A douche is a term for a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or for the stream of water itself. Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the
vagina
In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular sex organ, reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The #Vag ...
, but it can also refer to the rinsing of any body cavity. A douche bag is a piece of equipment for douching—a bag for holding the fluid used in douching. To avoid transferring intestinal bacteria to the vagina, the same bag must not be used for both an
enema and a vaginal douche.
Douching after sexual intercourse is not an effective form of
birth control. Additionally, douching is associated with a number of health problems, including
cervical cancer,
pelvic inflammatory disease,
endometritis, and increased risk of
sexually transmitted infections.
Etymology
The word's first known use is in 1766. ''
Douche'' came into English via
French, from "conduit pipe" and ''docciare'' "pour by drops" to douche, from ''doccia'' water pipe, probably back-formation from ''doccione'' conduit, from , ''ductio'' means of conveying water, from ''ducere'' to lead. In French today it means ''
shower'', as it does in many European languages.
Overview
Vaginal douches may consist of water, water mixed with
vinegar, or even
antiseptic
An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...
chemicals. Douching has been touted as having a number of supposed but unproven benefits. In addition to promising to clean the vagina of unwanted odors, it can also be used by women who wish to avoid smearing a sexual partner's penis with menstrual blood while having
sexual intercourse during menstruation. In the past, douching was also used after intercourse as a method of
birth control, though it is not effective (see below).
Many health-care professionals state that douching is dangerous, as it interferes with both the vagina's normal self-cleaning and with the natural bacterial culture of the vagina, and it might spread or introduce infections. Douching is implicated in a wide variety of dangers, including: adverse pregnancy outcomes including
ectopic pregnancy,
low birth weight, preterm labor,
preterm birth
Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the Childbirth, birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks Gestational age (obstetrics), gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 ...
, and
chorioamnionitis; serious gynecologic outcomes, including increased risk of
cervical cancer,
pelvic inflammatory disease,
endometritis, and increased risk for
sexually transmitted infections, including
HIV; it also predisposes women to develop
bacterial vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is an infection of the vagina caused by excessive growth of bacteria. Common symptoms include increased vaginal discharge that often smells like fish. The discharge is usually white or gray in color. Burning with urina ...
(BV),
which is further associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.
Due to this, the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strongly discourages douching, citing the risks of irritation, bacterial vaginosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Frequent douching with water may result in an imbalance of the
pH of the vagina, and thus may put women at risk for possible vaginal infections, especially yeast infections.
In May 2003, a randomized, controlled, multi-center study was conducted with 1827 women ages 18–44 who were regular users of a douche product and who had been treated recently for a sexually transmitted bacterial infection or bacterial vaginosis. Women were randomly assigned to use either a newly designed and marketed douche product or a soft cloth towelette. There was little or no indication of a greater risk of PID among women assigned to use the douche product (versus soft cloth towelette).
Antiseptics used during douching disturb the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina and can cause infections.
Unclean douching equipment may introduce foreign bodies into the vagina. Douching may also wash bacteria into the
uterus
The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...
and
fallopian tube
The fallopian tubes, also known as uterine tubes, oviducts or salpinges (: salpinx), are paired tubular sex organs in the human female body that stretch from the Ovary, ovaries to the uterus. The fallopian tubes are part of the female reproduct ...
s, causing fertility problems. For these reasons, the practice of douching is now strongly discouraged except when ordered by a physician for medical reasons.
Douching after intercourse is estimated to reduce the chances of conception by only about 30%. In comparison, proper male
condom
A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...
use reduces the chance of conception by as much as 98%.
In some cases douching may force the
ejaculate further into the vagina, increasing the chance of pregnancy. A review of studies by researchers at the
University of Rochester Medical Center (N.Y.) showed that women who douched regularly and later became pregnant had higher rates of
ectopic pregnancy,
infection
An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...
s, and low birth weight infants than women who only douched occasionally or who never douched.
A 1995 survey quoted in the
University of Rochester study found that 27% of U.S. women age 15 to 44 douched regularly, but that douching was more common among
African-American women (over 50%) than among white women (21%),
and frequent douching contributes to more frequent bacterial vaginosis among African-American women than the average.
Medical doctor
Harriet Hall writes that not only can douching change the
pH of the vagina and lead to infections, "There is no need ... to cleanse the vagina. It cleanses itself".
Slang uses
''Douchebag'' and its variants, or simply ''douche'',
are
pejorative
A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...
terms
referring to an arrogant, obnoxious, or despicable person.
The slang usage of the term originated in the 1960s.
See also
*
Antiseptic douche
*
Bidet
*
Enema
*
Sexual slang
*
Therapeutic irrigation
References
External links
*
*
"Douching" Womenshealth.gov(archive from 24 October 2008)
"Douching fact sheet"at Womenshealth.gov
{{Sexual slang
Female genital procedures
Sexual slang
Feminine hygiene
False friends
Hygiene
Drug delivery devices
Dosage forms
Bacterial vaginosis