How and why to do vaginal douching. How to properly perform vaginal douching? Is it possible to douche?

From my book “Encyclopedia of Women's Health” (in the process of editing and preparing for publication).

About 30% of women in developed countries use douching using solutions prepared at home or purchased in pharmacies. Two thirds of African women douche at least once a month. In a number of countries, including post-Soviet countries, douching is part of medical treatment and is recommended by doctors everywhere. The frequency of douching in these countries reaches high levels, especially among the mature female population of cities (90-97%). Women douche most often after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy, after menstruation to remove residual bleeding, as a treatment for a number of vaginal infections, and to eliminate itching of the external genitalia. The majority of women douche for hygienic purposes, completely unaware of the dangers of douching and the risk to which they expose their health. As data from many extensive surveys of women around the world show, most of them do not know that the amount and smell of vaginal discharge changes during the menstrual cycle, therefore they perceive their discharge as abnormal and use douching to get rid of discharge and odor .
Cultural, social and educational factors influence the use of douching around the world. Traditionally, women who douche more often are those where douching is prescribed by doctors as part of the treatment process. Ethnic factors do not play a big role. The higher the education of a woman (school, institute, university), the less often douching is practiced. A woman’s age also affects the frequency of douching: women of young childbearing age (21-24 years) and women over 40 years of age douche most often. Economic factors influence the frequency of douching: women douche more often (from 50 to 75%) living in poor socio-economic conditions (poverty).

Is douching useful for maintaining or restoring normal vaginal flora?
The claim that douching restores normal vaginal flora are just rumors and myths. The normal flora of the vagina is restored on its own. Frequent douching is associated with inflammation of the reproductive system, especially the fallopian tubes and appendages, ectopic pregnancy, worsening bacterial vaginosis, the development of precancerous and cancerous diseases of the cervix, infertility and a number of other problems. In healthy women, douching increases the risk of developing bacterial vaginosis.
Frequent douching washes out the normal flora of the vagina, which does not have time to recover. Typically, the vaginal microflora is restored within 24-72 hours, however, frequent douching and the use of chemical and antimicrobial solutions can lead to a delayed restoration of normal vaginal flora. When using saline and acidic solutions, opportunistic and pathogenic flora multiply faster than normal flora and suppress the growth of lactobacilli.
A stream of water can introduce vaginal microorganisms retrogradely into the cervical canal, uterine cavity and fallopian tubes, which can lead to the development of inflammatory processes in the internal genital organs. It has been proven that women suffering from vaginal dysbiosis and practicing douching are more likely to suffer from inflammation of the uterus (endometritis) and fallopian tubes. According to articles published over a 30-year period (1965-1995), douching increases the risk of inflammation of the internal genital organs by 73%, and the occurrence of ectopic pregnancy by 76%.
Douching thins the vaginal contents, making it less viscous, and therefore the cells of the vaginal mucosa become sensitive to the pathogens of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and purulent inflammatory processes. The incidence of chlamydia infection is twice as high in women who douche with antibacterial solutions compared to women who do not douche.
Douching with clean water after sexual intercourse does not increase the risk of STIs, and, conversely, douching with solutions containing chemical or organic substances, including soap, increases the risk of STIs.

There is no safe frequency of douching. Long-term use of douching at least once a month is a risk factor for ectopic pregnancy.
In teenage girls and young girls, the surface of the cervix is ​​often covered with columnar epithelium (one layer of cells), so douching easily destroys this epithelium, injuring it with a stream of water and tips, which leads to inflammation of the affected areas with the addition of opportunistic microflora and sexually transmitted pathogens way. Constant injury to the cervical epithelium during regular douching can lead to a precancerous condition, especially in the presence of other risk factors for the development of cervical cancer. There is evidence that the incidence of cervical cancer in women who douche is higher than in those who do not douche.
Douching is associated with the occurrence of endometriosis.
About 5% of pregnant women practice douching (in post-Soviet countries these figures are much higher). Frequent douching increases the risk of early miscarriages. Some clinical studies have shown that douching increases the risk of preterm labor, especially in women with bacterial vaginosis. The more often you douche, the greater the risk of giving birth prematurely. There is also a link between regular douching and low birth weight babies.
In every country in the world, there are several methods of douching, ranging from the use of ready-made solutions in special disposable bottles, to the use of rubber reservoirs (“bulbs”) or bulk plastic containers. The greater the volume of fluid administered, the greater the risk of inflammation of the reproductive system and ectopic pregnancy.

