Vaginal douching in teenagers attending a family planning clinic

Chacko, Mariam R.; McGill, Laurilynn; Johnson, Teresa; Smith, Peggy B.; Nenney, Susan W.

doi:10.1016/0197-0070(89)90236-2

Cited by 49 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…We found many similarities, and some important differences, in comparison to previous studies of African American and white women. Consistent with previous reports conducted with nonLatina samples [4,6], douching knowledge is handed down from one generation to another, generally by mothers and female family members around the time of sexual maturity. Information about douching is discussed in the context of other feminine hygiene practices, emphasizing the importance of cleanliness.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Between 1988 and 1995, rates of douching declined overall among women in the United States but dropped least among minority groups to 55% of Black women, 34% of Latinas, and 53% of lower SES women engaging in vaginal douching [2]. As in adults, the practice is more common among ethnic minority teens [2,[4][5][6]. Use of vaginal douche products has been associated with adverse obstetric and gynecologic consequences, though evidence of a causal link between douching and these health concerns is missing due to lack of randomized studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The belief that the vagina is unclean, particularly during and after menstruation, has been documented around the world [18]. A consistent finding in the US is that most women who douche do so for reasons of hygiene, that is, to "feel clean" after sex or menses, and 25% douche to self-treat infection [6]. Adolescents report douching to feel good and fresh (60%), to get rid of odor (47%), to get rid of blood, (47%) [19] and to protect against STDs [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many women view douching as a necessary part of their feminine hygiene routine and may be reluctant to stop [4,6,21,22]. Gazmararian et al [22] conclude that simplistic interventions that only provide risk information are unlikely to be successful in changing what could be a deeply entrenched behavior rooted in cultural constructs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vaginal Douching Among Latinas: Practices and Meaning

McKee

Baquero

Anderson

et al. 2008

Matern Child Health J

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Objectives-Vaginal douching is widely practiced by American women, particularly among minority groups, and is associated with increased risk of pelvic and vaginal infections. This research sought to investigate vaginal hygiene practices and meaning associated with them among Latina women and adolescents. Study results would guide development of an intervention to decrease douching among Latinas.Methods-In depth qualitative interviews conducted with English-and Spanish-speaking women aged 16-40, seeking care for any reason who reported douching within the last year (n = 34). Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using qualitative methods. One-third of interviews were conducted in Spanish.Results-Two explanatory models for douching motives emerged: one stressed cosmetic benefits; the other, infection prevention and control. Most women reported douching to eliminate menstrual residue; a small number reported douching in context of sexual intercourse or vaginal symptoms. Many were unaware of associated health risks. Respondents typically learned about douching from female family members and friends. Male partners were described as having little to no involvement in the decision to douche. Women varied in their willingness to stop douching. Two-thirds reported receiving harm reduction messages about "overdouching". About half indicated previous discussion about douching with health care providers; some had reduced frequency in response to counseling. A number of previously unreported vaginal hygiene practices and products were described, including use of a range of traditional hygiene practices, and products imported from outside the US.Conclusions-Respondents expressed a range of commitment to douching. Counseling messages acknowledging benefits women perceive as well as health risks should be developed and delivered tailored to individual beliefs. Further research is needed to assess prevalence and safety of previously unreported practices.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vaginal Douching Among Latinas: Practices and Meaning

McKee

Baquero

Anderson

et al. 2008

Matern Child Health J

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“…The prevalence of douching varies both geographically and demographically throughout the United States.9,111 In selected studies, the practice has been reported more frequently by Black women than by others. [1][2][3] In this article, we report our findings on the prevalence of vaginal douching among a nationally representative sample of American women of reproductive age. We discuss the distribution of douching practices by demographic (age, race, marital status, education, and poverty level), ecologic (geographic region and urban residence), behavioral (age at first intercourse, number of lifetime sexual partners), and medical (past history of sexually transmitted disease [STD] and PID) characteristics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vaginal douching among women of reproductive age in the United States: 1988.

Aral

Mosher

Cates³

1992

Am J Public Health

119

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BACKGROUND. Vaginal douching has been associated with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in several epidemiologic studies. METHODS. To determine the extent to which douching is practiced and to describe the population subgroups in which it is most prevalent, we analyzed data from the 1988 National Survey of Family Growth, which is based on a nationally representative sample of 8450 United States women between the ages of 15 and 44 years. RESULTS. Thirty-seven percent of the sample reported douching; 18% douched at least once a week. The variable most strongly and consistently associated with douching was race: two thirds of Black women, but only one third of White women, reported douching. The practice was least frequent among 15- to 19-year-olds (31%) and most frequent among 20- to 24-year-olds (41%). Douching was more common among women who lived in poverty (50%) than among those who did not (28%). Seventy percent of Black women living in poverty reported douching. Women with less than a high school education were almost four times more likely to report douching as those with 16 or more years of schooling (56% vs 16%). Women with only 1 partner and those with 10 or more partners were less likely to douche than others. Sixteen percent of women who reported douching, compared with 10% of those who did not, also reported a history of PID. CONCLUSIONS. Douching may be a modifiable risk factor for PID, it should be a high priority for future etiologic research.

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Douching

Merchant¹,

Oh²,

Klerman³

1999

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

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To compile available published data on the prevalence of douching practices in adolescent girls and young women and the effects of douching on gynecologic health, including studies of gynecologic changes due to douching in adolescent girls and young women, surveys that demonstrated the prevalence of douching in the populations, and policy statements or lack thereof from professional and medical organizations with regard to the practice of douching.Data Sources: We did Internet searches, including a MEDLINE search, a literature review, and used the telephone, mail, and e-mail to contact professional organizations.Results: Douching has been found to be strongly associated with increased risk for pelvic inflammatory disease, bacterial vaginosis, and ectopic pregnancy, the former of which is especially prevalent in adolescent girls and young women. Douching is practiced by 15.5% of adolescent girls and young women in the United States, with significantly higher prevalences in certain groups in the population. We have not found any official position of professional and medical organizations on the practice of douching.Conclusions: Because vaginal douching has been shown to be associated with bacterial vaginosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and ectopic pregnancy, and because no benefits are conferred on those who practice it, douching should be discouraged among adolescent girls and young women. There is a great need for further studies, particularly prospective ones, to determine if there is evidence of a direct causative influence of douching on pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and/or bacterial vaginosis, and to determine why adolescent girls and young women douche.

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Vaginal douching in teenagers attending a family planning clinic

Cited by 49 publications

References 9 publications

Vaginal Douching Among Latinas: Practices and Meaning

Vaginal Douching Among Latinas: Practices and Meaning

Vaginal douching among women of reproductive age in the United States: 1988.

Douching

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