Why You Need to Stop Wearing Underwear After Sex

Plus other easy post-sex moves that’ll keep your vagina healthy—so you can drift off to sleep happy.

We’ve all heard it a million times: always pee after sex—to avoid a urinary tract infection (UTI), gynecologists say. Okay, but what else should you do as you bask in the afterglow, and how exactly do these moves keep your vagina in top shape? We posed the question to Sara Twogood, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. Turns out there’s more reasons to hop out of bed before you fall asleep than you’d think.

Hit the toilet

Even if your bladder isn’t full, try to pee anyway—your urine stream will help flush out bacteria from your urethra, the short tube that carries pee out of your body, says Dr. Twogood. UTIs happen when bacteria that normally live in the vagina or colon get inadvertently pushed into the urethra during sexual activity.

 

Peeing post-sex is especially important if you’re prone to UTIs, as many women are. But if you’re lucky enough to have dealt with this common infection, do yourself a favor and hit the toilet following your sex session. Lowering your odds of crazy-painful UTI symptoms such as pain and blood in your urine will be well worth the two-minute hike to the bathroom.

Towel off down below

Sex is supposed to be wet and messy; semen, sweat, lubricant, and vaginal fluids can all leave your lady bits damp after a romp between the sheets. But it’s a smart idea to grab a towel or wad up toilet paper and wipe away the excess moisture. Bacteria and yeast thrive in moist conditions, and not drying off can increase your odds of developing a yeast infection, says Dr. Twogood.

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