When you wrap up a tough workout, you’re probably more tempted to sit and take a load off instead of booking it to the shower. And sometimes that leads to heading home, running errands, etc.—all in your sweaty workout gear.
While it’s admittedly kind of gross (no judgment), is spending an hour or two in your sweaty underwear going to do any damage below the belt?
Vulvovaginal expert Jen Gunter, M.D., a San Francisco Bay Area ob-gyn, says it’s not bad for the inside of your vagina, but it could mess with your vulva (i.e., the external part of your vagina). “Some women can feel irritated on their vulva from wet workout clothes, and so…changing is probably ideal,” she says.
Board-certified ob-gyn Pari Ghodsi, M.D., agrees. "You should ideally change as soon as possible after working out in tight fitting clothing," she says. Otherwise, she says, the sweaty clothes can cause all kinds of below-the-belt irritations.
You may have heard that you’ll get a yeast infection from hanging out in sweaty workout gear, but Gunter says that’s not the case. “The ‘typical’ yeast infection we think about is inside the vagina and this due to the normal yeast that overgrows because the vaginal bacteria (the good bacteria) isn't controlling it,” she explains.
However, she notes, women can also get yeast in their groin, a jock itch-like condition known as intertrigo, that’s usually accompanied by a rash. Intertrigo can be brought on or exacerbated by moisture and friction (like that caused by your post-workout undies). If you’ve had it before, Gunter recommends being more diligent about keeping that area dry after working out.
Notice things tend to get irritated down there but don’t have time for a full-on shower after working up a sweat? Gunter says towel-drying is really all you need in the short-term since “it’s the moisture that irritates, not the skin bacteria.”
But, if you’re not having any issues, Gunter says you can go ahead and hang out in your sweaty clothes all you’d like.
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