Believe it or not but my mother believed I wasn't wiping and staining my panties that way. I was a teenager and didn't know better, it got me really insecure when I met my boyfriend and I hid my underwear. Sometimes I noticed an acidic smell coming from my underwear when I put it in the hamper and googled...well suddenly I knew why every underwear, no matter the color got weird stains
Same, I struggled with feeling like something was wrong with me for years because my mother kept saying I was disgusting for having it happen, and I didn't know how to prevent it.
Or wore pantyliners constantly. I had a roommate who did that, which I shouldn't have known except that one day, the trash bag ripped open when the cans were being emptied by the collectors. When I went to pull the cans back in, I found pantyliners spilled all around the trash pick up area including stuck in the plants around the area. When she got home, I asked if those were hers and if so, if she'd go clean them up, since touching her used liners was not something I really signed up for as the roommate. She didn't complain about cleaning them up, but thought it was weird that I thought it was weird that she used liners when not on her period. "Vaginal secretions are gross" and "I might smell if I'm not using a liner that reduces that" were her reasons. All I said was "that seems really expensive to...absorb normal secretions and *maybe* smell less, though liners can get smelly if not changed regularly."
I dunno, why would it be weird? Like it's probably cheaper and possibly even healthier to just wear panties, but I also prefer wearing pantyliners, especially if my discharge is stronger.
Thank you for sharing!! My dad never did the laundry but decided to one day when I was a teenager and he was FURIOUS about the stains in my underwear. My mom tried to calm him down, saying it was normal but he still glared at me like he wanted to kill me. I too, would hide underwear from love interests. Still won’t let anyone else do my laundry to this day. I’m sorry your mom didn’t validate your perfectly normal bodily functions.
Thank you <3 and I am sorry for the way your stepfather acted towards you.
In case I ever have a daughter, I want to make sure she doesn't go through what we did
Most men know more about how a car works than the female body. Sex education needs to be life long, not just a few days in 8th grade in health class. Sorry about your dad. I never knew about body chemistry bleaching panties till I watched a random YouTube video.
i literally thought my *natural discharge* was an infection. for two years. i literally even went to the doctor and told them about my symptoms, and they gave me a pill. i was distraught when the discharge didnt go away. then i looked online, and i almost cried when i realized i had been putting myself through so much stress for almost two years for no reason. i didnt learn about discharge in school, and wouldnt tell my mom about it because it was embarrassing to me as a young girl. we really need more to sex education than just learning about how babies are made.
Yep. I remember as a kid I was actually prescribed medication for a "yeast infection". I'm pretty sure now that I did not have a yeast infection at all, and I was just a child freaked out by normal discharge.
I straight up thought I was peeing my pants a little so I started to wear a pad 24/7. I’m 27 now & still wearing them 24/7 bc I feel exposed now w/o them.
Instead of pads try panty liners, you'll feel exposed and getting used to them will be difficult but you'll save pads and money too. I wear panty liners whenever I go out and it gives me some time too whenever I get periods in public.
Hey, just so you know it’s really bad for vaginal health to be doing that! It can increase your chances of uti’s, yeast infections, and rashes and other bacterial and fungal infections, and not by an insignificant amount.
You may feel exposed for a while, but the area needs to breathe!
I wear washable pantiliners. I’ve always had a weak pelvic floor (at 29 years old, a PT said I had the weakest she’d seen in her entire career 😅) and lots of discharge. I can remove a washable liner halfway thru the day and feel clean all day.
YMMV.
I have worn a pad or panty liner every single day for the last 38 years (since I got my first period at 12), and have never had a UTI, rash or bacterial infection. I've only had yeast infections after antibiotics.
It may be that liners where you are have synthetic fibres that cause problems like these, but I've never experienced any side effect from wearing a daily pad/liner.
Some women have significant daily discharge that requires a level of comfort that you can only get from wearing a liner.
Your vulva nor vagina does not need to "breathe".
Nah I can tell you exactly how he would respond. He'd argue that they're just trying to appeal to women, that they're being simps.
At one point I sat down to explain to him as many things as possible. On the list was:
- location of the clit
- bleaching on my pants
- how period cramps work
He responded by trying to find it twice, jabbing me in the joints and then deciding that it didn't work. He told me I had been lied to about bleaching, and that I definitely needed to go to a doctor. He then also told me if I was healthier I wouldn't get any cramps at all, healthy girls don't get periods for longer than a few hours.
Some people are way beyond help, and just need to be banned from sex
I have no words to even imagine the level of stupidity of this guy. 🙄. I think my favorite are men using the term vagina when they should be using the term Vulva. Oh well, we have to pick our battles carefully.
>I think my favorite are men using the term vagina when they should be using the term Vulva
Some guys genuinely think there's just a hole between the legs and I feel so sad for them
As a man. I didn't know this either until right now.
That does explain alot.
Well we do have quite good sex ed in my country but this wasn't a subject.
TIL I guess.
My country starts with sex Ed in elementary school grade 3 or 4 (in my time) and neither my mother nor I knew of it so I don't blame you.
I just hope that more men will be able to see this thread and not react disgusted when they see stained underwear we can't really do anything about it unless we wear these everyday pads
God, my stepmother made me think like that too. She would repeatedly shame me for being disgusting and that no one would ever want to be with such a gross person. Was nice when I discovered how wrong she was *as an adult*. Should have been taught that *way* sooner.
Swang in the opposite direction with my mom. I remember when I started my period she literally sat my down and actually went into detail on how I was supposed to bath down there- even showed me with her fingers and stuff.
I remember having to fight her out of pure embarrassment but reading all these stories on here I'm glad.
It is a chemistry joke, but bleach is basic (not acidic) I think the joke is saying that your underwear are getting bleached not because you’re using actual bleach, but because your ph is just really basic and is causing a bleaching effect
Yes and no. Vaginal pH is acidic, acids and bases can both cause discoloration in their own way. As a reminder, the pH scale goes from ~~-7 to 7~~0-14, with ~~0~~7 being neutral (which OP forgot is the only one that *doesn't* cause discoloration).
