Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAbout PeriodsWhy Douching Is BadHow to Stay CleanSex During Your PeriodCleaning Blood Stains
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
About Periods
Why Douching Is Bad
How to Stay Clean
Sex During Your Period
Cleaning Blood Stains
Managing yourmenstrual flowcan be messy sometimes, anddouchingafter your period may seem like an easy solution. But it is not.
People who douche often often feel that it makes them feel “cleaner” and helps prevent vaginal odor or infection. To date, there is little evidence of this.
The simple truth is that douching can disrupt thevaginal floraand increase the risk ofbacterial vaginosis (BV),sexually transmitted infections (STIs), andpelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
This article explains how to stay clean during your period and why douching should not be a part of your vaginal hygiene routine.
Idhi / Getty Images
Douche Rinses in Vagina: What to Know
Menstruation Is Messy But Not Dirty
Despite what some people may feel, menstruation (your period) is not “dirty.” It is a normal process in which the lining of theuterus(womb) is shed when pregnancy has not occurred during the roughly 28-day cycle.
As the lining is shed, between 2 and 5 tablespoons of menstrual fluid is discharged, 50% of which is comprised of blood.The discharge can cause staining and be messy, but all that is usually needed to clean the mess is plain water.
In some cultures, menstrual bleeding is not only considered unpleasant but taboo. In parts of Southeast Asia, as many as one in three girls are restricted from going to school if they are having their period.
Many of the same attitudes account for why vaginal douching is twice as common among Black females in the United States than White females.Particularly in Black communities, the practice is often handed down from mother to daughter under the presumption that it prevents odor and infection, enhances sexual pleasure, and contributes to overall cleanliness.
Can Plan B Make Your Period Late?
Don’t Use a Douche
Douchecomes from the French word for “to wash” or “to shower.” When you douche, you are spraying water, a vinegar-based solution, or antiseptic chemicals into the vagina to rinse it out and make it “clean.” It may also be used to avoid smearing menstrual blood on a partner during sex.
The problem is that the vagina is not “dirty,” and the “cleaning” of the vagina poses numerous health risks.
When you douche, you are disrupting both the pH and normal balance of the vaginal flora. This can lead to a wide range of health concerns, including:
Clean Your Vulva With Water
Some people refer to the female genital tract as “self-cleaning.” This is because the vagina secretes fluids to continually flush out the vagina while maintaining a healthy pH.
When you allow the process to occur on its own, it cleans not only the internal reproductive organs but also parts of the external organs, known as thevulva.
Thereafter, the only thing left is to clean visible blood or residue that may be smeared on the vulva.
To do so:
If you are concerned about the appearance of blood during sex, you can do a light washing beforehand but should still avoid douching.
Some partners don’t mind a little blood and are comfortable engaging inperiod sex. However,condomsshould be used if you’re not on regularbirth controlas you can still get pregnant during this stage of the cycle.
You will also need to remember to remove a tampon if you are using one to avoid getting it pushed in deeper.
Wash Blood Out of Your Clothes
Here is a simple home remedy you can use to remove blood stains:
Summary
Do not douche as this can disrupt the vaginal flora and increase the risk of bacteria vaginosis, sexually transmitted infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and pregnancy complications like preterm birth and ectopic pregnancy.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Office on Women’s Health.Douching.Donoso MB, Serra R, Rice GE, et al.Normality ranges of menstrual fluid volume during reproductive life using direct quantification of menses with vaginal cups.Gynecol Obstet Invest.2019;84(4):390-395. doi:10.1159/000496608Amatya P, Ghimire S, Callahan KE, Baral BK, Poudel KC.Practice and lived experience of menstrual exiles (Chhaupadi) among adolescent girls in far-western Nepal.PLoS ONE.2018;13(12):eo208260. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208260Branch F, Woodruff TJ, Mitro SD, Zota AR.Vaginal douching and racial/ethnic disparities in phthalates exposures among reproductive-aged women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2004.Environ Health..2015;14:57. doi:10.1186/s12940-015-0043-6Nsereko E, Moreland PJ, Dunlop AL, Nzyyirambaho M, Corwin EJ.Consideration of cultural practices when characterizing the vaginal microbiota among African and African American women.Biol Res Nurs.2021 Jan;23(1):91–99. doi:10.1177/1099800420940788Crooks N, King B, Tluszek A.Protecting young black female sexuality.Cult Health Sex.2020 Aug;22(8):871–886. doi:10.1080/13691058.2019.1632488Lin YP, Chen WC, Cheng CM, Shen CJ.Vaginal pH value for clinical diagnosis and treatment of common vaginitis.Diagnostics (Basel).2021 Nov;11(11):1996. doi:10.3390/diagnostics11111996Royal Women’s Hospital (UK).How can I stay healthy down there?Planned Parenthood.Can I have sex during my period? And If I do can I get pregnant?
