Feminine hygiene is important but not everything that promises benefits is a reliable one. Anything on the internet is not necessarily true and definitely not safe for the vagina. For example a trending product ‘the vaginal brush’ is endorsed by thousands of women which may not be as safe as it looks.
Health experts have warned that experimenting with vaginal hygiene could be a risky decision. Products like ice-lollies, hoovers, and vaginal brush may have dangers that people don’t know about. Typically, any ‘foreign’ body which is inserted inside the vagina could be risky.
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Not many women know but the vagina is a self-cleaning organ and it doesn’t typically need a product for deep cleansing it. doctors are warning women not to use any product even if it is marketed as a cleaning or sanitation product.
Dr. Jennifer Gunter is a certified OB/GYN. Also, she is the author of a book named “The Vagina Bible” which explains the concept of vaginal hygiene and the truth of these cleaning products. Dr. Gunter has shared this concern over Twitter telling that every day introduces a new product in the market that is labeled as a feminine hygiene product. But there is really no way to estimate the risk involved in using these products. And the even worse thing is that these products are being marketed as a tool to empower women.
Subjecting women’s health at high risk may not be the best example of women empowerment. But educating them on the risks and safety of these products and let them decide on using it may be a form of empowering them in their decisions.
Dr. Gunter has also shared pictures that are screenshots taken from Instagram telling about the vaginal brush, sold with the name “Blossom Brush”.
This product is to be sold for women and is marketed safely for daily use during menstruation. It promises to ‘clean’ the vagina from the inside and takes out any residues during and after the period ends.
Interestingly, this brush has no bristles like other brushes, but it has grooves that scrub along the vaginal walls. It is marketed as a product that will make women feel relaxed and cleaned despite the bleeding.
Dr. Gunter’s Tweet is viral and thousands of people have shared it. But she questions if there are products that offer the same benefits for men?
She says that throughout her career in Gynecology she thought that women need a brush to clean their vagina and take out the residues and debris of a period. This arises a question that what do women expect their vagina to contain other than the residual blood which is cleaned by the vagina itself.
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Blossom Brush, the company making these the vaginal brush has defended its product through an Instagram post. According to them, their product is medically-graded and designed with no ill intentions thus it is safe for all users.
They also say that their product is receiving a welcoming response from users suggesting it has no risks involved. But later on, they took some of their products down.
This brush is available online and contains a warning telling excessive usage of the product may change the vaginal pH and cause various infections starting as irritation and dryness. It also suggests using the brush only once in one cycle and discarding it after using it once.