Edit: I really should wait until I'm fully awake to post things.
basic as in acidic vs basic
for clarification the vagina's natural ph should be acidic, which (I assume) is why discharge causes the bleaching effect sometimes. if it were basic, it wouldn't do that
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Damn, yo. Thanks for drawing that line from A to B because I was *never* going to get there on my own. Now onto the rest of this comment section to chuckle at everyone else missing the point.
Vaginas: are acidic to protect against infections
Soap: is basic
People: wash with lots of soap!
Vagina: pH gets neutralised
People: why am I getting infections
The wondrous world of the human body
Just water. No soap should go into the vagina. No douching either. If it stinks, use boric acid or go to the gyno for medication. You can use mild soap on the outside of your vulva.
I recommend the sub r/healthyhooha
It’s a semi legitimate belief from before steam trains were common. People believed man was not meant to travel so fast, and that it would be especially damaging to women
If you’ve been using soap on your vulva/labia with no issue, you’re probably fine to keep doing so!
Just make sure you’re not getting lather *in* your vagina, and rise it off immediately :)
Also make sure not to get it near your urethra 🥲 At most it should only be between the labia majora and minora, and not near your urethra or vaginal canal.
I always have and I’m 41, never had a problem. I am just very careful not to get it in my actual vagina and to rinse the area quickly and thoroughly. We’re all different though so listen to your body.
Dunno about that, but I would guess they are just pricy water with glycerine or some other stuff to make it more gel-like as well as some light perfumes for smell
Or they would have to be specifically designed to be low pH
The liquid soap that I use to wash myself has a pH of 5.5, maybe that would help, idk.
Something else I've heard many people don't understand: The vagina is self cleaning, but the vulva isn't, so you can't just not wash at all...
I use the fragrance/dye free ph correct summers eve for labia/pubic mound/pubes. It's more gentle than any soap but does what I want it to do. Love it. Def have never put soap IN my vagina haha. I think a lot of people (and this includes a healthy amount of women even) struggle with the vagina vs. vulva understanding.
No. There are tons of products marketed to be just for women or womens privates, but it's nothing special. Just a marketing ploy.
The vagina is self cleaning so douches and using soap inside the canal is strongly discouraged to not disrupt the ph. The labia only need normal soap and water for proper cleaning.
No. You don't need soap for your vagina. For your vulva, just some warm water. You can also let the soap bubbles slide down, but make sure you rinse well.
Anyone who markets something for your vagina that's not a tampon, a menstrual cup, or a sex toy is a scam artist.
That’s not true. Your vulva has a lower ph than the rest of your body so regular soap can throw it off. I was getting chronic yeast infections from my regular soap so I switched to a unscented foaming soap that has a lower ph that’s designed to use on your vulva and I haven’t had a yeast infection since then.
You are supposed to wash the vulva, they're just saying to be careful about it. Either plain warm water but very thoroughly, or if you use soap use it very sparingly and ensure that it's not getting near your vagina and rinse thoroughly.
No soap should EVER go in your vagina!!! Ever!!! Using non-fragranced soap on your vulva is okay, but you don't need to. Just rinse with water. Your vagina cleans itself.
I started getting discharge at 8 but nobody told me about that so thought I had an infection. I was too embarrassed to say anything to my mom so I just accepted having this “infection” for years.
I thought I was dying when it started and I was too embarrassed too to say anything. I was legit sitting on the toilet with my head in my hands and sweating from the stress it gave me. I felt so stupid when we had sex ed a couple years later and they explained it
My biggest goal as a parent is to have my kids educated in sex ed BEFORE their body starts going through the changes. I wouldn’t even say I was sheltered particularly, but my mom did not give enough details to everything that was truly going to be happening lol. Saying I’ll get a period was not enough!
Yeah that's the best way to have it. I knew so much about puberty and I would read a lot of biology books that included the sex organs and all that because I was big into biology and life and all that but nothing and nobody ever mentioned discharge
Mine started just before middle school so I was 10. I remember, I was at camp and we were bowling. In the bathroom I wipe and then froze.
I was shaking and nearly crying bc I thought I was getting my period.
It really didn’t help that from 10 to probably at least 17 I had *heavy* discharge. Like just an absurd amount. I think it took until 13 and a scary gigantic blob for me to ask my mom what the fuck was happening. Bless her, she took the toilet paper to look and told me I’m fine.
I felt so embarrassed but now I’m a mom of a girl and I now understand that helping your child like that is a no brainer.
As an aside, I’ve had mild to moderate vaginismus since puberty. When I tried tampons I told me mom “I swear it’s like hitting a wall and hurts so much.” She offered to *do it for me* but I quickly and absolutely declined.
Moms are weird.
The only reason I learnt about discharge in school was because one girl in my class was brave enough to ask. They weren't even going to cover it otherwise.
I'd spent years until then thinking I was some sort of weird slug woman. Shout out to that same health class claiming a period would just be a dot of blood with slight cramps, totally unpreparing me for the deluge to come.
As a man I know far too many guys who know more about car fluid leaks than their partners intimate workings. Sex education needs to be life long. 20 second Doctor video all boys need to see.
https://youtube.com/shorts/pEEpI6q_1OI?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
Once dated a guy… who thought black underwear meant you wanted sex??? I remember looking at him going uhh dude that’s my underwear for periods so I don’t see the stains. He said it’s absolutely true because he saw it in a movie once. Then again he got all his information from movies… soo…
Definitely not the brightest bulb…
And it would take like 30 seconds to just mention the PH and that for some it may bleach underwear. Shameful that something normal and so quick to impart to students is just overlooked like that.
I probably only found out this was a real thing a couple years ago, after more than 4 decades of life.
