Discussions of vaginal douching with family members.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined women's personal douching history and the information they were given by others.


METHODS
Participants in the study (N=199; mean age=28.92) completed a 48-question survey on douching practices and attitudes.


RESULTS
Fifty-seven percent of participants had douched and 39% currently douche. The majority of women reported douching after menstruation, before or after sex, or as needed. Reasons for douching included maintaining cleanliness, feeling good and fresh, eliminating vaginal odor, and removing menstrual blood. Most women (69%) had at least one discussion about douching, with 49% having a discussion with their mother and 22% with a health care provider (HCP). Of the women who currently do not douche, 47% stopped after a HCP instructed them to quit; whereas, 100% of women whose HCP encouraged douching went on to douche. Furthermore, 66% of women planned to discuss douching with a younger girl, with 57% encouraging or being neutral and 43% discouraging it. Women who have previously douched were more likely to discuss and encourage douching than women who had never douched. Also, women who have received a discussion about douching or were encouraged to douche were more likely to douche than women who had not received a discussion or were discouraged.


CONCLUSIONS
Results from this study suggest that younger generations may be taught about or encouraged to douche by their mothers. By giving women accurate information and discouraging douching, women may be less likely to douche or encourage douching in their daughters.
Short
Mary B
MB
Department of Psychology, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, Texas 77058, USA. shortmb@uhcl.edu
Black
William R
WR
Flynn
Katie
K
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D044364:Vaginal Douching; D055815:Young Adult