Using a feminine douche? And general cleaning tips/tricks?

[Blush]

I got a feminine douche (simply for the actual bottles). It's a summer's eve douche and the solution that it comes with says that it's specifically pH balanced for the vaginal canal – however, this is for a CIS vaginal canal, I'd assume not necessarily for a neo vaginal canal? If it even matters?

Does anyone know if maybe I ought to just flush that solution out, or could I actually use it?

Also, does anyone have some general tips to how and what to use for daily neo vaginal cleansing? Preferably in the shower so I ? My surgeon instructed soapy water with a dilator, soapy water in a douche, or simply fingers... but I'd personally think that there must be a better and more effective option than those? The inside of the neo vaginal from my understanding is skin, the skin on the rest of our bodies and faces we exfoliate, cleanse, and moisturize... would it not be the same in this instance? And how might it be done?

Thanks and happy Friday everyone!

[iKate]

I thought that it was actually recommended by some surgeons for postop care.

[Rejennyrated]

Yes back in the day we all used that for the first few months of our healing.

The reason it was stopped was that there was some suspicion that it encouraged grannulation tissue but I dont know if it was ever proven. Also I think there is some interaction with certain types of disolvable suture, and obviously you dont sutures disolving too fast or indeed too slowly. Anyway these things come and go out of fashion and at the moment they arent being done as far as I know - but to answer your question once you are out of those first few weeks you can indeed use the solution and its a jolly fine idea in my experience.

I use a douche now and again - not by any means every week or indeed month - but as and when...

[Jenna Marie]

Brassard specified douching for 2 months post-op (and was specific about the douche solution he wanted), but says that after that the neovagina is self-cleaning and douching will upset the local flora and lead to infections.

Personally, I followed that advice precisely - after 2 months I cleaned only with soap and water on the vulva, nothing internally - and I have had no issues, including on internal exams with a speculum and a recent vaginal swab to find out what flora was in fact in there (the result was as expected for a cis woman, or so said the lab results versus "comparison" values).

[doll89]

i douche every week to clean things like lube etc and keep it fresh

[Laura_7]

You could have a look here:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,190515.msg1697107.html#msg1697107

concerning douche some docs say its not necessary... because of development of a natural flora... simply talk it through with them...

hugs

[suzifrommd]

My doc recommended it for the first few weeks and then "as needed" thereafter. I generally don't do it. My VJ has a sour vinegary smell which I'm assuming means the pH is low. My understanding is that low pH has protective benefits from nasty microorganisms, so I haven't wanted to mess with it.

[januarysunshine]

Soap and water???!! What is this the dark ages??lol j/k
I never was told to use s&w...the surgeon said to use a feminine cleansing product because s&w is way too alkaline and will burn and change your ph so you get infections easier...not to mention soap around your urethra will seriously hurt imo!
The drugstores have lots of vag cleansing products. I use Lubrigyn(sp?) for external cleansing. It's creamy and the right ph and is meant to be rinsed off or left on...totes gentle!
For internal cleansing, I recommend buying a proper douche. You can order a small refillable kit from Amazon..some drugstores carry them but not many imo. You can mix your own douche solution by adding some vinegar to water...I can't remember the proportions, but I'm sure girls here would know. Douching is important post-SRS...at least that's how Menard did it...We had to douche after dilating for a few months as I recall...then it was just douche when you feel you need it. Now so many years out, I only douche when I think about it, which is rarely.
As with a natal vag, your tissue and ph will adapt to being vag tissue, and will keep itself balanced for the most part. If you notice anything, you can test it with a kit from the drugstore to see if it's bacteria or yeast, and treat accordingly. Also I highly recommend the probiotic suppositories for vag flora--you have to order them online, most places don't carry them.. But in a pinch you can get RePhresh to balance your ph levels from any drugstore...and they have another kind of flora suppository and supplement. Both are highly recommended.
One word of warning...do not add more vinegar to your douche than the recipe calls for, and do not over-douche....like don't do it every single day once you're a few months post-op. When I first met my current husband, I was douching every day and using too much vinegar--totally wreaked havoc on my vag and put me out of commission for a couple weeks--plus looked totally scary...I was afraid I'd caught an STD!! Turned out to be allergy to the vinegar that I was over-using. At least we got a laugh about it....after we got our std tests haha

[Serenation]

my post op care is lots of salt baths, wash dilaters in warm soapy water and that's it, no douche. I'll enquire about it at my next check up, maybe it changes after stitches are all gone.