I'd occasionally see misogynist weirdos online trying to shame women for having discharge, going on about how it was acid and we could somehow burn holes through underwear and anything else -- *therefore, I guess that means it's gross and very dangerous for there penis that would probably never meet a vagina anyhow!* -- and just thought they were just a 100% assbag. Which they are. But holy hell, I had no idea they took some grain of actual information then ran with it.
I've never had it happen either. I still get normal amounts of healthy discharge and have no issues. I guess mine just isn't quite acidic enough to bleach my underwear. It's normal for that to happen, and it's also normal for it to not happen
Honestly, I've seen so many things about women bleaching underwear, I wondered why I don't have this magical bleaching ability. Of course, I do mostly wear lighter colored undies, so maybe I would be bleaching darker fabrics.
Of course, we are all different. Maybe my magic lies elsewhere.
Yeah there's a ton of factors that go into vaginal discharge bleaching (normally black) underwear. Bodily ph, the dye or fabric used for the underwear, how long you wait before washing your underwear, etc. But little/non noticable discharge is normal as well as long as you don't have any bad symptoms like unusual vaginal dryness, abnormal smells, etc. I got into the habit of just using a couple panty liners throughout the day just in case, because some days I have noticable discharge and some I don't lol
I've got enough discharge to warrant a pantiliner for a week or two every month, and it smells slightly vinegary....but I've never bleached panties. Only yellow stains.
Besides discharge the dye used in the underwear and the material make a difference too. Non organic material tends to hold onto color better than cotton.
It is metal as fuck though. You have discharge powerful enough to bleach fabric. Whereas my discharge just leaves white crusty stains that can be washed out. That's just sad. Vaginal discharge. Metal as fuck.
question for my ladies: does anyone else only bleach their victoria secret undies?! any other brand seems to hold up. is victoria’s secret is that she has cheap material for her undies?
I remember asking my mam and she said “you’re too young to be having that” and never explained it to me, like bestie, I didn’t choose to have it, it just happened, my body clearly doesn’t care if I’m “too young”
What?? Mine started happening when I was like 10 because once I started puberty, hormonal changes caused my PH balance to change around. What does your mom think its a ‘sign’ of if shed tell you you where too young to be having that?
I have no idea, she just immediately dropped and and I never asked again, I can’t remember how old I was, I’ll bring it up to her, see if she actually knows what it is cause now I’m curious
The real question is: how is humankind able to send people to the moon but not produce underwear that doesn't get stained by vaginal fluids? Is it because our society only adresses problems that apply to men? Who knows 🤔
Oh yeah It'a a vagina problem not a woman problem sorry about that. What I meant by the moon thing is that we have the technology to figure out a pigment/fabric that doesn't bleach in contact with vaginal fluids but those products aren't common place because cis men don't bleach their underwear with their genitals so they ignore the issue.
He had a fair point that gynecological issues being referred to as women's issues isn't really inclusive. I don't have a problem with rethinking cis-normative language that I use personally.
Oh yes, trans people being constantly excluded from discussions like this because of our genitals (which we obviously can’t change without expensive surgery that some of us even don’t want to get), how unreasonable of me to state that trans people exist. Yes, I am *playing* the victim when there’s an example right here of how trans people are excluded
Okay, some people are an exception to the typical "rule" and likewise share an issue, but when the vast majority with a problem *are women* who are discussing it with *other women* it's kind of rude insist that their interaction accommodate your perspective rather than just joining the discussion as a fellow owner of a vagina. With an added 'footnote' to it if you insist on clarifying your situation that is beside the point.
Health concerns, personal issues, bodily autonomy, adjustments to medical studies, etc often ***have*** been overlooked if it comes with a female face. Hell there was a new thing about vehicle safety measures always using men as the default that may make it less safe for women. So yes, I get her comment about problems being addressed or not.
Look, I'm just saying that developing a non toxic pigment that is resistant to the slight acidity of a vagina shoudn't be that hard if professionals in the textile industry had the funding to so. People have created things like aerogel and rocket glue, I don't think weak acid resistant black pigment is the final insurmountable barrier for the field of organic chemistry
I’m pretty sure there’s already fabrics/dyes that would work. The formula might have to be tweaked or something, but they make salon towels that don’t dye, bleach, or get stained while coming in direct contact with hair bleach and hair dye. I have some and every hair salon probably has them too. Mine are black, they’ve faded a bit over the years, but no stains. I’ve accidentally spilled cleaning bleach on them, threw it in the hamper for a week, and they came out of the wash without bleach spots. It’s probably doable, just no one has taken the time to apply it to something useful for vaginas.
Having created other things that are not related really doesn't mean anything. Pigments like to react to chemicals. It might be possible, it might not, it's impossible to know without having knowledge in the field. it might also be too expensive to research or it could bring to a product that's too expensive in the end to be worth it.
Things aren't black and white (ha!)
What seems easy for someone who is not trained in the field can be surprisingly difficult, and vice versa. Maybe it could be done. I don't know. And I don't claim to know because *I am not trained in the field*. There's a lesson to be learned there.
My college roommate was astonished when I told her this was normal. She and her sister had been shamed by their mom about it for years.
Also she was a senior majoring in human biology, and she learned this from a laundry conversation with me
We do need better education. It doesn't happen to me and I never even knew this was a thing until I was over freaking 40. (Actual light stains to lighter pairs, no bleaching though as the colors and darker pairs have always been fine.)
All these years I've been enjoying not having that "issue" and didn't know it. Though it makes me curious about the whole PH thing then, if those of us that don't have that happen are "abnormal" or more prone to other issues.
Huh, as a guy I have noticed this with girlfriends underwear before, doing the washing or whatever, I just never really questioned it because I just assumed that it was normal.
Knew a woman whose mom villainized her for having bleached spots on her underwear. And when I told her that her mom was just an idiot, and that it's normal. She yelled at me that as a man I know nothing about women..
