Parsley
A bizarre suggestion was made in January 2019 by women’s magazine Marie Claire that parsley could induce periods.
Women may want to make their period come sooner as a means of controlling their cycle ahead of a holiday or special event.
According to the article, parsley is an emmenagogue – a substance that increases menstrual flow – which can ‘soften the cervix and level out hormonal imbalances’.
Doctors, including Dr Shazia Malik, a London-based obstetrician-gynaecologist, uged women to never insert vegetables into the vagina, as it could lead to health risks – including potentially death.
Marie Clare has now apologised for the article and taken it down because it is ‘misguided’.
Apple cider vinegar
Experts urged women not to use trendy apple cider vinegar to ‘tighten’ their vaginas in October 2017 after online blogs and forums encouraged women to carry out the bizarre douching technique.
Aside from vinegar being completely ineffective at tightening the vagina, Professor Linda Cardozo from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London warns it could disrupt the organ’s delicate ‘good’ bacteria, putting women at risk of irritation and infections.
To maintain the vagina’s strength and tone, women should perform pelvic floor exercises regularly, Professor Cardozo recommends.
Cleansers, lubricants and wipes
Women who use intimate-health products are more at risk of bacterial, fungal and urinary tract infections (UTIs), research in April 2018 from the University of Guelph, suggested.
Vaginal sanitising gels raise women’s risk of developing a genital bacterial infection by almost 20 times and a yeast infection, like thrush, by eight times, a study found.
Intimate washes make women 3.5 times more likely to catch a bacterial infection and 2.5 times more at risk of a yeast infestation, the research adds.
Vaginal wipes double the risk of a UTI, while lubricants and moisturising creams increase women’s susceptibility to thrush by 2.5 times, the study found.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Jade Eggs
A gynecologist slammed Gwyneth Paltrow’s suggestion for women to put jade eggs up their vaginas as ridiculous and dangerous.
Writing on her lifestyle blog goop, the Hollywood actress claimed the $66 rocks boost orgasms, vaginal muscle tone, hormonal balance, and ‘feminine energy’.
Women, Paltrow explained through an interview with her ‘beauty guru/healer/inspiration/friend’, should clench the egg inside them all day to exercise their pelvic floor.
But acclaimed gynecologist Dr Jen Gunter warned in January 2019 that the whole idea is nonsense – and could even increase the risk of bacterial vaginosis or deadly toxic shock syndrome.
Vaginal scraping
Doctors warned about this procedure after Mel B, 43, revealed she had the insides of her vagina scraped out and new tissue put inside after her bitter divorce with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte.
The procedure, which has been largely unheard of until Mel B spoke out, could lead to a serious risk of infection, experts have said.
Dr Jen Gunter – gynaecologist, obstetrician and author of The Vagina Bible – told Refinery29 that women should ‘never, ever have their vagina scraped’ – or even douched – which cleans the vagina using a douche and fluid.
She said: ‘Any scraping of the vaginal epithelium [tissue] could affect the vaginal ecosystem and theoretically could spread HPV locally and would increase a woman’s vulnerability to infection.
She added that the vagina regenerates itself every 96 hours and the surface cells are shed every four hours.
Bath bombs
Doctors expressed concern in January 2019 that people would bath bombs as a sex toy.
The comments came after popular high street retailer Lush released a cheeky Valentine’s Day range which included bombs shaped like aubergines and peach emojis.
Dr Vanessa Mackay, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told The Metro: ‘We would strongly discourage the use of bath bombs internally as these could disturb the fragile balance of good bacteria inside the vagina.
‘This natural flora helps to protect the vagina and disrupting it could lead to irritation, inflammation and infection, such as bacterial vaginosis or thrush.’