LADY BUSINESS

Embarrassing but true, many women don’t know a whole lot about their vaginal health – and talk about it even less. Consider this a proud primer for your lady parts.

- KAREN ROBOCK

WE’VE HAD A LOT ON OUR MINDS OVER the past few months and, understandably, the state of our vaginas has not been a top priority. But it’s time to get back to taking care of our whole health, and that includes some down there self-care.

Many women aren’t equipped with the best information, though. For starters, we tend to use the term vagina to describe our entire down-there anatomy, but it’s actually just the tube that connects the vulva with the cervix and uterus. The outside of our hoo-ha, including the vaginal lips and clitoris, is properly called the vulva. But misnaming our body parts is only part of the problem.

Between ladies relying on the incredibly unreliable Dr. Google and wellness empires like Goop (which is still peddling its now-infamous vaginal Jade Egg for $94, despite a settled lawsuit against its health claims), women are flooded with misinformation. We asked Dr. Amanda Selk, a staff ob-gyn at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, to help us set the record straight with some straight-up truths about our intimate health.

TRUTH

YOUR VAGINA DOESN’T NEED MOISTURIZER

At least probably not one you can pick up at the drugstore (unless, of course, you’ve cleared it with your doctor first). A dry vulva, however, should always be investigated, not just self-treated, because it can be a red flag for a more serious medical condition, like a thyroid issue or an autoimmune disease.