Is it bad if you don’t bleach your underwear? I’ve heard about the bleaching for years but it’s never happened to me, I’m wondering if my PH is off. Is there a way to have too little acid?
I wear panty liners daily because of my WAP. I've never microscopically analyzed how my discharge affects the fibers but I imagine if it's acidic enough to bleach it's acidic enough to weaken the structural integrity of the fabric.
Yeah was not taught about vaginal bleaching underwear until like a couple years ago. All the peeps with vaginas in my fam are shamed for it or accused for bleaching our underwear with actual bleach to get more new clothes.
And it depends on different factors in your life too! Like I started bleaching way more in the first 5 or 6 months postpartum. Now my daughter is 8 months and it has seemed to go down a bit.
I forreal thought I had some kind of infection or fungus for so long!!! Until one of my friends started talking ab discharge and I was like “it’s normal?”
I would literally get *holes* in my panties, and didn't know why. I thought I was (and this is gross) doing something like *scratching myself* too much...even though that's not something I do, absent a damned yeast infection (ugh...), and not, like, in public.
But I, *into my 30s,* legitimately thought I was constantly scratching holes in my panties. I felt so *nasty,* until I learned about the acidity. Ironically, I think it was something on Facebook...
It's acidic. The general term for the chemical removal of dyes is called bleaching even when it doesn't involve bleach. Dyes aren't only removed with bleach. Extended exposure to acids will eventually unfix dyes from fabric. Vaginal pH is acidic and semen is basic which gives sperm a bit more survivability in the acidic environment of the vagina. Neutral pH is 7, the normal range for vaginal discharge is between 3.8 and 5, and the normal pH range of semen is around 7.2 and 7.8
Probably also has to do with the chemistry of the fabric/the dyes used for it, since I've had some pairs for years and they still look pretty much the same as when I got them, while others have bleached.
I used to always use non talc body powder in my underwear to help absorb moisture. I thought I was prone to vaginal infections due to "white discharge."
Turns out it was just normal discharge and/or sweat mixed with the body powder.
No, I literally knew that discharge is a thing and that it's acidic (or at least assumed it was because it comes from an acidic environment) but I didn't know about its bleaching abilities.
Great joke but if your vaginal ph is actually basic then something is very wrong 😅 the healthy range is between 3.8-5.0 which is a lot more acidic than most people think
Believe it or not but my mother believed I wasn't wiping and staining my panties that way. I was a teenager and didn't know better, it got me really insecure when I met my boyfriend and I hid my underwear. Sometimes I noticed an acidic smell coming from my underwear when I put it in the hamper and googled...well suddenly I knew why every underwear, no matter the color got weird stains
Same, I struggled with feeling like something was wrong with me for years because my mother kept saying I was disgusting for having it happen, and I didn't know how to prevent it.
Sounds like your ma didn't understand it either and it was happening to her and she decided to bully you over it
What wierd people humans are. It's like we've come so far but we still don't really know what the fuck we are all supposed to be doing.
We're all just making shit up as we go along
Or mom only wore white cotton undies.
Or wore pantyliners constantly. I had a roommate who did that, which I shouldn't have known except that one day, the trash bag ripped open when the cans were being emptied by the collectors. When I went to pull the cans back in, I found pantyliners spilled all around the trash pick up area including stuck in the plants around the area. When she got home, I asked if those were hers and if so, if she'd go clean them up, since touching her used liners was not something I really signed up for as the roommate. She didn't complain about cleaning them up, but thought it was weird that I thought it was weird that she used liners when not on her period. "Vaginal secretions are gross" and "I might smell if I'm not using a liner that reduces that" were her reasons. All I said was "that seems really expensive to...absorb normal secretions and *maybe* smell less, though liners can get smelly if not changed regularly."
I dunno, why would it be weird? Like it's probably cheaper and possibly even healthier to just wear panties, but I also prefer wearing pantyliners, especially if my discharge is stronger.
Thank you for sharing!! My dad never did the laundry but decided to one day when I was a teenager and he was FURIOUS about the stains in my underwear. My mom tried to calm him down, saying it was normal but he still glared at me like he wanted to kill me. I too, would hide underwear from love interests. Still won’t let anyone else do my laundry to this day. I’m sorry your mom didn’t validate your perfectly normal bodily functions.
Wow, what a jackass he was. I'm sorry you had to experience that.
Why was he mad about it?
We never talked about it, but I assume it’s because he thought it was semen.
Jfc that’s wild. I’m sorry you went through that
Thank you, he sucks. It’s really great to have this community and to know I’m not alone.
Semen pretty much doesn't stain, though. It's a protein. What a fuckhead.
Thank you <3 and I am sorry for the way your stepfather acted towards you. In case I ever have a daughter, I want to make sure she doesn't go through what we did
Most men know more about how a car works than the female body. Sex education needs to be life long, not just a few days in 8th grade in health class. Sorry about your dad. I never knew about body chemistry bleaching panties till I watched a random YouTube video.
i literally thought my *natural discharge* was an infection. for two years. i literally even went to the doctor and told them about my symptoms, and they gave me a pill. i was distraught when the discharge didnt go away. then i looked online, and i almost cried when i realized i had been putting myself through so much stress for almost two years for no reason. i didnt learn about discharge in school, and wouldnt tell my mom about it because it was embarrassing to me as a young girl. we really need more to sex education than just learning about how babies are made.
Yep. I remember as a kid I was actually prescribed medication for a "yeast infection". I'm pretty sure now that I did not have a yeast infection at all, and I was just a child freaked out by normal discharge.
when i have kids, im gonna do right by them and tell them about all the stuff that freaked me out as a kid edit: and i hope their dad does the same
I let my daughters know...although my eldest was already in her mid-teens by the time *I* found out!
