Women who use intimate-health products are more at risk of bacterial, fungal and urinary tract infections (UTIs), new research suggests.
Vaginal sanitising gels raise women’s risk of developing a genital bacterial infection by almost 20 times and a yeast infection, like thrush, by eight times, a study found.
Intimate washes make women 3.5 times more likely to catch a bacterial infection and 2.5 times more at risk of a yeast infestation, the research adds.
Vaginal wipes double the risk of a UTI, while lubricants and moisturising creams increase women’s susceptibility to thrush by 2.5 times, the study found.
Lead author Kieran O’Doherty, from University of Guelph, said: ‘These products may be preventing the growth of the healthy bacteria required to fight off infection.’
Imbalances to ‘good’ bacteria in the vagina may also lead to reduced fertility, cervical cancer and a higher risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to the researchers.
So far this year, feminine-hygiene product sales have reached more than $2,720 million in the US alone.
Women who use intimate-health products are more at risk of infections (stock)
DEMAND FOR ‘DESIGNER VAGINAS’ IS SOARING
The ever-growing desire for a ‘designer vagina’ has soared by almost 50 per cent over the course of a year, figures suggested in February 2018.
Industry figures reveal a 45 per cent jump in the number of labiaplasties – which involves trimming back the inner lips, like Barbie – across the world.
Demand for ‘designer vaginas’ is soaring as women want to look like Barbie
Leading names in plastic surgery have said the vaginal surgery, one of the most sought-after, is officially the ‘fastest growing procedure’.
Dr Renato Saltz, president of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), told AFP that ‘vaginal rejuvenation is the new trend’.
IMCAS figures also show spending on cosmetic surgery has jumped by eight per cent in a year, totalling £7.5 billion ($10.7bn).
Spending on equipment and products used for nips, tucks and lifts is only expected to increase by another nine per cent next year.
On the back of the IMCAS figures, Dr Saltz added the ‘fastest growing procedure’ was the labiaplasty, which 100,000 people underwent in 2015.
He said: ‘The demand for cosmetic procedures is stronger than ever.’
Porn has repeatedly been blamed for the thousands of women going under the knife for a labiaplasty.
