Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology logoLink to Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology
. 2003;11(3):135–137. doi: 10.1080/10647440300025511

Douching: A Risk to Women's Healthcare?

Mark Martens 1,✉, Gilles R G Monif 1
PMCID: PMC1852284  PMID: 15022873

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (159.1 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Berger B. J., Kolton S., Zenilman J. M., Cummings M. C., Feldman J., McCormack W. M. Bacterial vaginosis in lesbians: a sexually transmitted disease. Clin Infect Dis. 1995 Dec;21(6):1402–1405. doi: 10.1093/clinids/21.6.1402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chow W. H., Daling J. R., Weiss N. S., Moore D. E., Soderstrom R. Vaginal douching as a potential risk factor for tubal ectopic pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1985 Dec 1;153(7):727–729. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(85)90332-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Daling J. R., Weiss N. S., Schwartz S. M., Stergachis A., Wang S. P., Foy H., Chu J., McKnight B., Grayston J. T. Vaginal douching and the risk of tubal pregnancy. Epidemiology. 1991 Jan;2(1):40–48. doi: 10.1097/00001648-199101000-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fiscella K., Franks P., Kendrick J. S., Bruce F. C. The risk of low birth weight associated with vaginal douching. Obstet Gynecol. 1998 Dec;92(6):913–917. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(98)00325-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fonck K., Kaul R., Keli F., Bwayo J. J., Ngugi E. N., Moses S., Temmerman M. Sexually transmitted infections and vaginal douching in a population of female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya. Sex Transm Infect. 2001 Aug;77(4):271–275. doi: 10.1136/sti.77.4.271. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gresenguet G., Kreiss J. K., Chapko M. K., Hillier S. L., Weiss N. S. HIV infection and vaginal douching in central Africa. AIDS. 1997 Jan;11(1):101–106. doi: 10.1097/00002030-199701000-00015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Holzman C., Leventhal J. M., Qiu H., Jones N. M., Wang J., BV Study Group Factors linked to bacterial vaginosis in nonpregnant women. Am J Public Health. 2001 Oct;91(10):1664–1670. doi: 10.2105/ajph.91.10.1664. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Joesoef M. R., Wiknjosastro G., Norojono W., Sumampouw H., Linnan M., Hansell M. J., Hillis S. E., Lewis J. Coinfection with chlamydia and gonorrhoea among pregnant women and bacterial vaginosis. Int J STD AIDS. 1996 Jan-Feb;7(1):61–64. doi: 10.1258/0956462961917096. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. La Ruche G., Messou N., Ali-Napo L., Noba V., Faye-Ketté H., Combe P., Bonard D., Sylla-Koko F., Dhéha D., Welffens-Ekra C. Vaginal douching: association with lower genital tract infections in African pregnant women. Sex Transm Dis. 1999 Apr;26(4):191–196. doi: 10.1097/00007435-199904000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Larsson P. G., Platz-Christensen J. J., Sundström E. Is bacterial vaginosis a sexually transmitted disease? Int J STD AIDS. 1991 Sep-Oct;2(5):362–364. doi: 10.1177/095646249100200511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Monif G. R. The great douching debate: to douche, or not to douche. Obstet Gynecol. 1999 Oct;94(4):630–631. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Monif G. R., Thompson J. L., Stephens H. D., Baer H. Quantitative and qualitative effects of povidone-iodine liquid and gel on the aerobic and anaerobic flora of the female genital tract. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1980 Jun 15;137(4):432–438. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(80)91123-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mueller B. A., Luz-Jimenez M., Daling J. R., Moore D. E., McKnight B., Weiss N. S. Risk factors for tubal infertility. Influence of history of prior pelvic inflammatory disease. Sex Transm Dis. 1992 Jan-Feb;19(1):28–34. doi: 10.1097/00007435-199201000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ness R. B., Soper D. E., Holley R. L., Peipert J., Randall H., Sweet R. L., Sondheimer S. J., Hendrix S. L., Hillier S. L., Amortegui A. Douching and endometritis: results from the PID evaluation and clinical health (PEACH) study. Sex Transm Dis. 2001 Apr;28(4):240–245. doi: 10.1097/00007435-200104000-00010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ness Roberta B., Hillier Sharon L., Richter Holly E., Soper David E., Stamm Carol, McGregor James, Bass Debra C., Sweet Richard L., Rice Peter. Douching in relation to bacterial vaginosis, lactobacilli, and facultative bacteria in the vagina. Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Oct;100(4):765–765. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(02)02184-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Nilsson U., Hellberg D., Shoubnikova M., Nilsson S., Mårdh P. A. Sexual behavior risk factors associated with bacterial vaginosis and Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Sex Transm Dis. 1997 May;24(5):241–246. doi: 10.1097/00007435-199705000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Onderdonk A. B., Delaney M. L., Hinkson P. L., DuBois A. M. Quantitative and qualitative effects of douche preparations on vaginal microflora. Obstet Gynecol. 1992 Sep;80(3 Pt 1):333–338. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rajamanoharan S., Low N., Jones S. B., Pozniak A. L. Bacterial vaginosis, ethnicity, and the use of genital cleaning agents: a case control study. Sex Transm Dis. 1999 Aug;26(7):404–409. doi: 10.1097/00007435-199908000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rosenberg M. J., Phillips R. S. Does douching promote ascending infection? J Reprod Med. 1992 Nov;37(11):930–938. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Scholes D., Daling J. R., Stergachis A., Weiss N. S., Wang S. P., Grayston J. T. Vaginal douching as a risk factor for acute pelvic inflammatory disease. Obstet Gynecol. 1993 Apr;81(4):601–606. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Scholes D., Stergachis A., Ichikawa L. E., Heidrich F. E., Holmes K. K., Stamm W. E. Vaginal douching as a risk factor for cervical Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Obstet Gynecol. 1998 Jun;91(6):993–997. doi: 10.1016/s0029-7844(98)00095-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Tchoudomirova K., Stanilova M., Garov V. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis in a clinic of sexually transmitted diseases. Folia Med (Plovdiv) 1998;40(1):34–40. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Wølner-Hanssen P., Eschenbach D. A., Paavonen J., Stevens C. E., Kiviat N. B., Critchlow C., DeRouen T., Koutsky L., Holmes K. K. Association between vaginal douching and acute pelvic inflammatory disease. JAMA. 1990 Apr 11;263(14):1936–1941. doi: 10.1001/jama.1990.03440140062032. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Zhang J., Thomas A. G., Leybovich E. Vaginal douching and adverse health effects: a meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 1997 Jul;87(7):1207–1211. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.7.1207. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES