A new study found that feminine hygiene products used for douching may put women's health at risk as these products contain harmful chemicals called phthalates. Douching is not routinely recommended by health professionals as a healthy vagina undergoes a natural process of cleaning; however, majority of women still douche, even in rare occasions. With this, the researchers tried to find a link between douching and two of the most common chemicals noted in beauty products, which are Diethyl phthalate (DEP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP).
The cross-sectional study involved data from 730 women aged 20-49 years old, as selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2004. The aim of the researchers is to find an association between the self-reported utilization of feminine hygiene tools such as sanitary napkins, tampons, feminine spray, feminine wipes and vaginal douches with the concentrations of monoethyl phthalate (MEP), a metabolite of DEP and mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), a metabolite of DnBP in the urine of the participants.
The findings of the study published in the open access journal, Environmental Health, show that more black women used feminine hygiene products such as douches, sprays and wipes in the past month compared to Mexican American and white women. White women were found to use tampons more frequently than the two participating racial/ethnic groups. The researchers also found that there is a link between douching and increased urinary concentrations of MEP only. Aside from vaginal douches, no other products were associated with the increased concentrations of both MEP and MnBP. A link between the frequency of douching and the concentrations of MEP was also discovered. The researchers found that the MEP concentration of those who douche twice a month is 152 percent higher compared to those who do not douche. The influence of race/ethnicity was also studied and the researchers found that MEP levels were increased by 48 percent in black women compared to white women.
"Phthalates are chemicals of concern for women's health because they are suspected endocrine disruptors and can alter the action of important hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and thyroid hormones," says lead study author Ami Zota, a researcher at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.
The study was not able to identify other possible sources of phthalate, with which the women were exposed. Sufficient evidence that can determine specific health setbacks caused by the chemicals found in douche preparations was also lacking. However, this study may contribute to the concept that vaginal douches may be hazardous.
In the end, the authors conclude that using vaginal douches may expose women to DEP more and that this vaginal cleansing technique may add to the racial distinctions in the exposure to DEP. Further testings are required to study the existence of environmental substances in vaginal douches.
