Douching dates back to ancient times, but studies have uncovered numerous reasons why it’s more harmful than good. Now comes news that women who douche may be doubling their chances of developing ovarian cancer.

First Study to Link Douching with Ovarian Cancer

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) recently issued the results of a study begun in 2003 involving 41,000 women in the United States and Puerto Rico. All were between the ages of 35 and 74 and had a sister who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, although they themselves had neither breast nor ovarian cancer.

In July 2014, ovarian cancer was detected in 154 women. Those who reported douching during the year prior to entering the study were nearly twice as likely to have developed ovarian cancer. The reasons behind the connection are still unknown and will be explored through further research.

Is Douching Necessary?

While douching is supposedly hygienic, it actually results in an excess of bacteria that can back up into the uterus, Fallopian tubes and ovaries. Health problems linked with douching include pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical cancer and reduced fertility.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 25 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 44 use douches. Clarice Weinberg, lead author of the NIEHS study, warns that there are “a number of health reasons not to douche” and no good reasons to continue.

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