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Tracee Cornforth
Women's Health Blog

By Tracee Cornforth, About.com Guide to Women's Health

What To Know About Vaginal Douches

Tuesday October 20, 2009

A vaginal douche is a process of rinsing or cleaning the vagina by forcing water or another solution into the vaginal cavity to flush away vaginal discharge or other contents. Vaginal douches are available over-the-counter and are made in a variety of fragrances by several manufacturers; they are also available by prescription to treat certain conditions or prepare for certain procedures. Are vaginal douches a good thing?

Comments
November 1, 2009 at 9:21 am
(1) Megan says:

Excellent post, thanks!

November 1, 2009 at 5:47 pm
(2) Terri says:

I have to comment about vaginal douching. From a medical perspective, I can’t think of too many reasons a woman should ever douche. As an OB/GYN nurse practitioner, douching washes away the “good” bacteria, leading to an overgrowth of ‘other’ bacteria. Many times, this will result in a condition of the vagina called Bacterial vaginosis…causes a vaginal discharge with odor, particularly about the time of menses and intercourse.
Women are self-cleaning…we do not need to douche.

November 3, 2009 at 12:33 pm
(3) ogechi says:

I think it’s important for a woman to douche in other to remain clean and fresh. Women have very sensitive skin which easily gets irritated and douching with ‘water’ is one of the best ways to stay clean, leaving you with an odorless vaginal.

November 3, 2009 at 12:47 pm
(4) Lisa says:

I totally agree with Terri – women are designed to be self-cleaning …down there. I have lived on and off with
yeast infections and Candida troubles for years and learned the hard way that douching as a cleaning method does more harm than good. Especially, the drug store perfumed ones.

November 10, 2009 at 5:01 pm
(5) lucy says:

i totally agree with terri,i dnt like douching it causes more harm than good.i had a bad experience i will advise other women to stop douching.

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