If a woman suffers from vaginal dysbiosis, can she use douching for therapeutic purposes? Most chemical agents and antimicrobial drugs used for douching by women with vaginal dysbiosis are very ineffective, so they do more harm than good. Solutions of different types of vinegar can improve the acid-base balance of the vaginal environment and enhance the growth of beneficial microorganisms (lactobacillus), however, douching with such solutions should be short-term and not frequent. Vinegar solutions do not destroy lactobacilli, therefore they are more gentle compared to other bactericidal preparations. Preparations containing iodine also have a bactericidal effect, but should be used with caution, since frequent and abundant washing of vaginal contents will lead to the growth of pathogens of other infections.

Douching, vaginal flora

Many gynecologists are of the opinion that douching is necessary for the complex treatment of many female diseases, but there is a different opinion regarding this issue.

What is douching and how to do it correctly?

Douching is the process of irrigating the vagina with a special purpose solution for treatment or for preventive purposes. This rinsing method is performed using a syringe or an ordinary syringe without a needle. But you need to know how to carry out this action correctly, otherwise you can cause harm.

There are some diseases for which douching is strictly prohibited.

Washing the vagina should be performed twice a day - in the morning and evening, the course of treatment is approximately three days. The maximum treatment time is ten days. Rinsing usually lasts no more than fifteen minutes, and the liquid should be lukewarm.

The irrigation process is best done in the bathroom, in a lying position. You need to place a basin into which the solution will flow. When the uterus is bent, the best position is to kneel.

First you need to disinfect the syringe or syringe, from which the needle must first be removed. To perform disinfection, you need to dip the syringe in hydrogen peroxide or simply irrigate it with boiling water.

A pre-prepared solution (the approximate amount of solution for one irrigation is about two hundred milliliters) must be drawn into a syringe and lubricated its tip with Vaseline to ensure easy and painless administration. Place the tip of the bulb into the vagina a couple of centimeters and press it little by little so that the liquid begins to inject and slightly contract the vaginal muscles. This must be done with caution so as not to injure the vagina.

After all this, you should lie down for a while. Do not immediately unclench the pear if it is not removed. If you make this mistake, bacteria will get into it. After use, the syringe should be washed thoroughly for further use. Under no circumstances should an enema bulb be used for douching.

Why is douching necessary?

Vaginal douching is indicated in the complex treatment of certain gynecological diseases (primarily inflammatory processes in the vagina). A huge number of decoctions and folk remedies provide excellent results.

This procedure is prescribed by a gynecologist for the following diseases:

• thrush;
• nonspecific cervicitis and colpitis;
• endometritis;
• salpingo-oophoritis.

A certain number of women try to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy by douching, but this will not bring results. Such actions will not protect against pregnancy, even if done immediately after the end of sexual intercourse. It is also invalid for protection against STIs.

Douching is a hygienic procedure, but it should not be done unnecessarily so as not to disturb the microflora. If there is no indication for this process, there is no need to do it.

How can you irrigate your vagina?

At home, you can use decoctions of medicinal herbs (chamomile, St. John's wort, thyme, etc.). To remove fungal infections and renew the normal vaginal environment, vinegar or lemon solutions are used. To do this, add one teaspoon of vinegar (or lemon juice) to 250 milliliters of water.

Drug treatment is done with the following drugs:

1. Furacilin;
2. Chlorhexidine;
3. Epigen.

If they have antibacterial properties, pharmaceutical products kill germs and eliminate inflammation. They inhibit the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms in the vagina and relieve unpleasant symptoms. Irrigation with antiseptic solutions is important in the initial stages of the disease in the case of an additional remedy to the main treatment.

Is it possible to douche without a reason?

The answer is definitely no. The vagina itself produces a secretion that independently cleans and removes dead cells. If there is no infection, then there is no need for douching. Daily washing is enough.

You should know that constant douching disrupts the balance of the mucous membrane, which leads to dryness, suppression of natural microflora and impaired vaginal acidity. As a result, this leads to a significant decrease in the concentration of lactobacilli and the development of dysbacteriosis.

In what cases should you not douche?

• During pregnancy, because the risk of fetal infection increases.
• During menstruation.
• In the first days after labor or abortion.
• Before an appointment with a gynecologist, since there is a chance that the leucorrhoea will wash off, and it will be quite difficult to determine the diagnosis.

Irrigation for treatment purposes

If leucorrhoea is caused by a disease, it has a foul odor, an unusual color and composition, and creates itching, discomfort and irritation, then you should immediately visit a gynecologist. He will send you for tests, the results of which will reveal the problem, and it will become clear how and with what to eliminate it. In this situation, irrigation is carried out with medications that will relieve discomfort.

For example, if you have an STI, antiseptic solutions are prescribed. Only their use is relevant for emergency prevention (for example, after an intimate relationship with a casual partner) and it is not possible to completely prevent the onset of the disease simply with the participation of these solutions.

