Should Women Douche? No!!!!!!!

One day I was watching TV with a friend, and there was a Summer’s Eve commercial. He said that douching is important to keep clean. I told him that there was no reason to douche, and that the vagina cleans it’s self. My friend argued with me, saying that his mom told him that you were more likely to get STDs when women didn’t douche. While I was listening to my friend’s argument, I thought “why do women douche, and why women shouldn’t douche?”  So I decided to do some research and here is what I found.

History about Douching

                

1.   Originally douching was used as a birth control method, when birth control products were illegal.  However, current research dispels this idea.

2. Douching products were used to sell to women just so companies can make money, and to encourage women to clean the vagina, not for medical reasons.

3. Commercials used scare tactics to convince women to buy their product, such as your partner having no interest when your vaginal area was smelly.

 Reasons not to Douche

1.   There is no medical reason to douche.

2. More at risk to get Bacterial Vaginosis, which is a change in the Ph. Of the vagina. The cause of the change in Ph. is when abnormal bacteria outnumber the normal bacteria.  Symptoms of bacterial vaginosis include an increase in discharge that is usually white and thin.  It can create an odor that is described as fishy.  Sometimes it can cause lower pelvic pain.

3. Douching can cause bacteria to be pushed up to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, which could cause pelvic inflammatory disease.

4. The vagina cleans its self by making mucous to clean out blood, discharge, and semen.

5. It’s a myth that douching prevents STDs after having sex, and can possibly increase your risk.

6. It’s a myth that douching after sex prevents pregnancy, and can increase your risk by forcing sperm, that may have stayed in the vagina, upwards into the uterus furthering their journey.

7.  A slight odor of the vagina is normal.

If you have questions, ask your doctor about douching or you can send us a question and a certified nurse practitioner will answer you personally.