When you're sick, you're probably not thinking about your vagina. Chances are, trying to squeeze in a doctor visit and figuring out which show to binge while you're laying low in bed are higher on your list of priorities. But a surprising number of seemingly unrelated health issues can show up in your vagina—from stress to dehydration to the common cold, the flu, or a fever.
How your vagina is affected when you're sick depends on a few key things: your body, what you've come down with, and what meds you're taking to treat it. Here are the most common ways your vagina can change when you get sick, according to experts.
Dehydration
Any sickness that dehydrates you will also dehydrate your vagina, explains Peter Rizk, M.D. an ob-gyn specializing in fertility at Fairhaven Health. That means you may not get as wet as usual during sex (if you feel up to having it), so lube could be extra important. It also means you might see less of the vaginal discharge that normally shows up on your underwear throughout the day. When you're sick, it's even more important to hydrate—especially if you want to keep things slick down there.
Extra discharge
On the flip side, if you have a viral infection, things could go the other way down south. Part of the immune system's response to any viral infection, such as a flu or cold, is to make the blood vessels more permeable, leading to an increase in all secretions containing white blood cells. And that doesn't just mean blood: Your vaginal discharge actually contains a bunch of white blood cells, which help keep the vagina's bacteria and yeast levels balanced, says Candace Howe, M.D., a board-certified ob-gyn in California.
If you take medicine, however, it could cancel out that effect, Dr. Howe says. Decongestants, antihistamines such as Benadryl, and mucus-reducing meds like guaifenesin can dry up your body's mucus membranes—including those in your vagina.
Yeast infections
If you're taking antibiotics, they can have their own effects on your lady bits. In the process of killing the bacteria that's causing your infection, they can also kill healthy vaginal bacteria, which can increase your risk for bacterial infections like yeast infections and vaginitis, says Yvonne Bohn, M.D., an ob-gyn in California.
This bacterial issue can last long after your original infection is over, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine. "Even if you took antibiotics a few weeks [ago], you could still show up with a yeast infection related to the antibiotics," she says. Dr. Bohn's recommendation: Take a probiotic to keep vaginal infections at bay, especially if you're on antibiotics.
Irregular bleeding
Another issue Dr. Minkin points to is vaginal bleeding. Some women who get medically-prescribed steroid injections for joint problems will experience "funky irregular bleeding related to the steroid injection," she says. If this happens to you, check in with your gyno and make sure to bring up any recent steroid treatments in the process.
The good news is, any changes that happen to your vagina while you're sick will likely pass along with the illness. If they don't, there may be a separate issue causing trouble. If anything seems off or different from your norm, it's worth a chat with your doctor.
