A Disturbing New Study About The Dangers Of Vaginal Douching and 4 More Reasons You Shouldn’t

Douching has always confused me.

As a young girl I would often sneak into my mother’s bedroom and peak in her bedside table drawers, sneak into her closet and look in her lingerie drawers, and go into her bathroom and look under the sink in the cabinets.

Okay, I guess I was a bit of a snoop.

I have a vivid memory of seeing this pink rubber ice pack that had some sort of tube connected to it.

I was completely confused since I never saw her use it, even when I fell down and hurt my knee and actually needed one.

I am beyond grateful that I was never industrious enough to try and fill that bag with ice and walk around with it when I bumped my head.

Although less popular than it was twenty-five years ago, estimates show that about one in four women between ages 15 and 44 still douche.

I am often being asked by patients about douching

“To Douche or Not to Douche…that is the question.”

No, you shouldn’t douche. That’s the answer. And here are the reasons why:

1.A new study published in the journal Environmental Health has linked women that douche with having increased levels of Phthalates in their urine.

Phthalates are industrial chemicals that can adversely impact human health by altering the action of hormones in the body. They have been associated with reproductive problems for men and women. There have also been links in animal studies showing behavioral and developmental problems in offspring due to exposure in the womb.

The National Institutes of Health says that while the human health effects of phthalates aren’t yet fully known, they’re actively being studied by several government groups.

2.Douching can lead to vaginal infections.

The vagina is a self-cleaner, and the self-cleaning relies on the environment of the vag staying in its perfect pH balance. And that occurs when all of the good bacteria are in balance with the bad bacteria. So the number one bad thing that douching can do is wipe out the good guys. And then the next thing you know, the pH balance is off and bad bacteria and yeast can overgrow, causing an infection.

3.If you have an STD it could turn into a life threatening infection.

Another bad thing douching can do is that if you have an STD—say Gonorrhea or Chlamydia—the force of the douche water can shoot the bacteria into the uterus and tubes, further causing a risk for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, a much more severe infection.

4.Douching can simply irritate the lining of the vagina.

This may cause pain and irritation. Many women have made the mistake of having irritation, maybe from a yeast infection, maybe from something simpler like soap or their clothes irritating their skin, and then they continue to make matters worst by shooting vinegar douche water on already inflamed vaginal walls.

5.Douching has also been linked to decreased fertility in women that douche once a week or more. Makes sense—by douching you are throwing off the pH balance that the sperm like to survive in and likely also just washing them out. With that said, douching is not an effective form of birth control! Total misconception. If you bank on douching you may as well bank on jumping up and down ten times.

A lot of women douche because they smell an odor or feel like something is off down there. If you smell something that just ain’t right, talk to your doctor, you may have something that needs to be treated. If you like the idea of freshening up down there, there are some vaginal soaps that are okay to use, but really should only be done externally. Overall, the vag is really something better left alone in terms of cleansing, so leave that bag under the sink.

Or fill it with ice, it likely would serve you better.