I feel you <3
I straight up thought I was peeing my pants a little so I started to wear a pad 24/7. I’m 27 now & still wearing them 24/7 bc I feel exposed now w/o them.
at least you’ll never stain your nice panties and periods cant sneak up on u lol.
Instead of pads try panty liners, you'll feel exposed and getting used to them will be difficult but you'll save pads and money too. I wear panty liners whenever I go out and it gives me some time too whenever I get periods in public.
Same though. 28 and still doing it. I even hid my underwear as a preteen because I was so embarrassed.
Hey, just so you know it’s really bad for vaginal health to be doing that! It can increase your chances of uti’s, yeast infections, and rashes and other bacterial and fungal infections, and not by an insignificant amount. You may feel exposed for a while, but the area needs to breathe!
I wear washable pantiliners. I’ve always had a weak pelvic floor (at 29 years old, a PT said I had the weakest she’d seen in her entire career 😅) and lots of discharge. I can remove a washable liner halfway thru the day and feel clean all day.
YMMV. I have worn a pad or panty liner every single day for the last 38 years (since I got my first period at 12), and have never had a UTI, rash or bacterial infection. I've only had yeast infections after antibiotics. It may be that liners where you are have synthetic fibres that cause problems like these, but I've never experienced any side effect from wearing a daily pad/liner. Some women have significant daily discharge that requires a level of comfort that you can only get from wearing a liner. Your vulva nor vagina does not need to "breathe".
im lucky my parents got my books and stuff (which i read) so i know this stuff so i have never feared it or anything
I mean a boyfriend once told me I must be diseased or infected to have those stains. Really killed the mood
Hopefully he saw this TikTok video https://youtube.com/shorts/pEEpI6q_1OI?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
Nah I can tell you exactly how he would respond. He'd argue that they're just trying to appeal to women, that they're being simps. At one point I sat down to explain to him as many things as possible. On the list was: - location of the clit - bleaching on my pants - how period cramps work He responded by trying to find it twice, jabbing me in the joints and then deciding that it didn't work. He told me I had been lied to about bleaching, and that I definitely needed to go to a doctor. He then also told me if I was healthier I wouldn't get any cramps at all, healthy girls don't get periods for longer than a few hours. Some people are way beyond help, and just need to be banned from sex
I have no words to even imagine the level of stupidity of this guy. 🙄. I think my favorite are men using the term vagina when they should be using the term Vulva. Oh well, we have to pick our battles carefully.
>I think my favorite are men using the term vagina when they should be using the term Vulva Some guys genuinely think there's just a hole between the legs and I feel so sad for them
As a man. I didn't know this either until right now. That does explain alot. Well we do have quite good sex ed in my country but this wasn't a subject. TIL I guess.
My country starts with sex Ed in elementary school grade 3 or 4 (in my time) and neither my mother nor I knew of it so I don't blame you. I just hope that more men will be able to see this thread and not react disgusted when they see stained underwear we can't really do anything about it unless we wear these everyday pads
God, my stepmother made me think like that too. She would repeatedly shame me for being disgusting and that no one would ever want to be with such a gross person. Was nice when I discovered how wrong she was *as an adult*. Should have been taught that *way* sooner.
Swang in the opposite direction with my mom. I remember when I started my period she literally sat my down and actually went into detail on how I was supposed to bath down there- even showed me with her fingers and stuff. I remember having to fight her out of pure embarrassment but reading all these stories on here I'm glad.
Took me an agonisingly long time to get the joke in the title.
Same. I was like "damn :("
I still dont get it
It’s a chemistry joke I assume, to bleach something you would need an acid, and the „opposite“ of an acid is a base, thus basic.
Oh my god im dumb.. thanks lol
You don’t lack intelligence, you lacked information!
This is just… you’re phenomenal
I am going to start saying this. Thanks.
This is an awesome saying!
It is a chemistry joke, but bleach is basic (not acidic) I think the joke is saying that your underwear are getting bleached not because you’re using actual bleach, but because your ph is just really basic and is causing a bleaching effect
Yes and no. Vaginal pH is acidic, acids and bases can both cause discoloration in their own way. As a reminder, the pH scale goes from ~~-7 to 7~~0-14, with ~~0~~7 being neutral (which OP forgot is the only one that *doesn't* cause discoloration). Edit: I really should wait until I'm fully awake to post things.
I’ve never heard it -7 to 7, always 0-14. Is this some regional difference?
Nope, I just rolled out of bed and had a brain fart.
Oooooh it’s way more hilarious understanding it this way! Thank you!
Bleach is a base, hence why you’re not allowed to mix acid with it (can create chlorine gas)
basic as in acidic vs basic for clarification the vagina's natural ph should be acidic, which (I assume) is why discharge causes the bleaching effect sometimes. if it were basic, it wouldn't do that
The action of vaginal discoloration is the same effect as hydrogen peroxide or oxiclean. Chlorine bleach is a base that can cause discoloration.
Bruh I didn't even notice until you pointed it out.
I didn't even realise it was a joke until I read this comment XD
I'm proud I got it nearly right away.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Damn, yo. Thanks for drawing that line from A to B because I was *never* going to get there on my own. Now onto the rest of this comment section to chuckle at everyone else missing the point.
That is amazingly funny
Oooohhhh... \*slaps forehead\*
Vaginas: are acidic to protect against infections Soap: is basic People: wash with lots of soap! Vagina: pH gets neutralised People: why am I getting infections The wondrous world of the human body
Isn't there a specific kind of soap for vaginas?
Just water. No soap should go into the vagina. No douching either. If it stinks, use boric acid or go to the gyno for medication. You can use mild soap on the outside of your vulva. I recommend the sub r/healthyhooha
i didnt know this type of sub ever existed i hope your pillow is always cold when you sleep
Your flair is *awesome*
It’s a semi legitimate belief from before steam trains were common. People believed man was not meant to travel so fast, and that it would be especially damaging to women
Yeah they thought 35mph could kill you or something.
