Another Reason Not to Douche

Douching remains prevalent among U.S. women (especially black women) despite associations with adverse reproductive health outcomes, including pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. In a prospective cohort study, investigators asked whether douching or genital talc use predicts risk for ovarian cancer in a cohort of some 50,000 women, each of whom had a sister with breast cancer.

After a median follow-up of 7 years, 154 women received diagnoses of ovarian cancer. Women who reported douching at baseline had significantly higher risk for ovarian cancer (hazard ratio, 1.8). Talc use was not associated with subsequent development of ovarian cancer.