Feminine Hygiene: Avoiding Infections

[Sarah Ortiz]

Companion forum thread to: Feminine Hygiene: Avoiding Infections

Sarah Ortiz discusses research based strategies for avoiding urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and bacterial vaginosis in the backcountry.

[Megan W]

Thank you for this article, Sarah. Huge amount of work went into it, and is a topic not talked about much!

Ive found being selective with underwear and pee wipes really important for me.

One of my friends has a lot of problems with urinary infections and vaginal irritation when hiking- I will send a link to her too.

Cheers

[Emylene VanderVelden]

Great work Sarah! This is something I get asked about quite often and it’s nice to have a well-written authoritative source to point people to.

My personal strategy is to use hypoallergenic wipes (Cottonelle are inexpensive and come in small, convenient, ‘travel’ packs) every time I pee and to have a ‘Buff’ bath (sponge bath with a Buff that is easy to wash and dry) every day or so when I change into sleep layers.

You can also use individually wrapped, light, panty liners changed every 6 hours or so to keep things cleaner, dryer, and fresher on short trips or paddling adventures where weight and space are less of an issue. This makes washing underwear easier and faster.

[Heather R]

This was very helpful, thank you!

[Sundance Key]

Great article! Thank you!

I find it essential to wear wicking, quick-drying underwear during the day but also to let my privates air overnight in merino base layer bottoms; a loose synthetic base layer doesn’t breathe enough to keep me, as a side-sleeper, feeling healthy…. I give wipes a pre-trip rinse at home and let them air dry, then add a squirt of water in the field. It takes mere minutes to prep enough for weeks of hiking…. After having an allergic reaction to anti-microbials in bike short chamois, I will never wear anti-microbial underwear! And half of a 100% cotton bandana makes a perfect pee rag, which I trust sunlight to sanitize, no chemical treatment needed.

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