Vaginal Douching: Normal or Harmful?

Unaware of the possible impact of douching on health & body, more than 40% of women in the US use a vaginal douche on a regular basis. The case is especially high in teens and women in their early 20s. These women believe to be clean and feel fresh after douching.

Some women even believe that douching can help them prevent pregnancy if they did it after sexual intercourse. Contrarily, women’s healthcare experts do not encourage such thinking and suggest strictly avoiding douching.

This blog aims to clear all doubts of women regarding vaginal douching.

What Is Douching?

Literally speaking, douche means to wash. Douching is when you wash out your vagina. Most women typically wash their vagina with water and vinegar mixture. Some of the douches that you see in supermarkets may be scented and have antiseptics. In some regions, douching could also mean simply washing the vagina thoroughly.

Following are the advantages of douching:

It makes you feel cleaner.

  • There aren’t any other major benefits of douching apart from making you feel clean and hygienic.

Following are the disadvantages of douching:

  • Douching makes the vagina prone to infections, primarily bacterial vaginosis.
  • Your vagina has a pH level which is called vaginal flora. It has a natural balance which encourages the growth of favorable bacteria. Douching can disturb its balance making it prone to infection.
  • Infections due to douching can also increase the risks of premature birth or the spread of STIs.
  • Douching is said to be one of the causes of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. PID is a type of disease wherein there’s an infection to the ovary, fallopian tubes or the uterus.
  • Frequent douching could also lead to pregnancy complications. In a recent survey conducted, it was found that women who douche regularly were facing difficulties in conceiving. The chances of ectopic pregnancy due to douching cannot be neglected.
  • Women’s healthcare expert suggest that frequent douching with scented soaps and other material can increase the risks of developing cervical cancer. Though there’s no strong evidence on this point, the disease could be linked with douching habit.

Should you douche?

Most women prefer douching due to the vaginal odor that they may have. However, douching should strictly be avoided. Women should note that vaginal odor is not something one should get rid of as it is a normal thing. However, if you come across any strong bad odor, you should visit a doctor and should not try to douche to get rid of it. This could be a sign of infection and douching may not help.