Read 1930s criticism of Zonite and Lysol.
See an Australian douche ad (ca. 1900) - Fresca douche powder (U.S.A.) (date ?) - Kotique douche liquid ad, 1974 (U.S.A.) - Liasan (1) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Liasan (2) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1948 (U.S.A.) - Marvel douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Midol menstrual pain pill ad, 1938 (U.S.A.) - Midol booklet (selections), 1959 (U.S.A.) - Mum deodorant cream ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Myzone menstrual pain pills ad, 1952 (Australia) - Pristeen genital spray ad, 1969 (U.S.A.) - Spalt pain tablets, 1936 (Germany) - Sterizol douche liquid ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Zonite douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - the Odor page

Famous women in menstrual hygiene advertising:
Carol Lynley - Lee Miller - Mary Lou Retton - Cathy Rigby - Cheryl Tiegs - Brenda Vaccaro

See also advertising for teenagers.

Menstrual pad suspenders!
See how a woman wore a belt in a Dutch ad. See a classy 1920s ad for a belt and the first ad (1891) MUM has for a belt.
See how women wore a belt (and in a Swedish ad). See a modern belt for a washable pad and a page from the 1946-47 Sears catalog showing a great variety.
More ads for napkin belts: Sears, 1928 - modern belts - modern washable - Modess, 1960s
Actual belts in the museum
More ads for napkin belts: Sears, 1928 - modern belts - modern washable - Modess, 1960s
Actual belts in the museum
See the Kotex stick tampon.
See also a Saba Ad, Pursettes ad, Kotex "Are you in the know?" ads (1949)(1953)(1964), Ads for Teens, and some older Kotex ads
And, of course, the first Tampax AND - special for you! - the American fax tampon, from the early 1930s, which also came in bags.
See a Modess True or False? ad in The American Girl magazine, January 1947, and actress Carol Lynley in "How Shall I Tell My Daughter" booklet ad (1955) - Modess . . . . because ads (many dates).
CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could?
Some MUM site links: 
homepage
| MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? |
Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads
Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.

 

The Perils of Vaginal Douching

by Luci Capo Rome, Family Nurse Practitioner (© 2000 Luci Capo Rome)

Vaginal douching has been a great concern for me, as a health-care professional. During my many years of caring for women, I have found that many douche on a regular basis. I have informed my female patients of the reasons not to douche. Vaginal infections can be eliminated by its cessation. My purpose in writing this article is to educate and support women with regard to this needless practice.

Vaginal douching is a centuries-old practice that is still done today. The most common reason for its use is hygiene. It is being done by more than sixty-seven million women in the U. S. It goes back to the time of Hippocrates when douching was the only means of cleansing the pelvic cavity due to lack of medications, such as antibiotics. Only physicians and nurses were to perform vaginal douching when absolutely necessary.

Through time, it was determined that vaginal douching was an ineffective method for vaginal cleansing. This practice has been done by many ethnic groups following sexual intercourse and/or after completion of the menstrual cycle. Many devices were invented to continue with this so-called form of feminine hygiene. Multiple solutions were developed, vinegar and water being the most common one.

The healthy, normally developed vagina is self-cleansing. Daily, the feminine public continues to be subject to wide-spread false advertising which emphasizes the need for douching in order to attain the ultimate in feminine charm and freshness. These ads seen in women's magazines and on television foster, especially among the ill-informed, a primitive attitude toward the vagina. This is a potential threat to female sexuality, suggesting that it is a dirty place.

During the 1920's through the 1940's douche ads were seen in popular women's magazines such as Cosmopolitan, and McCalls. These douche solutions carried such names as Lysol, Sterizol, and Zonite. The so-called disinfectants destroyed the normal bacteria in the vagina. Today, we still have douche products on the market such as Massengill and Summer's Eve. It is unfortunate that these products exist. They are taking money and time from women by emphasizing their use and benefits.

Vaginal douching has many risks. Actually, what is does is wash away the normal bacteria that are friendly. Lactobacilli give off a natural form of hydrogen peroxide that keeps the vaginal pH balance more acidic. Thus, the bacteria that can lead to serious concerns do not get the chance to grow and multiply into the upper reproductive tract. Many studies have been done in regard to the risk factors that are associated with vaginal douching. Among them are sexually transmitted diseases, tubal pregnancy, inability to become pregnant and, possibly, cervical cancer.

Through education and communication, my hope is that such a senseless activity be stopped, that the vaginal health in women improves and that the risk factors be reduced. My wish is that the commercial douching products come down off the shelves when women no longer purchase them.

© 2000 Luci Capo Rome

Slate had an interesting article ( "What’s in Your Vagina? A healthy microbiome, hopefully") about the connection between bacteria in the vagina and pregnancy, and emphasized NOT douching (January 2013).

See a 1959 Midol pain-pill booklet recommending douching
See an older American douche syringe and read what a woman once famous in "feminine hygiene" wrote about douching. And see a still older American douche set, Mon Docteur (My Doctor in French) with instructions, from about 1929.
More essays

© 2000 Luci Capo Rome. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute any of the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org
See also Australian douche ad (ca. 1900) - Fresca douche powder (U.S.A.) (date ?) - Kotique douche liquid ad, 1974 (U.S.A.) - Liasan (1) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Liasan (2) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1948 (U.S.A.) - Marvel douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Midol menstrual pain pill ad, 1938 (U.S.A.) - Midol booklet (selections), 1959 (U.S.A.) - Mum deodorant cream ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Pristeen genital spray ad, 1969 (U.S.A.) - Spalt pain tablets, 1936 (Germany) - Sterizol douche liquid ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Vionell genital spray ad, 1970, with Cheryl Tiegs (Germany) - Zonite douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
The Perils of Vaginal Douching (essay by Luci Capo Rome) - the odor page