Is Douching Safe? What the Studies Link It To
The U.S. Office on Women's Health advises against douching. Regular douching was tied to a 21% higher risk of bacterial vaginosis in a 3,620-woman study, though some harms, such as pelvic infection, are less settled than often claimed.
By Kymata Health Editorial Published Last checked
This guide
Vaginal Health: BV & Yeast- Question
- Is it safe to douche, and what are the risks?
- Sources
- 6 cited
- Quick answers
- 2 questions
- Clinician review
- None; sources cited inline
Key takeaways
4 points- The U.S. Office on Women's Health says almost one in five U.S. women aged 15 to 44 douche, that studies have found no health benefit and that doctors recommend against it1.
- In a 1-year study of 3,620 women, regular douching carried a 21% higher risk of bacterial vaginosis than never douching (relative risk 1.21), after accounting for women who douche because of symptoms2.
- A 1997 meta-analysis linked douching to pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy, but a prospective study that followed 1,199 high-risk women for up to 4 years found no link between frequent douching and pelvic inflammatory disease35.
- In the Sister Study of 50,884 women, douching was associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer (hazard ratio 1.8, based on 154 cases); an association like this does not prove cause6.
What douching is, and what it is not
Douching means washing out the inside of the vagina with water or a mixture of fluids; most store-bought douches are prepackaged mixes of water with vinegar, baking soda or iodine1. Rinsing the outside of the vulva with warm water during a bath or shower is different and does not harm the vagina1.
The vagina cleans itself with mucus, and even a healthy vagina has a mild odor that changes through the day1.
Douching and bacterial vaginosis
Earlier studies could not tell whether douching caused BV or whether women douched because of BV symptoms. A 2008 study followed 3,620 nonpregnant women from 12 Alabama public health clinics every 3 months for a year and used statistical modeling to account for that problem2. Regular douching carried a relative risk of 1.21 for BV compared with no douching; the authors called it the best evidence to date in the absence of a large randomized trial2.
The CDC's BV guideline lists douching among the factors associated with BV, says douching might increase the risk of relapse and says no data support douching for treatment or symptom relief4.
Pelvic infection, fertility and pregnancy
A 1997 meta-analysis of studies published from 1965 to 1995 estimated that douching raised the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) by 73% and ectopic pregnancy by 76%, and frequent douching was strongly associated with PID3.
A later prospective study followed 1,199 young, mostly African American women at high risk of chlamydia for up to 4 years. Douching 2 or more times a month was not associated with PID (adjusted hazard ratio 0.76) or with gonorrhea or chlamydia infection5. The Office on Women's Health still cites studies linking douching to difficulty getting pregnant and preterm birth, while noting that researchers are studying whether douching causes these problems or whether women at higher risk are more likely to douche1.
The ovarian cancer finding
The Sister Study enrolled 50,884 U.S. and Puerto Rican women who had a sister with breast cancer and asked whether they had douched in the previous 12 months. Over a median of 6.6 years, 154 developed ovarian cancer; douching at the start was associated with an 80% higher risk (hazard ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.8)6.
The authors noted that douching has been linked to higher urine levels of hormone-disrupting phthalates6. This was one observational study with a modest number of cases, so it shows an association rather than proof that douching causes ovarian cancer.
What to do instead, and when to see a clinician
See a clinician for discharge that smells bad, itching with a thick white or yellowish-green discharge, burning, redness or swelling, or pain when urinating or during sex; these can be signs of a vaginal infection or an STI1. For help telling the common causes apart, see BV vs yeast infection.
- Wash the outside of the vulva with warm water; if you have sensitive skin or an infection, even mild soap can cause dryness and irritation1.
- Skip scented tampons, pads, powders and sprays, which the Office on Women's Health says may raise the chance of a vaginal infection1.
- Do not douche before a clinic visit; it can make it harder to find out what is wrong1.
- Douching does not prevent STIs or pregnancy. After sex without protection, or if a condom broke, see a clinician promptly about emergency contraception and HIV prevention1.
Quick answers
Questions
2 answersDoes douching get rid of vaginal odor?
Only briefly. The Office on Women's Health says douching covers odor for a short time and can make other problems worse; a strong odor usually means something should be checked1.
Can douching after sex prevent pregnancy or STIs?
No. Douching does not prevent pregnancy, and the Office on Women's Health says it may raise STI risk, including HIV, by removing protective vaginal bacteria1.
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References
Every study and document cited in this guide, numbered as in the text.
Sources
6 sources- 1Douching. Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2025.
- 2A longitudinal study of vaginal douching and bacterial vaginosis--a marginal structural modeling analysis. Am J Epidemiol, 2008. PMID 18503038
- 3Vaginal douching and adverse health effects: a meta-analysis. Am J Public Health, 1997. PMID 9240115
- 4Bacterial Vaginosis: Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021.
- 5Douching, pelvic inflammatory disease, and incident gonococcal and chlamydial genital infection in a cohort of high-risk women. Am J Epidemiol, 2005. PMID 15632269
- 6Douching, Talc Use, and Risk of Ovarian Cancer. Epidemiology, 2016. PMID 27327020
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