Sure, sex is amazing, incredible, wonderful, and sometimes firework-inducing. But there are things that you should and shouldn’t be doing afterwards.
Don’t let this put you off, however. It’s merely a way in which to always keep safe, and to feel your best as you bathe in your post-orgasmic bliss.
Now’s the time to live your best and healthiest sex life!
30 Things You Should and Shouldn’t Be Doing After Sex
Allow us to paint a picture for you: you’re lying next to your partner after a euphoric bout of play. You feel as though you want to be there forever, in a cloud of all of those happy hormones, resting and relaxing with a smile on your face (or maybe you want to run away as soon as possible, we don’t judge).
Either way, doing so isn’t actually what’s best for you.
With that, we’ll take you through the things you should and shouldn’t be doing after sex so that you can still benefit from all those smiles while staying happy and healthy.
15 Things You Should Be Doing After Sex
Let’s make this as easy as possible for you, like a checklist, shall we say?
- Wash your intimate area: it doesn’t have to be immediately, but soon after to protect you from infections.
- Pee! When you have sex, bacteria can get into your urethra, which can increase the chances of infections, such as a UTI (urinary tract infection).
- Drink water: being hydrated in general is good for you, but it’ll also prompt you to pee sooner, flushing out any possible bacteria.
- Wear loose-fitted clothing (or no clothing): when you wear tight clothes after sex, it’s the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and yeast to thrive.
- Wash your hands: just like your intimate parts, washing your hands will get rid of bacteria you may have picked up if you’ve touched your partner’s genitals.
- Clean all sex toys: if you’ve had an adventurous session using sex toys, make sure to wash them all post-sex so that bacteria, fungi, and viruses don’t linger.
- Be self-aware: in the following days after sex, be mindful if you feel a little different down there, for example itching, which could be a sign of a yeast infection.
- Get tested: this is up to you, but if you were recently with a new partner or you didn’t use protection, you could get yourself tested for STIs and/or HIV.
- Take a cranberry supplement if you’re prone to UTIs: cranberries have a substance in them called proanthocyanidins, which might help prevent UTI-causing bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder and other urinary tract linings.
- Eat probiotic-rich foods: replenish your body with foods that have the good kind of bacteria, such as yoghurt, kimchi, or kombucha.
- Clean up: treating your surrounds like your body is a great way for both partners to really enjoy each other’s company after sex.
Some additional things you could do after sex that’ll make a big difference:
- Going for round two: if the first time was a charm, round two could be even better.
- Eat! Why not enjoy a meal together post-sex?
- Cuddle: cuddling lets your partner know that you’re not simply discarding them after sex and it boosts the bonding hormone, oxytocin, which will make both of you feel even better.
- Connect emotionally: you could talk about how you’re both feeling, as well as the things you liked during your sexual encounter.
15 Things You Shouldn’t Be Doing After Sex
Another checklist of things you shouldn’t be doing after sex? Check!
- Douche, for women: when you douche, it upsets the natural pH of the vagina and the balance of bacteria. In fact, no soap or cleaning product should be placed inside of the vagina, ever, as it is self-cleaning.
- Use perfumed or scented products on your genitals: these kinds of soaps and scented products kill bacteria (including the good bacteria) and could create irritation.
- Use wet wipes ‘down there’: a lot of general wet wipes are made with harmful chemicals and preservatives.
- Take a long bath, for women: having a bath is a luxurious and lovely experience, but if you do it after sex it could be harmful for you. This is because the vulva can swell after sexual stimulation, leading to the opening of the vagina, making it vulnerable to infection.
- Throw away a condom before you’ve checked it: during sex, the condom could have broken, which could lead to a spread of STIs/HIV or possible pregnancy.
- Ignore post-sex bleeding or pain: it could be nothing, but for your sexual health, it’s advised not to ignore bleeding or pain after sex.
- Wait too long for the morning after pill, if you need it, for women: the morning after pill is more effective the sooner you take it. After unprotected or risky sex, there is a three-day window in which to take the morning after pill.
- Engage in a serious conversation: many people feel relaxed after sex, especially when an orgasm is involved. Engaging in serious conversations after sex is usually not the best time to do so.
- Divulge information that should have been said before sex: if there is something important that a partner should know before sex, such as any STIs, they should be informed before intimacy, not after.
- Be physically distant: no one wants to feel discarded or disrespected after an intimate act.
- Be overly critical: after sex, many feel their most vulnerable, making it one of the worst times to be critical of a partner (especially about their performance).
Some additional things you probably shouldn’t do after sex that’ll make a big difference:
- Grab your phone: just like physical distance can feel like rejection, if one grabs their phone or turns on the TV immediately after sex, it can feel degrading.
- Roll over and go to sleep: another way to make a partner feel unimportant or discarded would be if you rolled over to sleep immediately after sex.
- Tell a partner to leave: after sharing an intimate moment together, asking a partner to leave immediately can be very hurtful and degrading.
- Immediately leaving to take a shower or do other activities: while it is important to clean yourself after sex, jumping up immediately and leaving a partner post-sex can be upsetting for them. Take a moment to engage in a bit of rest, physical comfort, or conversation before doing other things.
And there you have it, 30 things you should and shouldn’t do after sex! Here’s to happy, healthy, and incredible intimacy!