Rainbow scented vaginas & healing vibes

Hey girl hey!

It was a few weeks ago now that the well known company Vagisil put out a statement that your vagina is not self cleaning and basically that it cannot care for itself.

Not only is this wrong, it’s super infuriating that a company with a large platform is publishing false information. I’m totally about people selling their product, but hold yourself to a higher standard and sell with integrity and don’t lie or shame someone into thinking they need your product. 

This blog post isn't’ about how Vagisil could have done a better job handling the situation, but if you were one of the women who read their false claim please know it is just that...false. Your vagina can take care of itself and will balance it’s own pH. 

The better we eat and take care of ourselves the more balanced our vaginal pH will be naturally. Using synthetic products with fragrances and other toxic chemicals in them does not help your vagina balance it’s pH, it just throws some hefty smelling chemicals at it, some of the most thin and delicate systems we have on our bodies. It’s also important to note that ingredients in such popular products have been known to attribute to our body's toxic load which sets us up for things like cancers, autoimmune conditions, and reactions. 

If you do notice more of a distinct foul or fishy smell coming from your vagina that is a great time to consult with your physician to get checked out and rule things out such as sexually transmitted infections, and other bacterial or viral infections. 

Let’s talk about another time you may notice a distinct smell coming from your vagina that I haven’t ever really seen discussed…

When I was in my 20’s I went to my annual pap smear appointment and the result was I had some pre cancerous cells more likely caused from HPV (human papillomavirus). This is a moment in my life that forever changed me and showed me a side of women’s health care that is still pretty broken to this day. 

The suggested treatment for me was to freeze off those cells. No one asked how I felt about that choice. I wasn’t given any other options. It was made to seem like it wasn’t a big deal. I was not who I am today in my 20’s. I didn’t feel comfortable asking for more options, alternative options, the risks of the procedure, etc. I just did as I was told.

I remember almost passing out after I walked out of the procedure because I was so scared of what just happened and I don’t think I breathed at all during the procedure. 

What came the days and years after the procedure was really upsetting to me.

I remember a few days after the procedure deciding to have sexual intercourse. 

NO ONE told me what the healing protocol was...NO ONE! 

I’ll spare you all the details but there was so much blood. I called the office and the nurse who spoke with me said “oh yeah, you shouldn’t have sexual intercourse for 2+ weeks, someone should have told you that.”

NO ONE DID.

No one also told me that since I had cells frozen off of my cervix that that tissue had to heal and it doesn’t heal like a wound on your arm that has access to air. Wounds inside don’t quite scab over and have this layer of protection that outside wounds do, so they are much more delicate in their healing time. No one told me it takes time….weeks + to heal. 

NO ONE TOLD ME that I would have crazy discharge and the terrible smell that I don’t even have words to describe. 

I remember having to ask one of my sisters friends who had also had the procedure done if it was normal to be experiencing what I was and she said yes and that she had similar experiences. 

I swear to you I was not quite the same for years.

I wish I had known what I know now. I wish I had known to advocate for myself, ask for alternative solutions to try first, that diet could have a huge healing effect on this, and I wish I could have made that decision for myself based on the risk to reward in that situation. 

Have you ever been through a similar experience?

With love, intention, and happy periods,

Madalyn