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

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

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. Source:MedicineNet Urinary Tract Infection In Adults - Read about urinary tract infection (UTI) causes (in men, women), symptoms, treatment (antibiotic medicine), recurrent bladder infection prevention (cranberry) and FAQ. Source:Government Bacterial Vaginosis - Learn about bacterial vaginosis, an infection which symptoms include an odorous vaginal discharge. The vaginal odor may be fish like, and grey in color. Treatment is necessary with antibiotics. Source:MedicineNet Read 13 more Vaginal Douche (Douching) related articles ... So Much to Do, So Little Sleep Head Injuries All Too Common in Summer Play Health Tip: The Word on Wisdom Teeth Health Tip: Make Exercise a Daily Habit New Source of Heart Stem Cells Found Health Highlights: June 23, 2008 Poorer Patients Have Poorer Survival After Cancer Diagnosis One Gene May Be Key to Myeloma Crocodile Babies Cry Out for Hatching Immune Molecule Key to Preventing Organ Rejection