The Reality of Vaginal Douche in Turkey

Vaginal wash emerged in19th century as a method of birth control and as it was understood that it was not protecting from pregnancy, it kept its existence as a cosmetic application. Taking its place in the literature as “Vaginal douche”, this application has been used by women for several reasons yet all of which are based on the idea of “feeling better”. Even though it is seen as a reason for several negative issues concerning women’s health, the cause and effect relationship in between vaginal douche and any vaginal problems are still not clearly understood. In fact, it is implemented in different ways and it even means different things in different cultures. Neither the studies conducted on Americans using vaginal douche products nor the studies conducted on Africans preferring home- made products are qualified to reflect the realities of our country. There is a great need for studies with a high level of evidence on the effects of vaginal douching habits of women living in Turkey on women’s health.