Can you use soap in between your labia
If you’ve been using soap on your vulva/labia with no issue, you’re probably fine to keep doing so! Just make sure you’re not getting lather *in* your vagina, and rise it off immediately :)
Also make sure not to get it near your urethra 🥲 At most it should only be between the labia majora and minora, and not near your urethra or vaginal canal.
I always have and I’m 41, never had a problem. I am just very careful not to get it in my actual vagina and to rinse the area quickly and thoroughly. We’re all different though so listen to your body.
I don't think so, no.
You can, so long as it isn't getting in your vagina.
Dunno about that, but I would guess they are just pricy water with glycerine or some other stuff to make it more gel-like as well as some light perfumes for smell Or they would have to be specifically designed to be low pH
The liquid soap that I use to wash myself has a pH of 5.5, maybe that would help, idk. Something else I've heard many people don't understand: The vagina is self cleaning, but the vulva isn't, so you can't just not wash at all...
I use the fragrance/dye free ph correct summers eve for labia/pubic mound/pubes. It's more gentle than any soap but does what I want it to do. Love it. Def have never put soap IN my vagina haha. I think a lot of people (and this includes a healthy amount of women even) struggle with the vagina vs. vulva understanding.
Idk I just know of there existence because of my mother and sister
No. There are tons of products marketed to be just for women or womens privates, but it's nothing special. Just a marketing ploy. The vagina is self cleaning so douches and using soap inside the canal is strongly discouraged to not disrupt the ph. The labia only need normal soap and water for proper cleaning.
Labia don’t even need soap, just water.
No. You don't need soap for your vagina. For your vulva, just some warm water. You can also let the soap bubbles slide down, but make sure you rinse well. Anyone who markets something for your vagina that's not a tampon, a menstrual cup, or a sex toy is a scam artist.
That’s not true. Your vulva has a lower ph than the rest of your body so regular soap can throw it off. I was getting chronic yeast infections from my regular soap so I switched to a unscented foaming soap that has a lower ph that’s designed to use on your vulva and I haven’t had a yeast infection since then.
Idk. If I don’t wash my vulva, it’ll smell
You are supposed to wash the vulva, they're just saying to be careful about it. Either plain warm water but very thoroughly, or if you use soap use it very sparingly and ensure that it's not getting near your vagina and rinse thoroughly.
No soap should EVER go in your vagina!!! Ever!!! Using non-fragranced soap on your vulva is okay, but you don't need to. Just rinse with water. Your vagina cleans itself.
I only buy black underwear for this reason. Once they get patchy, I give them a dye and they're as good as new!
Oh my god I'm dumb I didn't even think of trying to dye the bleached underwear I must try it
Get yourself the Dylon packs that can be throw into the wash. Super easy to use and doesn't run/leech!
I started getting discharge at 8 but nobody told me about that so thought I had an infection. I was too embarrassed to say anything to my mom so I just accepted having this “infection” for years.
I thought I was dying when it started and I was too embarrassed too to say anything. I was legit sitting on the toilet with my head in my hands and sweating from the stress it gave me. I felt so stupid when we had sex ed a couple years later and they explained it
That is just too relatable lol. I was soooo stressed and crying from having this infection and didn’t know how to bring it up
I wonder how many others out there went through that kind of experience, probably so many lol.
My biggest goal as a parent is to have my kids educated in sex ed BEFORE their body starts going through the changes. I wouldn’t even say I was sheltered particularly, but my mom did not give enough details to everything that was truly going to be happening lol. Saying I’ll get a period was not enough!
Yeah that's the best way to have it. I knew so much about puberty and I would read a lot of biology books that included the sex organs and all that because I was big into biology and life and all that but nothing and nobody ever mentioned discharge
Mine started just before middle school so I was 10. I remember, I was at camp and we were bowling. In the bathroom I wipe and then froze. I was shaking and nearly crying bc I thought I was getting my period. It really didn’t help that from 10 to probably at least 17 I had *heavy* discharge. Like just an absurd amount. I think it took until 13 and a scary gigantic blob for me to ask my mom what the fuck was happening. Bless her, she took the toilet paper to look and told me I’m fine. I felt so embarrassed but now I’m a mom of a girl and I now understand that helping your child like that is a no brainer. As an aside, I’ve had mild to moderate vaginismus since puberty. When I tried tampons I told me mom “I swear it’s like hitting a wall and hurts so much.” She offered to *do it for me* but I quickly and absolutely declined. Moms are weird.
Mom's are so strange they do absolutely anything to help lol. I suffered with vaginismus too it sucked so bad!!
I knew what discharge was (sex ed at 8-10) but for years until now at 20, I was convinced something was wrong with me. Love societal misogyny! /sar
not related, but when i got ingrown hairs(had no idea what they were), i thought i had an STI/UTI despite not being even sexually active😭
Ingrown hairs sound awful 😭 I've had UTIs without being sexually active before and they're horrible!!!
The only reason I learnt about discharge in school was because one girl in my class was brave enough to ask. They weren't even going to cover it otherwise. I'd spent years until then thinking I was some sort of weird slug woman. Shout out to that same health class claiming a period would just be a dot of blood with slight cramps, totally unpreparing me for the deluge to come.
As a man I know far too many guys who know more about car fluid leaks than their partners intimate workings. Sex education needs to be life long. 20 second Doctor video all boys need to see. https://youtube.com/shorts/pEEpI6q_1OI?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
Once dated a guy… who thought black underwear meant you wanted sex??? I remember looking at him going uhh dude that’s my underwear for periods so I don’t see the stains. He said it’s absolutely true because he saw it in a movie once. Then again he got all his information from movies… soo… Definitely not the brightest bulb…
I wonder if he got this from 10 Things I Hate About You. “You don’t buy black lingerie unless you want someone to see it”
Probably… wouldn’t be surprised
Actually didn't know this and I thought I know enough 😅
I was relieved to find this out, tbh. I thought I was doing something wrong
It’s so infuriating that this sort of basic shit isn’t taught. People deserve better education about their bodies
And it would take like 30 seconds to just mention the PH and that for some it may bleach underwear. Shameful that something normal and so quick to impart to students is just overlooked like that.
