david-david
Member
No matter how many times medical professionals tell us not to douche, people still insist it’s fine. Our moms told us it was fine. And her mom told her it was fine. And her mom’s vulva burned a little bit but she was mostly fine, too.
But it was only the past few decades that douching was marketed primarily for “freshness.” Since ancient times, people with vaginas primarily douched as a form of birth control. (Warning: It doesn’t prevent pregnancy.)
Douching involves flushing the inside of the vagina with fluid, often squirted from a bottle, bag or tube. Ancient women across many cultures douched with honey, olive oil, or even wine in an effort to prevent pregnancy. It was common for medieval prostitutes to douche between clients, as STIs were rampant. (Warning: It doesn’t prevent infection.)
The sexist, toxic history of douching
“You ever get that not-at-all-necessary feeling down there?”
The sexist, toxic history of douching – Timeline
Many health-care professionals state that douching is dangerous, as it interferes with both the vagina's normal self-cleaning and with the natural bacterial culture of the vagina, and it might spread or introduce infections. Douching is implicated in a wide variety of dangers, including: adverse pregnancy outcomes including ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight, preterm labor, preterm birth, and chorioamnionitis; serious gynecologic outcomes, including increased risk of cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, and increased risk for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; it also predisposes women to develop bacterial vaginosis (BV),[4] which is further associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.[5] Due to this, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strongly discourages douching, citing the risks of irritation, bacterial vaginosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Frequent douching with water may result in an imbalance of the pH of the vagina, and thus may put women at risk for possible vaginal infections, especially yeast infections.
Douching after intercourse is estimated to reduce the chances of conception by only 15–25%.[citation needed] In comparison, proper condom use reduces the chance of conception by as much as 97%. In some cases douching may force the ejaculate further into the vagina, increasing the chance of pregnancy. A review of studies by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (N.Y.) showed that women who douched regularly and later became pregnant had higher rates of ectopic pregnancy, infections, and low birth weight infants than women who only douched occasionally or who never douched
Douche - Wikipedia
But it was only the past few decades that douching was marketed primarily for “freshness.” Since ancient times, people with vaginas primarily douched as a form of birth control. (Warning: It doesn’t prevent pregnancy.)
Douching involves flushing the inside of the vagina with fluid, often squirted from a bottle, bag or tube. Ancient women across many cultures douched with honey, olive oil, or even wine in an effort to prevent pregnancy. It was common for medieval prostitutes to douche between clients, as STIs were rampant. (Warning: It doesn’t prevent infection.)
The sexist, toxic history of douching
“You ever get that not-at-all-necessary feeling down there?”
The sexist, toxic history of douching – Timeline
Many health-care professionals state that douching is dangerous, as it interferes with both the vagina's normal self-cleaning and with the natural bacterial culture of the vagina, and it might spread or introduce infections. Douching is implicated in a wide variety of dangers, including: adverse pregnancy outcomes including ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight, preterm labor, preterm birth, and chorioamnionitis; serious gynecologic outcomes, including increased risk of cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, and increased risk for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; it also predisposes women to develop bacterial vaginosis (BV),[4] which is further associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.[5] Due to this, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strongly discourages douching, citing the risks of irritation, bacterial vaginosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Frequent douching with water may result in an imbalance of the pH of the vagina, and thus may put women at risk for possible vaginal infections, especially yeast infections.
Douching after intercourse is estimated to reduce the chances of conception by only 15–25%.[citation needed] In comparison, proper condom use reduces the chance of conception by as much as 97%. In some cases douching may force the ejaculate further into the vagina, increasing the chance of pregnancy. A review of studies by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (N.Y.) showed that women who douched regularly and later became pregnant had higher rates of ectopic pregnancy, infections, and low birth weight infants than women who only douched occasionally or who never douched
Douche - Wikipedia
