Vaginal douches are a cavity flush of your vagina. It is designed in a manner where your vagina is rinsed by a Sterlite solution or water to flush out the vaginal discharge. Sometimes douches are available over the counter prescriptions and in certain cases they are scented as well. It is also referred to as a vaginal deodorant and now the question is can you douche during pregnancy.
The appeal of douche during pregnancy
Most women are open to the idea of a vaginal douche during the course of pregnancy, as vaginal discharge increases immensely at this juncture. This discharge can make a lady dirty and the concept of reducing this discharge with a scented fluid is appealing.
The flip side to it
You would need to take into account that the vagina is a self-cleansing unit, and no form of artificially cleaning is needed. Many studies do point to the fact that there are numerous health disadvantages to pregnant or non-pregnant women if they douche. This pretty much answers the question is Douching safe while pregnant.
The biggest loophole is that douche has an impact on the natural and delicate chemical balance of your vagina. When this delicate balance is disturbed, a woman is likely to get infections whereby the natural bacteria of a woman is washed fighting the secretions and in the process new bacteria is being introduced into the vagina. This bacterium then spreads to the fallopian tubes along with the uterus and does disrupt the mucus plug which most women have.
If you douche you are at a higher incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease. It is a fatal infection of one among the pelvic organs. It can also pave way for bacterial vaginosis termed as vaginal bacterial imbalance that can lead to preterm delivery and cause infections in the baby with a host of other problems.
Does the vagina clean itself?
Fluids are created from glands in the cervix and the vagina tends to carry old cells lining up the vagina. In the case of non-pregnant women, the discharge is minimal and can be milky or clear. It is not going to smell bad until and unless you have an infection. Your hormone levels or sexual arousal tend to increase the amount of discharge and this could be one of the main reasons why pregnant women find themselves in such situations.
It is suggested that you get in touch with your doctor if you have a vaginal infection in case if you are pregnant as you will not want the bacteria to spread across to the unborn child or irritate the cervix and cause pre term labour pain. Discharge stained with blood could lead to an early pregnancy, miscarriage or it could mean nothing at the same time. The only way to be sure about it is to visit a doctor.
No form of vaginal itching, burning or pain should be experienced when you are pregnant. Douching is not going to fix this and an expert advice of your doctor is needed.
