Chapped lips and dry skin are the main manifestations of cold on our body. But can other parts of our anatomy also dry out in winter like … the vagina? This is the funny thesis advanced by some media.
The term 'winter vagina' was used a few years ago by The Sun, a British newspaper, in an article titled: "Do 'winter vaginas' really exist? ". Yes, according to a British midwife employed in a cosmetic clinic, vaginas can dry out like lips or skin in cold weather.
Vaginal dryness and cold have a relation?
‘‘ Our vaginas can go through a dry spell during the winter. When you spend a lot of time in heated spaces, the air is dry and conducive to dehydration ’’, said Marie Burke. To remedy the problem, the expert recommended investing in an air humidifier and taking a vaginal moisturizer. A funny thesis which did not fail to make other doctors react. Asked by Refinery29, Jen Gunter, obstetrician-gynecologist and vaginal health specialist retorted: ‘‘ This is yet another attempt to make women self-conscious and make them buy more products. There is an entire industry dedicated to this mission. In a rant article published on her blog, the gynecologist brushes aside this theory of the "seasonal vagina", recalling that it is necessary "stop listening to people who keep telling you for no reason that there is something wrong with your vagina ".
For her part, obstetrician-gynecologist and assistant professor at New York University Karen Duncan explains to Refinery29 that weather does not affect the degree of humidity in the vagina, even if you live deep in the North Pole. ‘‘ Unlike your hands and lips, your vagina is lined with a mucous membrane, she specifies. Cold weather does not affect "mucus production." So don't worry, the vagina is weather resistant.
What if we left our vaginas alone?
Famous for discrediting some of Goop's more dubious claims, the site lifestyle by Gwyneth Paltrow, gynecologist Jen Gunter describes this concept of 'seasonal vaginas' as "The ultimate overlap between pseudo-science and patriarchy". Already in 2015, she protested against the vaginal steam showers recommended by the star, which then caused a real outcry. ‘‘ Steam showers are not recommended for the vagina, showers with herbs are even worse. […] If you want to relax, have an orgasm! ’’ The vagina is self-cleaning. Douching is therefore much more likely to disrupt the vaginal flora and promote vaginal infections than to "purify" it. Riding on the trend of self-care, sex care is gaining momentum in Anglo-Saxon countries, as Fiona Schmidt underlined in an article for Cheek Magazine in 2018. If the fact that sex is now in the category ' 'well-being' helps to de-dramatize female sexuality in the grip of many taboos, the line between release and injection is sometimes fine. “"Care" refers to this set of tasks that have always been incumbent on women because they were deemed to be more gentle ", says sociologist Janine Mossuz-Lavau to the site. The best thing we can do for our vagina is to let it live in peace.