“Cleanliness is godliness,” there is no doubt, but the question is where and how.
Vaginal douching refers to intravaginal cleansing using water or a mix of antibacterial products.
Vaginal douching is a common practice among American women, African-American women, and Hispanic women. 50-70 percent of women douche within the US at least once a day or two to three times a week.
Motives for Vaginal Douching
Women douche for many reasons, including
- Personal hygiene.
- Aesthetic reasons.
- To cleanse after menstruation.
- Treatment or prevention of vaginal symptoms like itching and discharge.
- To feel clean before sexual intercourse.
- After sex to prevent pregnancy.
- To stop the foul odor from getting worse.
Is Vaginal Douching Safe?
There have been numerous conflicting views about the benefits and harms of douching so far.
However, numerous studies and health officials are against douching and recommend avoiding it.
The National Women’s Health Information Centre provides a fact sheet that states douching can make women more susceptible to getting Reproductive Tract Infections, STDs, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and Ectopic Pregnancies.
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Benefits of Vaginal Douching
Many studies indicate that vaginal douching causes more harmful effects compared with the few benefits it confers.
In a study conducted in 1995, Douching with povidone-iodine in women who had abnormal vaginal ecology due to vaginal yeast infection was found beneficial and helped return the vaginal ecology to normal values.
Vinegar douches could be beneficial for treating some vaginal infections.
A Tetridamine vaginal lavage, twice daily for seven days, reduced or eliminated all inflammation symptoms such as burning and leucorrhea in women with vulvovaginitis and cervicitis.
However, vaginal douching is not recommended and is clearly not indicated for routine vaginal hygiene.
Read our post on Vaginal Hygiene Do’s & Dont’s
Harms of Vaginal Douching
Frequent douching may cause several adverse effects, such as
- Bacterial vaginosis
- Cervical cancer
- Ectopic pregnancy
- A low birth weight
- Preterm birth
- Human immunodeficiency virus transmission
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis
- Infertility
Douching can disturb the normal vaginal flora and may also increase the growth of other harmful pathogens.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases affirms that Douching is associated with pelvic inflammatory disease and causes vaginal irritation and vaginitis.
Vaginal Douching and Bacterial Vaginosis
Douching is associated with Bacterial Vaginosis; however, the causation remains unclear.
In the study conducted by Holzman and co, vaginal douching for the last two months may increase the risk of contracting the bacterial Vaginosis.
Douching in general or with soap solution may cause BV.
Vaginal Douching and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The majority of sexually transmitted infections are unnoticed and not correctly diagnosed. STDs like Gonorrhea and Chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory diseases.
For adolescents who douched monthly or more frequently, there was a higher prevalence of chlamydia.
Vaginal Douching and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a prevalent problem worldwide and in the United States.
In the United States alone, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease affects over 1 million women, and 75% of them are younger than 25 years.
Vaginal Douching may potentially increase the risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease by carrying the lower genital tract infections to the upper genital tract and changing the vaginal environment.
Vaginal Douching after menses was a significant risk factor for pelvic inflammatory disease.
Vaginal Douching and Infertility
Vaginal douching decreases the fertility rate in women by increasing vulnerability to infections. This is more pronounced in younger women than in older women.
Ectopic Pregnancy and Vaginal Douching
Ectopic pregnancy refers to the fertilization of an egg outside a uterine cavity. Research has shown that VD increases the risk of ectopic pregnancies by 70%.
Cervical Cancer and Vaginal Douching
Cervical cancer is the 3rd most prevalent cancer worldwide.
Tar-based vaginal douching products may be one such cofactor of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is twice as high among African-American women as among White women, as are douching rates.
Several studies suggest a positive relationship between the frequency of douching and cervical cancer risk.
Words for Women
The suggestion is that when a woman experiences vaginal discharge or any associated symptoms, one must consult a gynecologist before douching or taking any medication on their own.
Sexually active women should not douche since it removes the natural bacteria ecological system inside the vagina that may increase the chance of developing an STD.
In conclusion, vaginal douching is highly not recommended due to its severe adverse effects on health.
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What to do Instead of Douching
- Vagina has an innate self-defense mechanism to protect itself from various infections by maintaining the acidic pH (3-4) and colonizing good bacteria (mostly lactobacilli). A slight disturbance in the vaginal pH can affect the total protective environment of the vagina, so be aware of what gets inside your vagina. So, don’t disturb it.
- One can clean the outside areas of the vagina using lukewarm water.
- Eat healthy foods and drink enough water.
- Sleep well and take an afternoon nap for just 30 to 40 minutes.
- Change Sanitary napkins frequently during menstruation and panties after exercise.
- Aerobic exercises confer many health benefits, so walk or jog twice a day for at least 30 mins.
1. Vaginal Douching: Evidence for Risks or Benefits to Women’s Health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2567125/
2.Brief Report on Factors Associated with Frequent Vaginal Douching Among Alternative School Youth
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2083649/
3.Vaginal Douching Among Latinas: Practices and Meaning
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18297379/
4.Effect of vaginal douching on vaginal flora and genital infection
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7075398/
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