Why you should NEVER douche: The feminine hygiene craze DOUBLES your risk of ovarian cancer
Some women use a douche – a device used to spray water – to clean their crotch, as well as scented sprays, wipes or soaps
IT might be time to step away from the shower head.
An American study has found that women who douche – wash their vaginas with a device – almost double their risk of developing ovarian cancer.
The eye-opening research, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, studied more than 50,000 women throughout the US and Puerto Rico.
The subjects, all of whom were free of breast and ovarian cancer when the study began, each had a sister who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Some women use a douche – a device used to spray water – to clean their crotch, as well as scented sprays, wipes or soaps (Picture posed by model)
By July 2014, scientists counted 154 cases of ovarian cancer among the women.
The study found that participants who reported douching during the year before entering the study nearly doubled their risk of ovarian cancer.
The link between douching and ovarian cancer was stronger when researchers examined women who didn't have breast-cancer genes in their family.
Senior author Clarice Weinberg commented: “There are a number of health reasons not to douche, and I can't think of any reason to do it.”
Previous research has also linked douching to yeast infections, pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancies.
Ovarian cancer has been dubbed 'the silent killer' because women often experience no symptoms until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage.
In the UK, around 7,100 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year.
What is douching?
* The vagina is designed to keep itself clean with the help of natural secretions.
* Some women use a douche – a device used to spray water – to clean their crotch, as well as scented sprays, wipes or soaps.
* But using these implements can disrupt the normal vaginal bacteria, and may increase the risk of STIs or infection.
* Professor Lamont, from the Royal Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists,told NHS Choices: "I can't think of any circumstances where douches are helpful, because all they do is wash out everything that's in the vagina, including all the healthy bacteria.”
* Women douched as far back as 1500 B.C., when an Egyptian papyrus recommended intravaginal washing with garlic and wine to treat menstrual disorders.