a little water before sexual activity. Unlike our hands, it is not so advised to use soap, since it’s abrasive, it may irritate both male and female’s delicate genital skin. A clean towel and warm water will suffice, and this will gently eliminate any remains from secretions or sweat that might have accumulated.

· Do urinate after having sex
Women have a very high risk and tendency to get Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) because of how short the female urethra is, and urinating after having sex is a very important way of preventing them, especially if you already are prone to getting UTIs. When you have sex, your vaginal bacteria can get pushed into your urethra, where it doesn’t belong. By peeing after sex, you push it back out before it can cause infections.

· Do clean sex toys to avoid STIs
No matter if you’re going solo or having sex with a partner, it is crucial to thoroughly clean sex toys after every use. If you use a dirty sex toy, you’re at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection. Therefore, if you want to be absolutely safe, you can also clean them before sex.

· Do wash up
You don’t have to hop out of bed and into the shower right away. But gently cleaning yourself after sex can protect men and women from infections, like of the urinary tract (UTIs). Wash the area around (not inside) your genitals with plain warm water. You can try mild soaps, but if you have sensitive skin or you already have an infection, they might dry out or irritate the area. Men with foreskin should gently pull it back and wash underneath.
Good sexual hygiene keeps you healthy and prevents infections from spreading. An elaborate post-sex clean-up routine is not needed when simple practices like washing genitals and anuses with water, staying hydrated and urinating after sex are already sufficient. As long as you keep your hands, bodies, and sex toys clean at all times, you’ll be in good shape.

Prof (Dr) Saransh Jain is the winner of the Swasth Bharat Rattan Award and is a Certified and Licensed Sexologist by the American Board of Sexology. He is currently a Senior Consultant at Dr SK Jain’s Burlington Clinic in Lucknow. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.

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