Vaginal Douches: Types to Know and Reasons to Avoid Them for Good

Vaginal infections are very common and often stubborn to deal with in women. It is common to express anxiety and concerns about vaginal infections especially if they are recurrent and come with embarrassing symptoms. However, are you aware that certain lifestyles or habits encourage the recurrence of these infections? Also, these infections can worsen over time and extend to different areas of your body if not controlled. Vaginal douches will be the major topic of this discussion.

Frequent washing of the vagina in an attempt to promote hygiene is one of the overlooked causes of vaginal infections. This is because the liquid used to wash the vagina known as vaginal douches, contains ingredients that can disrupt the vaginal flora and pH leading to devastating consequences. Read on to find out the various types of vagina douches and the dangers associated with it and other information that will help improve your vaginal health.

Types of Vaginal Douches

Douching is different from washing the outer part of the vagina (i.e. the vulva) when you take a bath. Rinsing the external area with water is not harmful to your body. Rather, washing the inside of the vagina with perfumed products is where the problem lies. Here are the different types of vaginal douches;

• Home-made solutions: You can find different recommendations on how to prepare vaginal cleansers at home. These recommended preparations usually contain vinegar, lemon or lime juice, baking soda, alum, etc. Although these ingredients are natural and typically harmless on their own, how they affect the vagina is another issue entirely.
• Cleansers and liquids: These can be found on different websites with ingredients like lactic acid, essential oils, lavender, etc. These are sweet-smelling compounds with a variety of benefits but might cause havoc on your vaginal flora.
• Fragrant soaps and wipes: This is commonly used as it is easily obtainable. It contains a variety of ingredients including glycerin. Glycerin is a natural compound that works as a moisture-retaining and lubricating agent. However, high concentrations can irritate the vagina or potentially increase the risk of infections.
• A variety of local herbs: This is the worst of them all because the ingredients are mostly unknown and are usually recommended by word of mouth. Not being sure of what you are using in the vagina is one of the most dangerous things you can do to your body.  

Dangers Associated With the Use of Vaginal Douches

Although vaginal douches have been touted to confer different benefits. These include achieving a pleasant-smelling vagina, providing relief from itching, tightening the vagina, etc. It is crucial to know that vaginal douches do not prevent sexually-transmitted infections or pregnancy. That being said, here are the dangers associated with the use of vaginal douches;

• Increases vaginal dryness and disrupts vaginal pH
• Encourages the growth and multiplication of harmful organisms and yeast
• Can increase the risk of bacterial vaginosis
• Increases the likelihood of developing pelvic inflammatory disease (PIDs). This can lead to severe complications in the long run and can cause ectopic pregnancy and fertility problems.
• Possible risk of developing cervical or ovarian cancer
• It can lead to early labor and low birth weight in pregnant women.
• Can trigger the onset of sexually transmitted infections and cervicitis

Healthier Alternatives to Maintaining Vaginal Health

Scrubbing the vagina like your life depends on it doesn’t make you a clean person because you could be causing more harm than good. Therefore, the following are healthier alternatives to maintaining the health of your vagina;

• If you must, gently rinse the outer genital area with warm water and avoid internal washing or cleaning.
• The vagina is a self-cleansing and maintaining oven on its own so you don’t need to look for a variety of products to make it clean.
• Use high-quality probiotics for women: It is crucial to ensure the vaginal pH is maintained to avoid encouraging the growth of pathogens that can cause harm. NATURE’SFIELD ONCE DAILY VAGINAL CARE PROBIOTICS will help restore your vaginal flora with yeast digesting enzyme complex that reduces the growth and proliferation of yeast.
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle: this includes eating a balanced diet, being adequately hydrated, and practicing safety to lower the risk of contracting STIs.
• Change tampons and pads as regularly as possible and avoid using scented versions of these products.

Anything that’s being inserted into your vagina should come from the recommendation of your doctor and never randomly. Vaginal douching will not solve any vaginal issue but can mask the symptoms and make it difficult to detect the underlying cause. In the meantime, improve and maintain your vaginal health with NATURE’SFIELD ONCE DAILY VAGINAL PROBIOTICS and avoid disturbing the good bacteria that are protecting you in the vagina.