Facts About Vaginal Steaming – HealthyWomen



Full disclosure: I love Groupon. It’s full of deals on stuff and services I never knew I needed. A detoxing foot bath for $5? Yes, please! Half-off a pumpkin spice facial? Sign me up for that seasonal treat. Buy one, get one, vaginal steaming? Heck yes … I need to see the fine print on that one.

You’ve probably heard of vaginal steaming before. It’s been around for centuries. More recently, celebrities like Chrissy Teigan have posted about it on social media. I remember hearing about it on an episode of “The Kardashians.” “It’s so good for your vagina — you put roses and stuff in there,” Kourtney said.

Roses? And stuff? In your vagina? “The appeal is that [people think] it ‘cleans it out’ and provides nutrients to the area,” said Heather Bartos, M.D., an OB-GYN and member of HealthyWomen’s Women’s Health Advisory Council.

Take our quiz: True or False: Vaginas! >>

But like many things on reality TV, vaginal steaming isn’t what it seems. Here’s what you need to know before you get that Groupon.

What is vaginal steaming?

Vaginal steaming, also called v-steaming and yoni steaming, involves sitting over a pot of hot water that’s infused with herbs. A blanket or towel is placed around your lower body to keep the steam from escaping.

Spa-like facilities may offer vaginal steaming using a special seat with a hole in the middle for the steam to come through. There are also DIY kits for at-home steamers.

What are the supposed vaginal steaming benefits?

As Bartos mentioned, part of the draw of vagina steaming is that it supposedly helps “clean” the vagina.

Vaginal steaming has also been said to help regulate periods, ease period cramps and increase fertility. Although there’s no scientific evidence to back up any of these claims.

What are the risks of vaginal steaming?

“Steaming — as the name suggests — can cause severe burns and irritation to the vulva and vagina,” Bartos said.

Beyond the possibility of burns (which seems like enough to say hard pass) the herbs can cause inflammation and infection. Bartos said vagina steaming is basically a super hot version of a douche, which you shouldn’t do. (It can upset the balance of bacteria in your vagina.)

Read: 15 Minutes With: Ashley Winter, M.D., Talks Urology, Sex and All Things Vaginas >>

Also, Bartos noted that vagina steaming perpetuates the myth that the vagina is dirty and needs cleaning — which isn’t true. “Your vagina is perfect the way she is!”

Does vaginal steaming work?

Science says there are no real benefits to vaginal steaming. “The vagina doesn’t sit around ‘open,’ so getting nutrients into the area is nearly impossible,” Bartos said. “No one does rectal steaming.”

The vaginal steaming verdict: Save your money — and your vagina. There are plenty of other Groupons in the sea.

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5 Types of Gynecologic Cancer



Medically reviewed by Blair McNamara, M.D.

Gynecologic cancer is defined as any type of cancer that begins within the reproductive organs of a woman or a person assigned female at birth.

In 2024, there will be an estimated 116,930 new cases, as well as 33,850 deaths from gynecologic cancers in the U.S.

5 Types of Gynecologic Cancer

1. Uterine Cancer

  • Starts in a woman’s uterus
  • The most common type of uterine cancer is called endometrial cancer because it starts in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus
  • Most common in postmenopausal women

Ways to reduce risk of uterine cancer

Symptoms of uterine cancer

  • Abnormal vaginal discharge
  • Bleeding after menopause
  • Pain or pressure in the pelvic area

Treatment optionsfor uterine cancer

  • Surgery
  • Radiation
  • Chemotherapy
  • Clinical trials

Watch: How Endometrial Cancer Is Diagnosed >>

2. Ovarian Cancer

  • Develops in the ovaries or in cells in the far end of the fallopian tubes
  • A woman’s lifetime chance of developing this cancer is 1 in 78
  • Most common in women ages 63 and older

Ways to reduce risk of ovarian cancer

  • Use birth control pills (oral contraceptives)
  • Get genetic testing and possibly take action if you have a family history

Getting your tubes tied or having a hysterectomy reduces your risk for ovarian cancer, but these procedures are generally recommended only for medical reasons and not solely to prevent cancer.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer

  • Bloating, abdominal swelling or weight loss
  • Feeling an urgency to urinate or having to urinate frequently
  • Abdominal or pelvic pain
  • Feeling full fast and difficulty eating
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Pain during intercourse
  • Period changes
  • Constipation
  • Upset stomach

