A physician, Dr. Toluwani Binutu, has warned women against inserting cucumber in the vagina, noting that it’s an unsafe practice.
In a video posted on his Instagram page, @tolubinutu, Dr. Binutu said using a cucumber to clean the vagina is potentially harmful, and should be avoided.
According to him, it is also unsafe to use feminine wash or soap products in the vagina as it can upset its balance and cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria.
“It can break inside (the vagina). It can get stuck inside (the vagina). The cucumber isn’t sanitary. Plus, it is weird putting food inside your body through a hole that isn’t the mouth,” he said.
“Some women wash the vagina and nothing bad happens afterward. It doesn’t affect them negatively. Some other women, however, suffer the negative effects when they wash their vaginas.”
Listing some of the negative effects of washing the vagina, he said, “A healthy vagina has both good and bad bacteria living together in an acidic environment. This acidity of the vagina protects it from many infections.
“When you wash your vagina, you upset this balance and may cause an overgrowth of the harmful bacteria. When this happens, it increases the risk of yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis.
“This is even worse. For those who already have an infection and are still washing the vagina, this may push the infection up into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and even the ovaries.
“This may cause PID (Pelvic inflammatory disease). Washing the vagina may also increase the risk of other problems like Vaginal dryness and irritation, Preterm birth, Ectopic pregnancy, STIs, even HIV!
“This is because washing the vagina makes it less efficient at fighting off infections.”