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Douche

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A vaginal bulb syringe. Note the lateral holes near the tip of the nozzle (about 1cm, or 1/2 inch thick).
This "fountain syringe" may be used for douching, by replacing the currently attached enema nozzle by the vaginal nozzle (shown bottom left). The vaginal nozzle is longer, thicker, and has lateral holes.

A douche (IPA /du:ʃ/) is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygenic reasons, or the stream of water itself. The word comes from the French language, where its principal meaning is a shower. The word can refer to the rinsing of any body cavity but usually applies to the vagina. A douche bag is a piece of equipment for douching: a bag for holding the water or fluid used in douching (the word can also be used as a verb). (See below for slang uses.)

Vaginal douching has a variety of perceived benefits. In addition to promising to clean the vagina of unwanted odors, it can also be used by women who wish to have intercourse during menstruation, in order to avoid blood smearing the penis. In the past, douching was also used after intercourse as a method of birth control, though it is not very effective (see below).

Many people suggest that douching is generally not a good idea, as the vagina is self-cleaning and douching interferes with the natural bacterial culture of the vagina, and it might spread or introduce infectionsTemplate:Fn.

Douches may consist of water, water mixed with vinegar, or even antiseptic chemicals. Frequent douching with water may result in an imbalance of the pH of the vagina, and thus may put women at risk for possible vaginal infections. Antiseptics may result in an imbalance of the natural bacteria in the vagina, also resulting in an increased likelihood of infection. Furthermore, unclean douching equipment may also introduce undesirable foreign bodies into the vagina. For these reasons, the practice of douching is now generally discouraged, unless under medical supervision.

Douching after intercourse is estimated at reducing the chances of conception by only 1/6 to 1/4. For comparison, proper condom use reduces the chance of conception by as much as 97/100 (see more at Condom). In some cases douching may force the ejaculate further into the vagina, increasing the chance of pregnancy.

The practice of douching is now largely restricted to North America, where douching equipment is often available in pharmacies.

Slang uses

A douchebag is someone who is incredibly annoying. "Man that guy is such a douchebag!"

Terms such as douchebag and douche are also popular derogatory terms of insult or ridicule in North America. These terms have become popular in the comedic media, and can mean a variety of different insults:

  • Someone who is annoying, bossy or embarrassing.
  • Someone who is stupid, intellectually challenged or mentally deranged but less than clinically insane.
  • Someone who is unintelligently lying or scamming.
  • Someone who is arrogant, elitist or snobby.
  • Someone whom you don't like.
  • Someone who is socially inept.
  • Someone who you think is mentally challenged

References

Lauren Swan

See also

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