Vaginal irrigation

Douche
A vaginal bulb syringe with lateral holes near the tip of the nozzle
Pronunciation	/ˈduːʃ/
ICD-9-CM	96.44
MeSH	D044364
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A douche /duʃ/ is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or the stream of water itself.

Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing of any body cavity. A douche bag is a piece of equipment for douching—a bag for holding the fluid used in douching. To avoid transferring intestinal bacteria into the vagina, the same bag must not be used for an enema and a vaginal douche.

Douching after sexual intercourse is not an effective form of birth control. Additionally douching is associated with a number of health problems (cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, and increased risk of sexually transmitted infections) and thus is not recommended.

The word's first known use is in 1766. came into English via French, from Italian: doccia "conduit pipe" and docciare "pour by drops" to douche, from doccia water pipe, probably back-formation from doccione conduit, from Latin: duction-, ductio means of conveying water, from ducere to lead. In French today it means shower, as it does in many non-English European languages.

Vaginal douches may consist of water, water mixed with vinegar, or even antiseptic chemicals. Douching has been touted as having a number of supposed but unproven benefits. In addition to promising to clean the vagina of unwanted odors, it can also be used by women who wish to avoid smearing a sexual partner's penis with menstrual blood while having sexual intercourse during menstruation. In the past, douching was also used after intercourse as a method of birth control, though it is not effective (see below).