douching is pretty much the norm though

@killmyunicorn: The “norm?”
No, not really… I work on the business side of a major grocer, and therefore have access to this awesome set of industry data (IRI) that basically tells you how many dollars or units of any particular packaged good w/ a UPC code is sold. The data is broken out each quarter, and is available by state… very very granular. I just ran the numbers for all douches available on the market, and across the country, douche sales have been steadily falling in both dollars and volume for years. Unless people are purchasing their douches at Wal*Mart (who no longer participates in IRI, since they generate more than enough of their own data), this dangerous pastime is becoming less and less popular.
Which is all the better if you ask me. Of the women I’ve dated over the years, I’ve only known one who douched. And she was the only one who had recurring issues down there. Anecdotal, I know, but everything I’ve ever read says the studies back that up.
I just clicked through on your profile, killmyunicorn, and realize you’re in the adult biz. I really hope that this is not common practice among the ladies in your industry. The idea of my favorite pornstars having unnecessary self-inflicted yeast infections is kind of gross. But the idea that you ladies regularly do something to your bodies that makes it MORE likely you would contract an STD is just plain sad / scary.
Ladies, your cooch will clean itself out naturally. If it isn’t, see a doctor, something is wrong. And if things are a bit too funky for your or your partners’ tastes, that’s what a washcloth, water, and mild soap is for.

@Lux Nightmare: Why, thank you

Other fun fact I discovered when I first started using IRI data several years back. I was working for an investment house covering consumer products. One day, I was working on two tasks — covering the quarterly Tampax earnings call and analyzing a food conglomerate that was making a bid for a big spice (think paprika, not cable porn) company. As it turns out, Americans spend roughly the same amount of money each year on spices as they do on tampons. Food for thought.

Oh, and you haven’t lived until you’ve listened into a conference call with half a dozen men in their 50′s talking about tampons — the CEO at one point referred to his customers as “hard core tampon users.” I try to sneak that phrase into conversation at least once a month.

@SecretLady: Sorry to have offended… actually, wait, no, I’m not. There was nothing remotely “rude” about what I said. Maybe you feel it was misinformed (if so, you’re wrong), but certainly not rude. I made it clear in my comment that if a woman is concerned, she should see a doctor. Nobody should be making medical decisions based solely on comments on a website about porn, and I never indicated otherwise.

What I find “rude” is your unsubstantiated, unsourced claims that a practice that all available studies and literature (you do know that’s how science is supposed to work, right?) define as dangerous (even potentially lethal) might be ok.

Now, I don’t know what being “in the med field” means or who these “many doctors” you refer to are. Perhaps they were educated back in the day when Lysol was a feminine hygiene product and practice in a jurisdiction where the state licensing boards don’t require continuing education? Personally, I find your claim that you’ve overheard the discussions of patients at the drug counter over your “three years of the med field” to be specious at best, since HIPAA has been effect that entire time and those practitioners were in open violation of the law if you could witness it.

I’m even more skeptical of your claim that you’ve NEVER heard anyone saying that douching could be bad. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (which consists of more than 40,000 doctors — how big is your sample size??) have study after study indicating douching is dangerous. But don’t take my word for it, read their comments for yourself:

“The researchers suggest that douching may disrupt the normal vaginal microbiology leading to vulnerability to BV.

This study supports several earlier epidemiologic studies linking douching with BV. Other studies also have linked douching to the risk of acquiring HIV, pelvic inflammatory disease, preterm delivery and cervical cancer.”

Source: [www.aboutwomenbywomen.yourmd.com]

Now, let’s get back to the porn, shall we?

@SecretLady: I’m not quite sure who in the med field is advising the use of douches, but as a sex educator with over ten years of experience, I’ve always heard (and told people) that douches destroy the natural ecosystem of the vagina and create more problems than they solve.