{"id":16256,"date":"2019-10-29T13:54:03","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T12:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=16256"},"modified":"2019-10-29T13:54:03","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T12:54:03","slug":"the-dangers-of-douching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Douching: Protecting Your Natural pH"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re the proud owner of a vagina, you have given a thought to how you should be best keeping it clean and healthy. And, if you\u2019ve spent any time in the public school system, you\u2019ve probably heard the word \u2018douche\u2019 thrown around. What is a douche exactly?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, we\u2019re here to tell you that while a \u2018douche\u2019 doesn\u2019t just refer to the guy that snaps people\u2019s bra straps, you should probably keep them both away from your vagina.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Vaginal Douche?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The word \u2018douche\u2019 literally comes from the French word for \u2018shower\u2019 and it means to wash the vagina (that is, the inside part, not the vulva) with water or a mixture of other liquids. There are plenty of \u2018home-recipes\u2019 for vaginal douches using everything from vinegar to baking soda to peroxide (yikes).<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also quite a few products marketed for the purpose sold in drug stores. It\u2019s estimated that some 1 in 5 American women douche\u2014but here\u2019s why doctors don’t recommend it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is Douching Dangerous?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Your vagina is a host to a delicate balance of good and bad bacteria (called vaginal flora) and has a specific pH when healthy. Using douches can not only upset this ideal acidity, but can also cause more harmful bacteria to grow. This can cause bacterial vaginosis or yeast infections, which can then also spread to other parts of your reproductive organs. <\/span><\/p>\n

It can even lead to <\/span>pelvic inflammatory disease<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even water, which has a pH of 7, is more basic than your <\/span>vagina\u2019s normal acidic state<\/span><\/a>. We aren\u2019t going to get into what \u2018basic\u2019 behavior is or isn\u2019t (we love a PSL) but when it comes to your vagina, between 3.8 and 4.5 is healthy!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So How Do I Clean My Vagina?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The good news is\u2014you don\u2019t! Your vagina does its own self-cleaning, which accounts for some of the <\/span>vaginal discharge<\/span><\/a> you see throughout the month. It\u2019s recommended that you just stick to warm water for cleaning your vulva, and let your vagina handle the rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re worried about odor, then talk to your doctor, as this could be a sign of infection. And, it\u2019s possible that you\u2019re just noticing totally normal vagina scent! Really, when someone asks \u2018what is a douche,\u2019 the shorter answer can be \u2018a product marketed to make us feel bad for our natural bodies.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

Leave the flowery chemicals out of your vagina and embrace its amazing abilities to keep things running smoothly!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re the proud owner of a vagina, you have given a thought to how you should be best keeping it clean and healthy. And, if you\u2019ve spent any time…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":16257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Vaginal Douching, and is it Safe?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you find yourself wondering what douche actually is, and whether you should be using a vaginal douche, stop for a minute and read this first!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lane Baumeister\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lane Baumeister\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3dc66dab50f58270d3f169e5d2fc8136\"},\"headline\":\"The Dangers of Douching: Protecting Your Natural pH\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-29T12:54:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-29T12:54:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/\"},\"wordCount\":431,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Women's Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/\",\"name\":\"What is Vaginal Douching, and is it Safe?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-29T12:54:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-29T12:54:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"If you find yourself wondering what douche actually is, and whether you should be using a vaginal douche, stop for a minute and read this first!\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/the-dangers-of-douching\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Intimina\",\"description\":\"A Health and Wellness Resource for Women\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Intimina\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/INTIMINA_logo-02.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/INTIMINA_logo-02.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":543,\"caption\":\"Intimina\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intimina\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intimina\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/intimina\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/intimina\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCR_3_GPO6pkhDiFU9TZRdYA\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3dc66dab50f58270d3f169e5d2fc8136\",\"name\":\"Lane Baumeister\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e148ba4849b7e5e5fdda437d46fe693?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e148ba4849b7e5e5fdda437d46fe693?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lane Baumeister\"},\"description\":\"Lane Baumeister is an internationally-based Canadian writer with several years' experience creating educational and entertaining articles that discuss intimate health and sexual well-being. 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