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Office on Women’s Health.Douching.Donoso MB, Serra R, Rice GE, et al.Normality ranges of menstrual fluid volume during reproductive life using direct quantification of menses with vaginal cups.Gynecol Obstet Invest.2019;84(4):390-395. doi:10.1159/000496608Amatya P, Ghimire S, Callahan KE, Baral BK, Poudel KC.Practice and lived experience of menstrual exiles (Chhaupadi) among adolescent girls in far-western Nepal.PLoS ONE.2018;13(12):eo208260. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208260Branch F, Woodruff TJ, Mitro SD, Zota AR.Vaginal douching and racial/ethnic disparities in phthalates exposures among reproductive-aged women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2004.Environ Health..2015;14:57. doi:10.1186/s12940-015-0043-6Nsereko E, Moreland PJ, Dunlop AL, Nzyyirambaho M, Corwin EJ.Consideration of cultural practices when characterizing the vaginal microbiota among African and African American women.Biol Res Nurs.2021 Jan;23(1):91–99. doi:10.1177/1099800420940788Crooks N, King B, Tluszek A.Protecting young black female sexuality.Cult Health Sex.2020 Aug;22(8):871–886. doi:10.1080/13691058.2019.1632488Lin YP, Chen WC, Cheng CM, Shen CJ.Vaginal pH value for clinical diagnosis and treatment of common vaginitis.Diagnostics (Basel).2021 Nov;11(11):1996. doi:10.3390/diagnostics11111996Royal Women’s Hospital (UK).How can I stay healthy down there?Planned Parenthood.Can I have sex during my period? And If I do can I get pregnant?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Office on Women’s Health.Douching.Donoso MB, Serra R, Rice GE, et al.Normality ranges of menstrual fluid volume during reproductive life using direct quantification of menses with vaginal cups.Gynecol Obstet Invest.2019;84(4):390-395. doi:10.1159/000496608Amatya P, Ghimire S, Callahan KE, Baral BK, Poudel KC.Practice and lived experience of menstrual exiles (Chhaupadi) among adolescent girls in far-western Nepal.PLoS ONE.2018;13(12):eo208260. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208260Branch F, Woodruff TJ, Mitro SD, Zota AR.Vaginal douching and racial/ethnic disparities in phthalates exposures among reproductive-aged women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2004.Environ Health..2015;14:57. doi:10.1186/s12940-015-0043-6Nsereko E, Moreland PJ, Dunlop AL, Nzyyirambaho M, Corwin EJ.Consideration of cultural practices when characterizing the vaginal microbiota among African and African American women.Biol Res Nurs.2021 Jan;23(1):91–99. doi:10.1177/1099800420940788Crooks N, King B, Tluszek A.Protecting young black female sexuality.Cult Health Sex.2020 Aug;22(8):871–886. doi:10.1080/13691058.2019.1632488Lin YP, Chen WC, Cheng CM, Shen CJ.Vaginal pH value for clinical diagnosis and treatment of common vaginitis.Diagnostics (Basel).2021 Nov;11(11):1996. doi:10.3390/diagnostics11111996Royal Women’s Hospital (UK).How can I stay healthy down there?Planned Parenthood.Can I have sex during my period? And If I do can I get pregnant?
Office on Women’s Health.Douching.
Donoso MB, Serra R, Rice GE, et al.Normality ranges of menstrual fluid volume during reproductive life using direct quantification of menses with vaginal cups.Gynecol Obstet Invest.2019;84(4):390-395. doi:10.1159/000496608
Amatya P, Ghimire S, Callahan KE, Baral BK, Poudel KC.Practice and lived experience of menstrual exiles (Chhaupadi) among adolescent girls in far-western Nepal.PLoS ONE.2018;13(12):eo208260. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208260
Branch F, Woodruff TJ, Mitro SD, Zota AR.Vaginal douching and racial/ethnic disparities in phthalates exposures among reproductive-aged women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2004.Environ Health..2015;14:57. doi:10.1186/s12940-015-0043-6
Nsereko E, Moreland PJ, Dunlop AL, Nzyyirambaho M, Corwin EJ.Consideration of cultural practices when characterizing the vaginal microbiota among African and African American women.Biol Res Nurs.2021 Jan;23(1):91–99. doi:10.1177/1099800420940788
Crooks N, King B, Tluszek A.Protecting young black female sexuality.Cult Health Sex.2020 Aug;22(8):871–886. doi:10.1080/13691058.2019.1632488
Lin YP, Chen WC, Cheng CM, Shen CJ.Vaginal pH value for clinical diagnosis and treatment of common vaginitis.Diagnostics (Basel).2021 Nov;11(11):1996. doi:10.3390/diagnostics11111996
Royal Women’s Hospital (UK).How can I stay healthy down there?
Planned Parenthood.Can I have sex during my period? And If I do can I get pregnant?
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