A new study finds that douching puts a woman at risk for phthalate exposure, which can disrupt the endocrine functions.
The study, which appeared in the journal Environmental Health, also found that black women face higher risk since they are found to use the products more.
This is the first study to suggest how commercial vaginal douches can increase risk for phthalate exposure, which can affect hormone functions, said senior author of the study, Ami Zota of The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, in a statement.
Researchers recruited almost 800 women from 20 to 49 years old, who had participated in a previous national survey about the use of commercial feminine care products.
These women reported if they used products such as sanitary napkins, tampons feminine powder, douches and feminine wipes and gave details about the use on each product, Healio reported.
The researchers then tested these participants' urine samples to check for any traces of phthalates, particularly diethyl phthalate (DEP).
Women who had used douches in the previous month were found to have higher levels of DEP metabolites in their urine. Furthermore, the levels were found higher in those women who had used douches twice or thrice on the previous month.
According to the findings, forty percent of black women who participated said they recently used douches compared to 14% white and 10% Mexican American participants.
It was also noted that out of the different feminine care products studied by researchers, only douches were linked to DEP levels.
Public health officials discourage the use of vaginal douches, which promotes vaginal infections that can lead to more serious health problems.
Despite that, douches are still commonly seen in drug stores and excessively used by black women.
However, the researchers noted that the study did not provide a direct connection between health problems in women and douche use. According to Zota, there is a need to do more research to make a direct connection.
Still, the study did find that vaginal douches can increase DEP exposure in women, and it's concerning enough for the team to investigate further.
