Health professionals generally advise against douching, whether pregnant or not. Douching has few benefits compared to its plethora of potential downsides. Some women douche while pregnant to rid themselves of vaginal odor or menstrual blood, but douching usually only covers up odors and the vagina is good at cleaning itself. Douching also disturbs the natural balance of good and bad bacteria in the vagina, which is linked to increased risk of infection and pelvic inflammatory disease. In addition, many doctors believe that douching can increase the odds of having an ectopic pregnancy, which is where the egg attaches itself to the wrong place inside a woman’s body.
The reasons women douche while pregnant are many, but few to none of these reasons are proved to benefit. Douching does not do a great job of cleaning the vagina, nor does it get rid of odor. In addition, douching cannot prevent sexually transmitted infections because it is not possible to simply rinse out all of the bacteria or bodily fluids. If a woman has a problem with vaginal odor, she should see a health professional to ensure she does not have a sexually transmitted infection, urinary tract infection, or other treatable health problem that could pose a threat to her unborn child. There are also no 100-percent effective methods of preventing sexually transmitted infections other than abstaining from sex, but using condoms and having and being a faithful partner will help.
To douche while pregnant is to disturb the natural bacteria in the vagina. Like using scented tampons and pads, this can cause irritation or lead to vaginal infections. An untreated urinary tract infection can lead to a kidney infection, sometimes causing early labor or low birth weight. Due to this, these infections are more serious when a woman is pregnant and are often treated at the slightest sign shown in a urine test, even if the woman feels no symptoms at all. To prevent these infections, a woman can drink plenty of water, wear cotton underwear, and not douche while pregnant.
An ectopic pregnancy is an abnormal pregnancy that happens in a tube outside the uterus. A baby cannot grow here, and allowing it to can be fatal to the mother. Researchers believe that douching increases the odds of having a pregnancy of this kind, which often leads to difficulty having children in the future. In fact, some people who have an ectopic pregnancy can no longer have children once they have recovered.
