Is vaginal steaming effective and safe for women to do as relief?

Have you ever heard of vaginal steaming?

According to an episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, some women in the Philippines and in other countries have been doing vaginal steaming as they believe it helps with ovulating, healing wounds from giving birth, and bringing back its old form from pre-childbirth.

Pamela Stolnik, 33, was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) in 2016 and she and her partner had a hard time conceiving.

Her partner introduced her to vaginal steaming saying she should give it a try since it is a practice done in his country.

Pamela decided to give it a try as she and her partner wanted to have a child.

Pamela would boil purple flower, barley, lavender, fennel, agrimony, and other medicinal plants to use for her vaginal steaming.

After two years of religiously doing it for 15 to 30 minutes a day for two to three times a week, Pamela got pregnant.

Meanwhile, Beverly "Yuri Gemini" Wakishima uses tawas for vaginal steaming and she said it helped with "tightening" her private part even after giving birth.

"Actually yung asawa ko walang alam sa pinagagawa ako pero sinabi niya kahit bagong panganak daw ako parang hindi daw ako nanganak," Beverly said.

In Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, Jema Fe Cilindro would use guava leaves for vaginal steaming.

She said it helped with healing her wounds from giving birth.

The episode also revealed that in other countries there are spas for vaginal steaming which claims to help with getting rid of menstruation cramps, and regulating the menstrual cycle.

What do the experts say?

Obstetrician Gynecologist Dr. Richard Ronald B. Cacho said there are studies that this practice came from Korean or African History.

However, Dr. Cacho said that according to scientific evidences, vaginal steaming is not recommended and can cause harm.

"It can cause harm pa nga because kung hindi regulated yung temperature coming from the stea it can induce an injury sa mga private parts ng mga babae," Dr. Cacho said.

"If ang objective ng mga babae eh linisan ang kanyang private part maari tayong gumamit ng mild na soap and then water tapos unscented perfume," he added.

Dr. Richard said there is no scientific research that associates vaginal steaming in helping with conceiving or with the tightening of the vagina. 

He said guava leaves may offer relief because of the heat. However, Dr. Richard said it is best to still speak with your doctor.

"Ang ari ng babae ay isang self-cleaning organ," he said. "The vaginal steaming can harm it. If you are considering vaginal steaming, talk to your doctor." —JAB, GMA News.