Despite plenty of evidence that shows it’s a very bad idea, studies suggest up to 25 per cent of women still douche. Now scientist say that as well as contributing to a variety of other problems, douching also doubles your risk of developing ovarian cancer.
The term douche refers to the age old practice of vaginal washing or rinsing. Women would use water, sometimes with added vinegar or baking soda to ‘clean’ the inside of their vagina in the misguided belief that it would reduce odour and prevent sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy.
In fact, douching destroys both the bad bacteria and the good bacteria, upsetting the delicate flora and fauna of the vagina and causing all kinds of problems, from yeast infections, vaginal discomfort and dryness to bacterial vaginosis and pelvic inflammatory disease.
Now the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has tied the practice to ovarian cancer. In a seven-year study of 50,000 women published in the journal Epidemiology, participants who douched were found to be twice as likely to develop cancer of the ovaries than those who did not.
Cancer of the ovary affects more than 315 women in Ireland each year, making it the fifth most common cancer among women after breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer and cancer of the uterus (womb). It’s most common in women who have had the menopause (usually over the age of 55), but it can affect women of any age.
“While most doctors and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly recommend that women do not douche, many women continue to douche because they falsely perceive douching to have positive health benefits, such as increased cleanliness,” Professor Joelle Brown told Reuters Health by email.
The take away? If you douche, stop immediately. The vagina is self-cleaning: no need to get involved.
