From Yoni Eggs To Kardashian Gummies, Here Are 6 Things Your Vagina Really Doesn't Need
There are a lot of different products available on the market when it comes to vaginal health, some of which you may have stumbled upon on platforms like TikTok.
Some of the products, like vaginal health gummies, are promoted by big-name celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian. There's also vaginal steaming, which has been hyped by Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow.
While the celebs say these products and devices are beneficial, is there a truth behind their claims?
Dr. Ashley Waddington, a gynecologist and associate professor of gynecology at Queen's University, says people need to look at certain products more critically rather than giving in to the marketing of it all.
"I just hope and wish that people, when they hear these pitches for vitamins and supplements and things to put inside and on the outside, that they think of it with a critical lens," she told Narcity and added a question to ask yourself when you do see the various ads.
"Is there anything actually wrong with me or is this person trying to market something to me to make money off of the insecurity that they're instilling in me through their words and through their products?"
With that in mind, we asked Waddington about some of the most hyped-up products being talked about on the market when it comes to vaginal health to see if there's any benefit to using them.
Vaginal health gummies
Kourtney Kardashian's Lemme Purr vaginal health gummies are marketed as having ingredients like probiotics which "specifically target vaginal health and pH levels to support freshness and odour."
While the benefits of the gummies may sound great, Waddington says there's no need for them.
"The vaginal pH is regulated by a number of things, and most importantly, regulated by the natural sort of flora or natural sort of bacterial environment within the vagina and there's really no evidence that what you eat makes a significant contribution to any of that," she explained.
What that means is that there is nothing in a gummy that would change the "bacterial balance" within the vagina.
"There's no reason that you should need to eat a gummy every day to keep your vagina healthy."
Yoni eggs
Yoni eggs have once again been popularized by celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow.
They are essentially egg-shaped stones made of jade or rose quartz that you insert into the vagina to "promote sensuality, femininity and healing energy," as reported by the Cleveland Clinic.
Some people may also use them for pelvic floor training.
Waddington understands a person's intentions when it comes to strengthening their pelvic floor, but she says yoni eggs are not the best way of doing that.
If you're buying a yoni egg online, it could be porous, meaning bacteria may get caught in the little nooks and crannies.
"So you may be putting something inside the vagina that could lead to infection or imbalance of the bacteria inside the vagina," she explained.
The gynecologist says there are situations where pelvic floor strengthening can be beneficial and that's where she would recommend seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist rather than buying an egg-shaped stone from Amazon.
Vaginal steaming
Vaginal steaming has been praised by various celebrities (strike two for Gwyneth Paltrow) as a way to cleanse your vagina and uterus.
According to US Weekly, the Goop founder described the process as sitting on a "mini-throne" as a combination of "infrared and mugwort steam cleanses your uterus."
We included a photo of Chrissy Teigen who posted a pic on Instagram to show you what it looks like.
So the celebs are doing it, but do experts recommend it? Not really.
"I don't 100% understand what people are trying to achieve when they do that," Waddington said.
"[The vagina] is not like an open container, it's more like a sock. When it's sitting in its natural state, the front and back walls of the vagina are together so nothing's really gonna go up inside, from crouching over something that's emitting a steam."
The gynecologist adds that the only vaginal area that would be impacted is the skin on the outside, which could get burned from all the steam.
However, if you enjoy the process and don't hurt yourself, Waddington says she doesn't see a problem. Just don't assume there are any health benefits associated with doing it.
Dripsticks
Another product that's going viral thanks to TikTok is the dripstick.
We won't go into the details of how it works, but essentially it's marketed as a helpful tool for a person with a vagina to clean up after sex with someone who has a penis. For visualization purposes, it looks like a tampon on a stick.
Once again, Waddington doesn't get the hype around this product and advises against using it. Her advice? Use a condom to keep it from getting messy.
"In general, the more you can not put things inside the vagina, the better," she said.
"There is always a small risk of things like toxic shock syndrome and also, again, sort of creating an imbalance of the bacteria that are supposed to live inside the vagina."
Vaginal bleaching
Vaginal bleaching is a procedure that involves topical creams, lasers or chemical peels to lighten the skin of the vulva, as defined by Medical News Today.
While it may sound like it's not that harmful, experts say it can be.
"The skin in that area in particular is very sensitive and anytime you're applying anything to it, that has the potential to change the bacteria load on the skin or to irritate the skin. You're probably best not to do that," Waddington said.
The gynecologist also doesn't see it as a particularly effective treatment as you can't "very effectively bleach the skin on other parts of your body."
Kegel weights
Similarly to yoni eggs, kegel weights are sometimes used to strengthen a person's pelvic floor muscles.
While Waddington does understand the goal people have in mind when using these, she says it's still best to get professional help rather than trying to do it on your own.
"The pelvic floor is a complex organ that has several muscles in sort of close proximity to one another," she said.
"In an ideal setting [you] want to make sure that as you work to strengthen those muscles, that you're doing that in a balanced way and not strengthening some more than others and potentially making whatever the underlying issue is that you're trying to improve potentially worse."
Are scented vaginal moisturizers and cleansers OK to use?
When it comes to products like scented moisturizers, cleansers or flavoured condoms, Waddington says it's best not to use them so that you don't run the risk of disrupting the normal bacteria flora that exists in the vagina.
"Sometimes when it gets out of balance [the bacteria flora], that's when people start to have symptoms like discharge and odour," she noted.
"The more you can be a little bit hands-off with that kind of stuff and not proceed with putting anything inside unless you've been checked out and made sure that you know there's not an underlying infection or something like that, the better off your vagina will be."
What products are recommended for vaginal health?
In conclusion, Waddington hopes that people who have vaginas will feel more empowered to see through the marketing that goes into these types of products.
Why? Because they're just not necessary.
"Your vagina is fine, it has its own way of looking after itself. It doesn't require anything except for water and potentially a mild soap to keep it in good condition."
If you do see a change in odour or experience any discharge, that's when it's time to seek professional help rather than scroll through TikTok to try and find an answer.
"Vaginas come in all different shapes and sizes and they are all good just the way they are and if they're not then that should be evaluated by a health professional and not dealt with by a Kardashian."
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
