This scenario probably sounds familiar to every woman everywhere: yYou shower in the morning in a huge rush, quickly and barely towel off, throw on your clothes as fast as humanly possible, and then actually start your day. So what if you're still a teensy bit damp when you wiggle into your outfit? Well, newsflash: Getting dressed before you’re fully dry isn't great for your vaginal health.
Why? Slipping on underwear before your vaginal area is fully dry is practically begging for a yeast infection, says Jason James, M.D., medical director at Miami's FemCare Ob-Gyn. “Yeast tends to thrive in a moist environment,” he explains. “That is why we tend to see more yeast infections during the warm summer months, when women don’t fully dry off after swimming, or have sweat accumulation in the genital area.”
Dr. James says any time there's an increased presence of moisture (like when you're not fully dry after a shower) can create a potential breeding ground that’s favorable to yeast. “All women have yeast and bacteria present at all times in the vagina, but it is the imbalance of one over the other that results in infection,” he says. “Warmth, moisture, and friction can all lead to irritation and the potential changes in pH that increase favorability for yeast to overgrow and become a clinical infection.”
So back to that scenario where you have exactly 0.2 seconds to get ready for the day. James offers some options to help you avoid getting dressed while you're still damp. You can put your makeup on or do your hair while you're still naked, put your bra and top on before your bottoms, or even go without underwear for a bit if you’re wearing a dress to give yourself a little extra time to dry off. James also recommends sticking to cotton underwear, since it breathes more easily and does a better job of evaporating moisture.
James says it doesn’t really matter how you dry off—using a towel or air-drying both work fine—but actually taking a few extra seconds to do it “can go a long way in terms of yeast infection prevention,” especially if you’re prone to them. The more you know!
