To douche with tea tree oil before a smear test?!

[floraeasy]

Was talking with friends today. I have a smear soon. Just mentioned I was going to pick up some tea-tree oil on the way home. They asked what it was for so I told them I douche before these appointments.

I occasionally do it after sex too. In fact I try not to have sex in the few days leading up to an internal.

They were .

Now I feel weird To me, it's like giving my teeth an extra good brush, flossing, mouthwash before seeing dentist. Just preparing myself, you know?

A lot of women in the US seem to have this as part of their regular routine.

By the way, I've been doing this for a few years now and no gynae problems so far.

[Eminybob]

Weird. I have never ever heard of anyone doing this. (Before now)
Isnt the vagina supposed to be self cleaning?

[overwroughtowl]

Waaa?

Sorry I'm too. You must have a very resilient vag - mine develops thrush at the drop of a hat

[CaoNiMartacus]

Good heavens, no. The fanj is a self-cleaning organ.

(Anyway, wouldn't tea tree oil sting? It's bad enough on spots)

[SelfObsessionHoney]

As an ex practice nurse who's taken plenty of smears - please stop putting tea tree up your vag!

You risk really damaging the mucosal membrane.

[Mrsmorton]

Yes YABU, that's just weird. You just also have plenty of time on your hands. Did you do NCT with Gwyneth Paltrow?

[StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes]

ooch, how much do you dilute it? my eyes are watering at the thought of putting tea tree anywhere in my nether regions.

[SheSaidHeSaid]

Erm, yeah, that's weird IMO.

Internally you're self cleaning so you don't need to do that. In fact, I think it's actually recommended you don't. I know there are specific products on sale but they're not really necessary and certainly aren't tea tree oil!!!

[Snap8TheCat]

Why?! Does it stink?

[ToastyFingers]

Yeesh. I though current advice was not to douche with anything, ever, let alone tea tree oil. Doesn't it make your vagina all dry and stingy?

[ShowMeWhatYouGot]

[Itaintme]

[FirstSeemItThenBeIt]

I'm going with the 'are the men doing it?' thing here.

Do men feel the need to clean out the inside of their dicks? No. Then you can probably leave your fanny alone too.

[Fluffyears]

It actually doesn't sting. I use it to clean the outside (wouldn't douche with it though) and it feels very fresh. I tend to give it a wipe with damp cotton wool with a few drops just after my period. I get recurrent thrush and it actually helps kill the yeast.

[Kikikaakaa]

Do you dilute it? In what?
You aren't meant to put anything up there or even around there that isn't of a fairly neutral PH, take this from someone who has had chronic bacterial vaginosis and thrush for years (all gone now!). You can dry it all out if it's too harsh, it can cause infection and irritation also I just don't see the point... it's just a vagina, why does it need to be super clean with nit repellant that also treats acne? I don't think this is an appropriate oil to use.
I would stick to Fem Fresh type products. Or water

[Roomba]

Ouch! 😱

How on earth can that be good for you? And it's not like the nurse will have their head right next to your bits, as long as you've showered recently you'll be fine surely!

This is a short cut to thrush and infections due to damaged membranes. Don't do it please!

[Kikikaakaa]

I googled it it's clearly one of those American things that random people blog about it being helpful, but I couldn't see anything medical it was based on - I mean do the NHS endorse this or housewives from Wisconsin?

[MrsHughesCarson]

Surely this would screw the smear results and upset the balance of natural vaginal secretions.

[PuppyMonkey]

( what is tea tree oil supposed to achieve? )

[ILostItInTheEarlyNineties]

A shower before hand and clean knickers is all you need. Ditto after sex.

[ShatnersBassoon]

Ooh, that's got to be a bad idea whichever way you look at it.

You do know that our internal parts are self-cleaning and should be left well alone? That's why they're so difficult to get to with the disinfectant and bottle brush.

[kikibo]

[shocked]

Please, please, please, stop doing that. It doesn't need cleaning down there as it's perfectly capable of doing that for itself and especially not before smear tests, because douching can interfere with that.

And to add another very good or even better reason: there are concerns that douching like this could cause cancer because it disturbs the natural balance of bacteria.

If you do wash your nether regions, it should be only on the outside and not with too much soap, because that can cause urinary tract infections.

[SmileEachDay]

Hecate

Ha. Yes, I used that once. A bit stingy. And surprising, given that I hadn't looked at the label...

[DontTouchTheMoustache]

Please....tell me you are joking?

[Jeaniusly]

I just for an extra boost to my confidence even an hour after showering, I use a baby wipe. Mamia from Aldi are great for this.

It is just because I want to and it's easy. If good enough for a baby's bum, it's good enough for me!

No way would I use anything like a douche, and tee tree oil, WTF you'd be out of action for a long time with that, it is not meant for nethers.