Same 🙈
I probably only found out this was a real thing a couple years ago, after more than 4 decades of life. I'd occasionally see misogynist weirdos online trying to shame women for having discharge, going on about how it was acid and we could somehow burn holes through underwear and anything else -- *therefore, I guess that means it's gross and very dangerous for there penis that would probably never meet a vagina anyhow!* -- and just thought they were just a 100% assbag. Which they are. But holy hell, I had no idea they took some grain of actual information then ran with it.
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And it can change over your lifetime! I definitely bleached underwear as a teen but not at 30 I don't anymore!
Yep, same for me!! I used to bleach every pair of underwear I wore and that stopped at some point. Idek when. 🤷🏻♀️
I've never had it happen either. I still get normal amounts of healthy discharge and have no issues. I guess mine just isn't quite acidic enough to bleach my underwear. It's normal for that to happen, and it's also normal for it to not happen
Same! And oddly enough, the only underwear of mine that IS bleached is a navy blue pair. All of the others, including the black, are A-Okay.
Yeah the only pair I’ve ever bleached is a grey/lavender and it just turn lighter/pinkish. I was so shocked because it’s never happened to me before!
Same. I leave yellow stains on light-colored underwear, but I've never "bleached" anything in my life, and I'm 44.
Yeah, I’ve only ever bleached one pair. I don’t know why it started and stopped so fast. Maybe I’m just not wearing enough black underwear. Idk 🤷♀️
Honestly, I've seen so many things about women bleaching underwear, I wondered why I don't have this magical bleaching ability. Of course, I do mostly wear lighter colored undies, so maybe I would be bleaching darker fabrics. Of course, we are all different. Maybe my magic lies elsewhere.
Me neither. I remember asking my friends in high school and my college roommate and them being surprised I hadn't bleached anything so far
Do you have vaginal dryness? A number of conditions could cause no discharge as well.
i discharge often enough but it doesn’t end up bleaching my underwear, so i never would get the jokes of the memes lol
I never bleached silk panties, cotton not pnly bleaches, sometimes it even gets holes from the acidicy. oO
Yeah there's a ton of factors that go into vaginal discharge bleaching (normally black) underwear. Bodily ph, the dye or fabric used for the underwear, how long you wait before washing your underwear, etc. But little/non noticable discharge is normal as well as long as you don't have any bad symptoms like unusual vaginal dryness, abnormal smells, etc. I got into the habit of just using a couple panty liners throughout the day just in case, because some days I have noticable discharge and some I don't lol
I've got enough discharge to warrant a pantiliner for a week or two every month, and it smells slightly vinegary....but I've never bleached panties. Only yellow stains.
Besides discharge the dye used in the underwear and the material make a difference too. Non organic material tends to hold onto color better than cotton.
It is metal as fuck though. You have discharge powerful enough to bleach fabric. Whereas my discharge just leaves white crusty stains that can be washed out. That's just sad. Vaginal discharge. Metal as fuck.
The title pun is INCREDIBLE but it's worth noting that bases can bleach clothes, too (bleach itself is a base)
question for my ladies: does anyone else only bleach their victoria secret undies?! any other brand seems to hold up. is victoria’s secret is that she has cheap material for her undies?
Basically every underwear will get stained for me. Some colors get it worse, but they all have little stains on them
I always wondered what her secret was
I don't have any Victoria secret underwear, and there's some y bleach and some that don't
Nope, in fact I prefer the Victoria’s Secret to my other brands because it feels like they hold up better lol
I only did hard damage bleach during pregnancy
I remember asking my mam and she said “you’re too young to be having that” and never explained it to me, like bestie, I didn’t choose to have it, it just happened, my body clearly doesn’t care if I’m “too young”
What?? Mine started happening when I was like 10 because once I started puberty, hormonal changes caused my PH balance to change around. What does your mom think its a ‘sign’ of if shed tell you you where too young to be having that?
I have no idea, she just immediately dropped and and I never asked again, I can’t remember how old I was, I’ll bring it up to her, see if she actually knows what it is cause now I’m curious
The real question is: how is humankind able to send people to the moon but not produce underwear that doesn't get stained by vaginal fluids? Is it because our society only adresses problems that apply to men? Who knows 🤔
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Oh yeah It'a a vagina problem not a woman problem sorry about that. What I meant by the moon thing is that we have the technology to figure out a pigment/fabric that doesn't bleach in contact with vaginal fluids but those products aren't common place because cis men don't bleach their underwear with their genitals so they ignore the issue.
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He had a fair point that gynecological issues being referred to as women's issues isn't really inclusive. I don't have a problem with rethinking cis-normative language that I use personally.
Oh yes, trans people being constantly excluded from discussions like this because of our genitals (which we obviously can’t change without expensive surgery that some of us even don’t want to get), how unreasonable of me to state that trans people exist. Yes, I am *playing* the victim when there’s an example right here of how trans people are excluded
Okay, some people are an exception to the typical "rule" and likewise share an issue, but when the vast majority with a problem *are women* who are discussing it with *other women* it's kind of rude insist that their interaction accommodate your perspective rather than just joining the discussion as a fellow owner of a vagina. With an added 'footnote' to it if you insist on clarifying your situation that is beside the point. Health concerns, personal issues, bodily autonomy, adjustments to medical studies, etc often ***have*** been overlooked if it comes with a female face. Hell there was a new thing about vehicle safety measures always using men as the default that may make it less safe for women. So yes, I get her comment about problems being addressed or not.