Treatment options for ovarian cancer

  • Surgery
  • Radiation
  • Chemotherapy
  • Hormone therapy
  • Targeted drug therapy

3. Cervical Cancer

Ways to reduce risk of cervical cancer

  • Get the HPV vaccine
  • Use condoms
  • Don’t smoke
  • Get screened regularly, starting at age 21 — Cervical cancer screenings can help catch precancerous or cancerous cells early when the cancer is more treatable and curable

Read: HPV Vaccination Is Cancer Prevention >>

Symptoms of cervical cancer

  • Early stages often have no symptoms, which is why screenings are important
  • Later stage symptoms can include:
    • abnormal vaginal discharge
    • abnormal bleeding
    • bleeding or pain during sexual intercourse

Treatment options for cervical cancer

For precancer (also called cervical dysplasia)

  • Laser ablation: A beam of high-energy light is used to vaporize abnormal tissue
  • Cryotherapy: Abnormal cells are frozen
  • Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP): Abnormal tissue is removed using a wire loop
  • Cone biopsy (also called cold knife conization): A cone-shaped part of the cervix (the bottom and part of the center) is removed

For cancer

  • Surgery
  • Radiation
  • Chemotherapy
  • Targeted drug therapy
  • Immunotherapy

4. Vaginal Cancer

  • Starts in the vagina
  • A rare form of cancer, accounting for 1% to 2% of cancers in the female genital tract
  • Occurs mainly in older women — the average age of diagnosis is 67
  • Up to 90% of vaginal cancers and pre-cancers are linked to HPV

Ways to reduce riskof vaginal cancer

Symptoms of vaginal cancer

  • Abnormal vaginal bleeding, often after sex
  • Abnormal vaginal discharge
  • Painful intercourse
  • Feeling a mass or lump in the vagina
  • Advanced stage symptoms can include painful urination, leg swelling, back pain, pelvic or lower body pain, constipation

Treatment options for vaginal cancer

For precancer

  • Laser ablation: A beam of high-energy light is used to vaporize abnormal tissue
  • Topical therapy: Drugs like chemotherapy drug Fluorouracil (5-FU) or imiquimod cream can be placed on affected areas

For invasive vaginal cancer

  • Radiation therapy
  • Surgery
  • Chemotherapy

5. Vulvar Cancer

Ways to reduce risk of vulvar cancer

  • Get an HPV vaccine
  • Use condoms
  • Don’t smoke
  • Keep up with regular pelvic check-ups
  • Perform regular self-exams of the vulva — Hold a mirror up to your vulva and look for changes in skin, like areas that are white, irritated or red, as well as new sores, growths or bumps

Symptoms of vulvar cancer

  • An area of the vulva that looks abnormal — lighter or darker than normal skin, red or pink skin
  • A red, pink, or white bump or lump that may have a wart-like surface or feel rough and thick
  • Itching
  • Thickening of vulvar skin
  • Burning or pain
  • Abnormal bleeding or discharge
  • An open sore that typically lasts for longer than a month

Treatment options for vulvar cancer

  • Topical creams therapy, including chemotherapy drugs fluorouracil (5-FU) or imiquimod
  • Surgery
  • Radiation
  • Chemotherapy

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Prolapse Changed My Life – HealthyWomen



As told to Jacquelyne Froeber

June is Pelvic Organ Prolapse Awareness Month

Sitting in a waiting room with mostly 80-year-old men, I wondered how I got here.

I was 50. Active. In good health. But apparently my bladder thought I was twice my age. The urge to pee was taking over my life. No matter where I was or what I was doing, I had to pee at least once an hour — more than 30 times a day on a good day. And the more I thought about it, the worse it got.

My full and happy life was already changing when this bladder bully showed up in early 2023. Over the past few years, my family and I had moved to a new neighborhood, my daughter moved away for college and my teenage son was getting ready to leave too. I started to feel insecure and unsure of my next purpose in life. My inner critic was always firing major bullets my way, telling me I wasn’t good enough. What was going to happen when my job as a hands-on mom was being downsized? I was scared to find out.

The ongoing conflict inside my brain was causing a lot of overall tension in my mind and body. Even if I could relax enough to sleep, I’d still have to get up throughout the night to pee. I was desperately trying to keep it all together, but the pressure in my pelvis was pushing me to a breaking point.

