Vaginal Douche
(Douching)

• What is douching?
• Why do women douche?
• How common is douching?
• Is douching safe?
• What are the dangers linked to douching?
• Should I douche to clean inside my vagina?
• What is the best way to clean my vagina?
• My vagina has a terrible odor, can douching help?
• Should I douche to get rid of vaginal discharge, pain, itching, or burning?
• Can douching after sex prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?
• Can douching after sex stop me from getting pregnant?
• Can douching hurt my chances of having a healthy pregnancy?

What is douching?

The word "douche" means to wash or soak in French. Douching is washing or cleaning out the vagina (also called the birth canal) with water or other mixtures of fluids. Usually douches are prepackaged mixes of water and vinegar, baking soda, or iodine. Women can buy these products at drug and grocery stores. The mixtures usually come in a bottle and can be squirted into the vagina through a tube or nozzle.

Why do women douche?

Women douche because they mistakenly believe it gives many benefits. In reality, douching may do more harm than good. Common reasons women give for using douches include:

• to clean the vagina
• to rinse away blood after monthly periods
• to get rid of odors from the vagina
• to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
• to prevent pregnancy

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• Natural Methods of Birth Control - Natural methods of birth control are non-mechanical and non-hormonal. They are also considered fertility awareness methods and there are a variety of choices for natural birth control.
• Yeast Infection - Learn about vaginal yeast infection symptoms like vaginal burning, itching, soreness discharge, and pain during sex and urination. Treatment information is included in the information.
• LEEP (Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure) - Learn about Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), a procedure done to remove abnormal tissues of the cervix. LEEP is used to treat mild to moderate dysplasia.

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