Douche

"Douche bag" redirects here. For other uses, see Douchebag. Not to be confused with French and other foreign language words for shower. This article is about vaginal irrigation. For anal irrigation, see Rectal douching.

Douche
A vaginal bulb syringe with lateral holes near the tip of the nozzle
Pronunciation/duːʃ/
ICD-9-CM96.44
MeSHD044364

A douche is a term for a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or for the stream of water itself. Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing of any body cavity. A douche bag is a piece of equipment for douching—a bag for holding the fluid used in douching. To avoid transferring intestinal bacteria into the vagina, the same bag must not be used for an enema and a vaginal douche.

Douching after sexual intercourse is not an effective form of birth control.[1] Additionally, douching is associated with a number of health problems, including cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections.[2]

  1. ^ Rengel, Marian (2000). Encyclopedia of birth control. Phoenix, Ariz: Oryx Press. p. 65. ISBN 9781573562553.
  2. ^ Cottrell, BH (Mar–Apr 2010). "An updated review of evidence to discourage douching". MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. 35 (2): 102–7, quiz 108–9. doi:10.1097/NMC.0b013e3181cae9da. PMID 20215951. S2CID 46715131.