UTIs and shaving

[tonapah.livejournal.com]

I feel like I have a one-track mind with this UTI subject, but something occurred to me today that I wanted to ask you ladies about. Could my UTIs be at all linked to my pubic-hair shaving? My theory is this: I use soap/body wash to provide lather to shave, and some of this could be getting into my vagina, irritating it, and causing infection. Has this happened to any of you? I mean, can you pinpoint the time that you started getting UTIs with the time that you started regularly shaving? I've been shaving off and on for a couple years, but I've been shaving regularly (every other day or so) for the past year---which is also when the UTIs started happening. Link? Coincidence?

Help! I don't want to give up shaving. Are there any special non-vagina-irritating soaps that I could be using for shaving lather?

Comments

[falls2climb.livejournal.com]

I've been shaving on about an every-two-days basis for a little over a year now, and I've yet to have a UTI. I'd be curious to hear if that makes a person more prone to them.

[bravenewworld.livejournal.com]

wow, do you really think that is it? i have uti's pretty frequently too and i shave down there because it just feels cleaner.. but ack. if it's causing infections.. eek.

[tonapah.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm just thinking of a possible link between the lather accidentally getting into the vagina and UTIs... I mean, I'm pretty prone to them, and I worry that any little thing will cause another one. Supposedly there's a type of soap that's better for vaginas, but I don't know what it is.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

I think Summers Eve makes soap? Check where all the douches and stuff are, and at least one company makes soap.

[erynchrista.livejournal.com]

I hardly doubt that shaving is a problem unless you aren't washing away the soap suds and such after you shave.....I haven't had a problem from shaving.

I don't think so

[nekojin.livejournal.com]

I shave my box every day, and I don't get UTIs. Try using a shave gel created for women... like skintimate, or that gillette stuff.

[juniperesque.livejournal.com]

Thoughts:

Use mineral oil instead of water. Doesn't give lather, but lubes nonetheless.

It's possible that bacteria caused by your RAZOR is causing your chronic UTIs. Do you change the blade (or whole disposable thing) every three shaves? You should, or change it even more frequently.

Do you use your razor for other things you shave? Think about having a special vulva razor if that's the case.

[tonapah.livejournal.com]

Good ideas. I use one razor for shaving everything, and sometimes my SO borrows it for his pubic shaving, so I could definitely see bacteria being passed that way.

[sneezlyfaerie.livejournal.com]

But...why would it have to do with soap getting into your vagina? If anything, it would have to do with soap getting into your urethra, because the urethra, not the vagina, is affected by a UTI.

[tonapah.livejournal.com]

True, the urethra is affected by the UTI. But activity/bacteria in the vagina causes UTIs for some reason (e.g. there are many women who get UTIs from sex). I don't know why exactly this is, though.

[rockstarbob.livejournal.com]

my guess is that women get uti's from sex because after all that rubbing around, the other person's (foreign) fluids are bound to find their way into the urethra.

a lot of women experience a string of uti's when they find themselves sexually active with new partners -- it's all about getting used to the bacteria.

[urania.livejournal.com]

Well, the urethra is close to the vagina--why sex can give you UTIs. I shave all that area, and have yet to get a UTI; I use something like dove's shower gel, that's unscented, ultra-gentle and has a moisturizer (and then shower on more moisturizer afterwards); but it's possible that you could be irritated, if your skin is prone to it or sensitive to the soap you use, etc. All I know is, it hasn't done that to me *smile*