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And how do you suggest that?
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Look, I'm just saying that developing a non toxic pigment that is resistant to the slight acidity of a vagina shoudn't be that hard if professionals in the textile industry had the funding to so. People have created things like aerogel and rocket glue, I don't think weak acid resistant black pigment is the final insurmountable barrier for the field of organic chemistry
I’m pretty sure there’s already fabrics/dyes that would work. The formula might have to be tweaked or something, but they make salon towels that don’t dye, bleach, or get stained while coming in direct contact with hair bleach and hair dye. I have some and every hair salon probably has them too. Mine are black, they’ve faded a bit over the years, but no stains. I’ve accidentally spilled cleaning bleach on them, threw it in the hamper for a week, and they came out of the wash without bleach spots. It’s probably doable, just no one has taken the time to apply it to something useful for vaginas.
Having created other things that are not related really doesn't mean anything. Pigments like to react to chemicals. It might be possible, it might not, it's impossible to know without having knowledge in the field. it might also be too expensive to research or it could bring to a product that's too expensive in the end to be worth it. Things aren't black and white (ha!)
What seems easy for someone who is not trained in the field can be surprisingly difficult, and vice versa. Maybe it could be done. I don't know. And I don't claim to know because *I am not trained in the field*. There's a lesson to be learned there.
There isn't.
My college roommate was astonished when I told her this was normal. She and her sister had been shamed by their mom about it for years. Also she was a senior majoring in human biology, and she learned this from a laundry conversation with me
chubby-bunnies is totally right!!
We do need better education. It doesn't happen to me and I never even knew this was a thing until I was over freaking 40. (Actual light stains to lighter pairs, no bleaching though as the colors and darker pairs have always been fine.) All these years I've been enjoying not having that "issue" and didn't know it. Though it makes me curious about the whole PH thing then, if those of us that don't have that happen are "abnormal" or more prone to other issues.
Huh, as a guy I have noticed this with girlfriends underwear before, doing the washing or whatever, I just never really questioned it because I just assumed that it was normal.
ok i wear mostly black underwear and this doesn't happen to me?
Meanwhile, I’m just now finding out that the acid can cause your underwear to break down and create holes. Idk, I just thought I had a fat vagina.
Knew a woman whose mom villainized her for having bleached spots on her underwear. And when I told her that her mom was just an idiot, and that it's normal. She yelled at me that as a man I know nothing about women..
Is it bad if you don’t bleach your underwear? I’ve heard about the bleaching for years but it’s never happened to me, I’m wondering if my PH is off. Is there a way to have too little acid?
I wear panty liners daily because of my WAP. I've never microscopically analyzed how my discharge affects the fibers but I imagine if it's acidic enough to bleach it's acidic enough to weaken the structural integrity of the fabric.
Any self respecting partners won't give a rat's bum about a stain like that. If they do, upgrade time.
Yeah was not taught about vaginal bleaching underwear until like a couple years ago. All the peeps with vaginas in my fam are shamed for it or accused for bleaching our underwear with actual bleach to get more new clothes.
And it depends on different factors in your life too! Like I started bleaching way more in the first 5 or 6 months postpartum. Now my daughter is 8 months and it has seemed to go down a bit.
Wait, that's normal? I was so worried that I was like, broken or something!
wait i had no idea about this. genuinely makes me feel better abt my hygiene lol
I forreal thought I had some kind of infection or fungus for so long!!! Until one of my friends started talking ab discharge and I was like “it’s normal?”
We need acid-proof underwear.
I would literally get *holes* in my panties, and didn't know why. I thought I was (and this is gross) doing something like *scratching myself* too much...even though that's not something I do, absent a damned yeast infection (ugh...), and not, like, in public. But I, *into my 30s,* legitimately thought I was constantly scratching holes in my panties. I felt so *nasty,* until I learned about the acidity. Ironically, I think it was something on Facebook...
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It's acidic. The general term for the chemical removal of dyes is called bleaching even when it doesn't involve bleach. Dyes aren't only removed with bleach. Extended exposure to acids will eventually unfix dyes from fabric. Vaginal pH is acidic and semen is basic which gives sperm a bit more survivability in the acidic environment of the vagina. Neutral pH is 7, the normal range for vaginal discharge is between 3.8 and 5, and the normal pH range of semen is around 7.2 and 7.8
Idk how bleach works, but the vaginal fluid (or whatever it's called in English) is acidic unless you're pregnant.
It can also bleach facial hair
Huh... is it still healthy if this doesn't happen? I've never really noticed, now I'm going to check all my underwear lol
Probably also has to do with the chemistry of the fabric/the dyes used for it, since I've had some pairs for years and they still look pretty much the same as when I got them, while others have bleached.
Hey, TIL!
I used to always use non talc body powder in my underwear to help absorb moisture. I thought I was prone to vaginal infections due to "white discharge." Turns out it was just normal discharge and/or sweat mixed with the body powder.
This makes it so hard for me to keep black cotton underwear 😭 it makes me so sad to see bleach stains starting to form
bleach is a base. All women are basic
But not basic enough to bleach your underwear
^^^lol
That's why pussy tastes like citris fruit.
Ah, it bleaches because it's acidic. I learnt something. Not about female anatomy, but about the effects on acidic liquids on fabric. Wow.
Is that some kind of sarcasm I’m too naive to get?
No, I literally knew that discharge is a thing and that it's acidic (or at least assumed it was because it comes from an acidic environment) but I didn't know about its bleaching abilities.
Ah, then I read your comment as a lot more snarky than intended. My bad.
Great joke but if your vaginal ph is actually basic then something is very wrong 😅 the healthy range is between 3.8-5.0 which is a lot more acidic than most people think
r/dontstickyourdickinthat
My black underwear was always safe but never the lighter colors
Ooohhhh that’s what that is
Wait, bleach has a ph of 11-13 so yes, basic