Feminine hygiene products have been commercially available for decades. They are commonly marketed to reduce odor or clean vaginal discharge and menses. Multiple formulas are available as topical washes, wipes, creams, sprays, powders, deodorants, and douches.1 Products on the market range from those used externally on the vulva, such as wipes and sprays, to liquid solutions used intravaginally, such as washes and douches.
Who uses feminine hygiene products?
According to a 2006 study, the majority of women who use douches started using them between age 15 and 19 years, but some women initiate this practice habit as early as age 10 to 14.1 Predictably, women who douche are more likely to perceive douche products as safe.1
Demographic data on douche utilization are mixed: Some studies show that there are no significant racial differences in douching practices,2 while others have found that Black and African American women are more likely to practice douching than White and Hispanic women.1,3 Studies have shown a significant difference in attitudes toward douching and knowledge of normal vaginal symptoms among US racial demographics, although this must be examined through the historical context of racism and the lens of medical anthropology.4
Women cite that common reasons they use feminine hygiene products are to feel clean, to control odor, and to use after menses and intercourse.1,2
Modern marketing approaches
From wipes to soaps to douches, feminine hygiene products often are advertised to promote “funk-free periods”5 and “freshness,” fostering an environment in which women and men develop unrealistic standards for what is considered normal genital odor and resulting in poor body image.6
Recently, Vagisil (Combe Incorporated) marketing efforts faced backlash from the ObGyn community for targeting younger populations with a specific product line for adolescents called OMV! In addition, attention has been drawn to VCF vaginal odor eliminating film (Apothecus Pharmaceutical Corp), small stamp-sized dissolving films that are placed in the vaginal canal in contact with the epithelium. This product has entered the market of feminine hygiene products accompanied by slogans of eliminating “feminine odor” and providing “confidence for women to be intimate.”
Continue to: Effects of feminine hygiene products on the vaginal microbiome...