Vaginal douching practices in women and influential factors

Abstract

Objective: Vaginal douching can be very harmful to women's health and can lead to health problems because of the introduction of many pathogenic microorganisms into the ascending pathways. This research was conducted to investigate the vaginal douching practices of women and influential factors of this practices. Materials and methods: The research population of this cross-sectional research, consisted of 665 women, attending a primary healthcare centre, between March - May in 2006. A questionnaire, developed by researchers, was used as a data collection tool. Results: The prevalence of vaginal douching of the women was found to be 54.3%. The major reason for douching was found to be for general body hygiene. In total, 83.1% of the women applied vaginal douching after each elimination (defecation and urination). Of the participants 12.2% reported that they have learned this practice from health care personnel. Conclusion: the prevalence of vaginal douching was found to be high. Practicing vaginal douching after each elimination may expose high risk to various genital infections.