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in collaboration with
Dr Odile Bagot (Gynecologist-obstetrician)
A quick trip to the toilet after sexual intercourse is ideal for women to stay in good health. Yes, but why precisely? Our gynecologist, Dr. Odile Bagot, explains it to us.
What should or should not be done during sexual intercourse only concerns the partners involved. On the other hand, there is indeed a small health gesture that should not be forgotten when you are a woman: that of going to the toilet to urinate just after intercourse. For what ? To avoid a urinary infection!
Peeing, the small gesture that will protect you from “post-coital” cystitis
Thus, one in two women will experience cystitis in their life. This urinary infection is much more common in female subjects, due to their anatomy. The very close proximity of the genital and urinary tracts, as well as the shortness of the female urethra predispose them. Contamination thus occurs through the urethra where vaginal germs travel up the short path that separates them from the bladder.
But this risk is even more pronounced during sexual intercourse, as Dr Odile Bagot, gynecologist and member of our committee of experts, teaches us:
“During sexual intercourse, the colibacilli of the perineum of intestinal origin will also rise along the urethra. The sterile urinary stream will then reject them towards the outside to prevent them from colonizing the bladder, and causing the famous post-coital cystitis.
An effect that is commonly called “the toilet flush effect”.
Vaginal douching, on the other hand, should be banned
There is no need for excessive hygiene after intercourse, however, to prevent infection. Vaginal douching in particular is strongly discouraged, because it disrupts the balance of the vaginal flora and destroys the vaginal ecosystem and will cause more problems than benefits: irritation, vaginal dryness, infections, mycoses, etc.
A quick trip to the toilet is enough, even if it means drinking a glass of water first if you don’t really want it. A message to remind younger women, who do not necessarily dare to go to the toilet in front of a new partner.