The word "douche" means to wash or soak in French. Douching is washing or
cleaning out the vagina (birth canal) with water or other mixtures of fluids.
Most douches are prepackaged mixes of water and vinegar, baking soda, or iodine.
You 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. Women
who douche say they do it to:
Douching is common among women in the United States. It's estimated that 20
to 40 percent of American women 15 to 44 years old douche regularly. About half
of these women douche each week. Higher rates of douching are seen in teens,
African-American women, and Hispanic women.
Is douching safe?
Most doctors and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(ACOG) recommend that women don't douche. Douching can change the delicate
balance of vaginal flora (organisms that live in the vagina) and acidity in a
healthy vagina. One way to look at it is in a healthy vagina there are both good
and bad bacteria. The balance of the good and bad bacteria help maintain an
acidic environment. Any changes can cause an over growth of bad bacteria which
can lead to a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. Plus, if you have a
vaginal infection, douching can push the bacteria causing the infection up into
the uterus, fallopian (fuh-LOH-pee-uhn) tubes, and ovaries.
Yeast vaginitis is a yeast infection of the vagina. Symptoms include itching, burning, soreness, pain during intercourse and urination, and vaginal discharge. Yeast infections can be treated with over-the-counter and prescription medications.
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of the kidney, ureter, bladder, and/or urethra. Not
everyone with a UTI has symptoms. Common symptoms include a frequent urge to
urinate and a painful, burning when urinating.
Bacterial vaginosis is an abnormal vaginal condition that is characterized by vaginal discharge resulting from an overgrowth of normal bacteria in the vagina. Although it may cause some disturbing symptoms (discharge and odor), it is not dangerous and cannot be passed by sex. Diagnosis becomes important to exclude serious infections like gonorrhea and Chlamydia. Many treatment options are available such as oral antibiotics and vaginal gels.
An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy located outside the inner lining of the uterus. The majority of ectopic pregnancies occur in the Fallopian tube. Symptoms include abdominal pain, amenorrhea, and vaginal bleeding. Treatment options include observation, medication, or surgery.
Sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs,
are infections that are transmitted during any type of sexual exposure,
including intercourse (vaginal or anal), oral sex, and the sharing of sexual
devices, such as vibrators. Women can contract all of the STDs, but may have no symptoms, or have different symptoms than men do.
Normal vaginal bleeding (menorrhea) occurs through the process of menstruation. Abnormal vaginal bleeding in women who are ovulating regularly most commonly involves excessive, frequent, irregular, or decreased bleeding. Causes of abnormal may arise from a variety of conditions.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is the most common and serious complication of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), aside from AIDS, among women. The signs and symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease include: fever, vaginal discharge with a foul odor, abdominal pain, including pain during intercourse, and irregular vaginal bleeding. Pelvic inflammatory disease can scar the Fallopian tubes, ovaries, and related structures and lead to ectopic pregnancies, infertility, chronic pelvic pain, and other serious consequences. Pelvic inflammatory disease treatment includes several types of antibiotics.
Vaginitis is any type of vaginal infection or inflammation. The six most common types of vaginitis are Candida (yeast infections), bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis vaginitis, chlamydia vaginitis, viral vaginitis, and noninfectious vaginitis. Symptoms include itching, burning, and abnormal vaginal discharge. Treatment is different for each type of vaginitis.
Infertility is the diminished ability to conceive a child. The primary cause of infertility in men is a sperm disorder. In women, the primary cause of infertility is an ovulation disorder. Most forms of infertility can be treated. Conventional infertility therapies include drugs or surgery.
Pregnancy planning is important to help prevent exposure of the mother and fetus to potentially harmful medications and substances during the early days, and throughout the pregnancy. Nutritional planning, prevention of birth defects, conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease need careful monitoring. Gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and pregnancy induced hypertension are conditions that may arise during pregnancy. Immunizations, inherited disorders, exercise, air travel, intercourse, and birth control are important factors to consider when planning a pregnancy.
There are a number of different methods of birth control to include: barrier methods, IUDs, hormonal methods, natural methods, and surgical sterilization. Birth control methods can be reversible or permanent. In simple terms, all methods of birth control are based on either preventing a man's sperm from reaching and entering a woman's egg (fertilization) or preventing the fertilized egg from implanting in the woman's uterus (her womb) and starting to grow.
When you are pregnant, many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be especially harmful to you and your baby. These STDs include herpes, HIV/AIDS, genital warts (HPV), hepatitis B, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. Symptoms include bumps, sores, warts, swelling, itching, or redness in the genital region. Treatment of STDs while pregnant depends on how far along you are in the pregnancy and the progression of the infection.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an infection of a woman's pelvic
organs including the uterus (womb), Fallopian tubes (tubes), ovaries, and
cervix.
Pelvic inflammatory disease develops as the result of spread of a
sexually transmitted disease.
Most cases of pelvic inflammatory disease are caused by
gonorrhea and/or
Chlamydia.
Young, sexually active women with multiple sex partners are at greatest
risk for pelvic inflammatory disease .
Pelvic inflammatory disease many not produce any symptoms. In other cases it can cause
fever,
abdominal or pelvic pain, vaginal discharge, painful urination, or painful
sexual intercourse.
Pelvic inflammatory disease is treated with antibiotics.
Complications of untreated pelvic inflammatory disease&...
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