I was frank about this with the urologist during that office visit. “This is unbearable,” I said. He was the latest healthcare provider to listen to my symptoms. Six weeks earlier I was treated for a UTI, but three rounds of antibiotics didn’t really help. Now the pressure was so intense, it felt like a boulder sitting on my pelvis. It would roll to the side when I went to the bathroom, but it always returned a few minutes later.

The urologist diagnosed me with an overactive bladder. But that didn’t add up to me. Why did it come on so suddenly? He didn’t have any answers except that I was menopausal and these things happen with age.

My doubts lingered. I told my friend that I didn’t feel like the doctor was listening to me and she suggested I go to a urogynecologist who specializes in bladder issues. When I called the office, the receptionist said they were only seeing patients with severe pelvic floor issues or prolapse. I asked her to repeat the word. I’d never heard of prolapse before — maybe this was what was happening to me? I went straight to the internet. I learned pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is when your pelvic organs can drop and bulge into your vagina. This was, of course, scary to think about, but overall I was disappointed. I had some symptoms of POP, like the feeling of fullness in my lower stomach, but it didn’t sound like this was what was happening to me.

The very next night I was in the bathroom — per usual — when I felt an odd sensation like a tampon coming out of me. It didn’t hurt, but something was not right. I screamed downstairs for my husband. “My insides are falling out!” It felt like a bulging in my vagina. Wait, where had I heard that before? All at once it dawned on me that I was experiencing prolapse. I knew from the research I’d done the day before that I wasn’t dying and I didn’t have to go to the emergency room. (But I could call that urogynecologist now.)

And something miraculous happened. For the first time in weeks, the pelvic pressure was gone. Poof. I was cautiously excited — surely it would return any second. But hours passed and no pressure. I was beyond ecstatic. I’m sure this is not the response most women have when they experience prolapse, but I felt free for the first time in a long time.

My pressure-free high was taken down a few notches after I got in to see the urogynecologist. He said the only solution was surgery with a chance that the frequent urination would come back and the prolapse could happen again.

I wanted to avoid the pressure and constant peeing at all costs. I asked him about seeing a pelvic physical therapist, which I had read about online. He said the same thing that all my other healthcare providers would say: You can try pelvic floor therapy, but we will be here when it doesn’t help.

Thankfully, I didn’t let them discourage me. I had rehabbed major back, neck and shoulder issues with movement therapy years before, so I knew the power of the body to heal and regenerate. What did I have to lose?

I had to wait more than a month to get an appointment, so I binge-watched pelvic floor workouts and tutorials on prolapse. I learned that prolapse can be caused by a hypertonic pelvic floor, which means it’s in a constant state of contraction and stops the muscles from relaxing. Then I learned one of the symptoms of a hypertonic pelvic floor is frequent urination. I realized this was probably the reason for my prolapse. My muscles had been so tight for weeks — they just gave out. Just like a pressure cooker that burst.

With the help of my pelvic physical therapist and a lot of online resources, I slowly educated myself on how to rewire my body and nervous system to relax my pelvic floor. I learned how to breathe fully and I worked on softening and relaxing my entire body — letting it melt into the floor. Then I built up my strength and learned how to really listen to my body.

But the body work only got me so far. My mind was the real driver of my symptoms, so I had to work on calming down my inner critic. I learned to shed layers of protection and shame and allow myself to gain strength from within. I learned how to regulate my nervous system so that it felt safe. I began to believe in myself and trust my body, soul and mind.

Turns out, stress can have a negative impact on the pelvic floor and urinary frequency, although none of my healthcare providers made that connection. No one asked me how I was sleeping or if I was dealing with any life changes. They looked at my chart, saw my age and wrote me off. Yes, two vaginal births and entering menopause probably contributed to my prolapse, but it was so much more than that.

I’m not sure what my next season of life will look like, but I’m approaching it with curiosity and confidence instead of fear. I now know my pelvic floor is where I store my stress, frustration and deepest feelings. I do my best every day to honor my body, mind and my spirit.

I haven’t had any prolapse symptoms in several months and I’m back to doing my regular activities. Urinary frequency is still a problem when I’m stressed and tense, but I’m OK with that. It’s my barometer telling me to relax, take a deep breath and remind myself, “You’re good, Lisa.”

*Last name withheld for privacy.

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Our Real Women, Real Stories are the authentic experiences of real-life women. The views, opinions and experiences shared in these stories are not endorsed by HealthyWomen and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of HealthyWomen.

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