Infusions and decoctions of medicinal herbs are also known - chamomile, wormwood, calendula and others; they eliminate inflammation and speed up recovery.

Douching

Douching is a medical procedure in gynecology that involves washing the vagina with solutions of medicinal substances.

At the moment, douching is considered to be medical procedure, and not hygienic, because the internal environment of our body is not “dirty”. Some women use douching to get rid of discharge, but why? After all, the vagina is specially lined with a mucous membrane, which secretes a viscous secretion. It is he who in himself has a cleansing effect. During ovulation, the amount of discharge may increase slightly, but it is still natural and harmless. This means that if you do not have any diseases, then you do not need douching; it is enough to take a shower every day.

However, infections also lead to discharge (leucorrhoea). Some of them have a different color and smell, cause irritation and itching, others do not. In general, if your usual discharge has somehow changed, this is a reason to go for an examination with a gynecologist.

What can happen as a result of frequent douching? Natural lubricant is washed away, which causes tissue irritation and also increases the risk of allergic reactions. In addition, acidity changes, which can lead to the death of vaginal microflora. This means that access will be open to pathogenic microorganisms that will be able to move from the vagina higher up, along the cervical canal into its cavity, fallopian tubes and ovaries. When using any means other than water for rinsing, a burn to the vaginal mucosa is possible, which is very difficult to treat.

For women over 40 years of age, douching is strictly not recommended, as it worsens the already existing age-related vaginal dryness and can cause irritation.

Douching is strictly contraindicated for acute inflammatory diseases of the internal genital organs (acute endometritis, adnexitis, etc.), during menstruation and pregnancy, in the first weeks after childbirth, after an abortion.

Do not douche as self-medication. It is only one component of complex therapy. If you only use rinses, the infection may spread deeper and will be much more difficult to deal with than if you immediately consult a doctor.

Never douche before visiting a gynecologist. If hygiene procedures are too thorough, smear results are likely to be incorrect, which will delay adequate treatment.

Can this procedure be performed on virgins? If there are medical indications (for example, vulvovaginitis), it is possible. BUT: the procedure is performed with great care only by a specialist!

For a long time, I enjoyed the trust and let many people down by this method of contraception, such as vaginal douching. Some women, unfortunately, still use this method. In the hope of preventing pregnancy, all sorts of remedies are used - from citric acid to miramistin and chlorhexidine. Apart from burning the vaginal mucosa or protecting against sexually transmitted infections (the last two drugs), you will not get any other result. Douching with any solutions has very little relation to contraceptives. If you have ever had a positive experience with douching as a method of contraception, do not flatter yourself, it was just an unfavorable day for conception.

The reason for the ineffectiveness of the method lies in the physiology of the process of sexual intercourse. During ejaculation, a very powerful release of sperm occurs, and sperm rush to the cervix at great speed. Even if we assume that immediately after ejaculation you will run to the shower, you are unlikely to have time to complete the entire procedure in 1 minute. This is exactly how much it takes for sperm to reach their goal. And if you and your partner had a simultaneous orgasm, then the sperm, like a vacuum cleaner, is sucked into the uterus as a result of its orgastic contractions. So it's better not to take risks!

Douching technique. At home, for this procedure you will need a rubber bulb with a tip or a special irrigator - a syringe. It consists not only of the container itself - a balloon with a tip, but also has a special plastic tube. This allows you to control the flow of liquid from the irrigator by slightly raising or lowering the balloon.

Pour the prepared solution into the syringe. To perform douching, you can sit in the bathroom. It is necessary to lie on the bottom of the bath on your back, bend your legs at the knees and place them on its edges (the position resembles the position on a gynecological chair). You can stand in the bathtub, bend your knees slightly (half-squat position) and slightly tilt your torso forward. You can position yourself above the toilet in the same way. Next, you need to insert the tip of the bulb or irrigator into the vagina. This must be done very carefully so as not to damage the mucous membrane, without any force.

It happens (usually in a sitting position) that you cannot insert the tip, even if you have done it before without any problems. The reason lies in muscle tension - this situation can arise at any time. Don't do anything, just sit quietly for a few minutes, the muscles will relax on their own.

After inserting the tip, apply very gentle pressure to the syringe. If the liquid does not flow out, pull the bulb back 1-2 cm, find a position in which it will flow into the vagina with minimal pressure on the bulb. Liquid should not enter the vagina under high pressure. This can lead to its reflux into the cervical canal and into its cavity, which can lead to inflammation of the internal genital organs.

The duration of the douching procedure is 10–15 minutes. Unless the doctor has prescribed otherwise, douching is done in the morning and evening, after the condition improves - once a day, then every other day and, finally, 1-2 times a week. A course of treatment usually involves 7–10 procedures.