If there’s one thing you should know about your body, it’s that she doesn’t have time for games.
Whether you’ve got some itching or discomfort in your hoo-ha, or a killer hangover from all those $3 margs that you don’t remember drinking, your body is going to tell you when she’s straight-up ticked off.
If only we could all be this real about our feelings #amirite?
While we can’t help you with your gnarly hangover, we can tell you what happens when your feminine pH balance is off and what the symptoms of unbalanced pH levels are so you can better support your feminine pH balance with the right lifestyle changes, like wearing vulva-approved undies, using a condom during sex, ditch douching, or switching to pH balanced products. This way, there’s nothing holding your lady garden back from doin’ her thang the best way she knows how.
Before we get started, let’s review what your feminine pH balance actually is, so you have a better understanding of what happens when your pH balance is off and why.
what is feminine pH balance?
When the free fatty acids from your skin’s sweat glands link up with the lactic acid produced by good bacteria and amino acids from your sweat, you’re left with your feminine pH balance.
Short for potential (p) of hydrogen (H), pH measures how acidic or alkaline something is, including our skin to the beauty products we slather it in. pH is measured on a scale from 1 to 14, with one being strongly acidic, 14 being strongly alkaline, and 7 being neutral. A healthy vulva pH typically falls between 3.8 and 4.7.
Feminine pH levels can change for a number of internal and external factors, including:
internal factors affecting pH
- •Humidity
- •Sweat
- •Persistent Dryness
- •Vaginal Discharge
- •Menstruation
- •Urine/Fecal Contamination
- •Genetics
- •Age
external factors affecting pH
- •Soap/Detergents
- •Sex
- •Tight Clothes
- •Cosmetic Products
- •Lubricants/Spermicides
- •Douching
- •Sanitary Pads
- •Shaving/Ladyscaping
On the other hand, vaginal pH is largely affected by the total concentration of vaginal mucosa and lactic acid production, which can be affected by aging, hormones, and even ethnicity.
It might help to know that pH balance affects women of all ages, but what happens when your pH balance is off can vary from one person to the next. That’s why you should always pay attention to the signs your body is giving you before anything else.
Here’s a list of some of the most common symptoms of unbalanced pH levels and what happens when your feminine pH balance is off due to any of the aforementioned reasons.
how to know if your pH balance is off: watch out for these 4 signs!
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unusual or off colored discharge
For starters, healthy vaginal discharge will always be white or clear, depending on where you are in your cycle. It may even have a tinge of pink or red if you’ve recently had your period or implantation bleeding from a new pregnancy but it should never be green, yellow, gray, or thick and chunky with a consistency resembling cottage cheese.
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offensive or fishy smell
Don’t get us wrong, your lady garden having a unique smell is completely normal, but once that smell turns from simply different to downright offensive, it’s time to call your doc and discuss your feminine pH balance being off and where to go from there (and trust us, you’ll know when you smell it). Fishy or rotten meat smells are a clear sign you’ve got somethin’ funky brewin’ down below.
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itching
Feminine itching is another symptom you shouldn’t take lightly. While it could just be dry skin from ladyscaping and not showing your lady graden love with the ultra-hydrating 3-Step Down There Care System, itching down there could be an indication that your feminine pH balance has taken a turn for the worst and left you with a possible bacterial infection. If accompanied by thick white discharge, vaginal swelling, or burning during urination, you’ve likely got yourself a yeast infection and should call your doctor ASAP Rocky.
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burning or pain during urination or sex
Burning or painful urination or during intercourse could be the result of a few different things, many of which are caused by a pH balance off-kilter, such as a UTI, yeast infection, vaginitis, or bacterial vaginosis.
the bottom line
Trust us when we tell you that what happens when your pH balance is off isn’t something you want to find out the hard way. That’s why you’ve got Lady Suite! In addition to answering questions like “how do you know if your pH balance is off” and openly talking about the female hygiene struggles we’re all forced to deal with, Lady Suite provides the pH-balanced, good-for-you solutions to help ease your lady struggles.
Come see what Lady Suite’s all about and get to know your lady landscape a little better and shop tried-and-true feminine products your lady parts will thank you for!