A vagina shouldn't smell like a creamsicle

That's the opinion of a gynecologist who is waging war against some feminine hygiene products.

Jen Gunter is on a crusade to make sure teenagers know that vaginas should smell like vaginas, not creamsicles.

The Bay Area gynecologist and author of “The Vagina Bible” has been waging a high-profile war against various vaginal hygiene products and practices since her 2017 Goop takedown, taking particular issue with guidance that women place jade eggs in their vaginas and practice vaginal steaming. Today she’s aiming her ire — and sizable social media following — at Vagisil, a vaginal care products company that launched a line for teens this summer...

“Society’s always looking for ways to make people with vaginas feel ashamed,” Gunter said. “I hate that industry with a passion because it capitalizes on vaginal and vulvar shame. But to see it marketed to teens? Not on my watch.”..

Gunter says although products such as tampons and sanitary products are needed, the scented washes and wipes that accompany them in drug store aisles are unnecessary at best and can be downright harmful at worst. The products can upset the vagina’s natural ecosystem, stripping it of the bacteria it needs to fight off infections — potentially including sexually transmitted ones. In a 2018 study, participants who used feminine wipes had almost double the odds of reporting a urinary tract infection, and those who used gel sanitizers were almost eight times more likely to report a yeast infection.

Continued at The Washington Post.

Image cropped for size from the original at Instagram.