But what is it really? And is it even beneficial or—more importantly—safe? Certain spas offer 30-minute vaginal steams on their menu of services. The steams can also be done at home, for anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. Before trying it at home, you’ll want to make sure you’re aware of all the risks, which we’ll get into later, and the supposed benefits. If you’ve made an educated decision that you want to try it, you can follow these steps: Across the web, people have jumped up to criticize and disprove the claims made about the benefits of vaginal steaming. According to OB/GYN and women’s health expert Anna Cabeca, D.O., “Vaginal steaming is relaxing, and anything we can do to bring us down from stress is good!” But that may be where the health benefits stop when it comes to this wellness trend. The most common claims about vaginal steaming suggest that it can help with: So, while positive anecdotes may exist, much more research is needed before we can say whether vaginal steaming has any true health benefits. “The vagina is considered a self-cleaning place and does not need additives to balance itself out,” explains Wendie Trubow, M.D., a functional medicine OB/GYN. So according to Trubow, vaginal steaming for cleansing purposes is simply unnecessary. Overwhelmingly, experts offer the opinion that there are many other tried-and-true treatments that should be used over vaginal steaming. For example, for menstrual symptoms, fertility struggles, and stress reduction, you might want to start with “eating a healthy diet devoid of all processed carbs,” says Trubow. If it’s post-childbirth healing you’re after, Cabeca recommends “a gentle perineal massage with coconut oil, or vitamin E and aloe vera applied topically.” If the area is still too sensitive, a Sitz bath with herbs or a very gentle steaming may be beneficial. Beyond that, steaming the vagina can alter the bacteria that is naturally maintained via that self-cleaning process mentioned previously. This can lead to general irritation, but more serious side effects include infections like bacterial vaginosis. It may also increase vaginal dryness in menopausal and perimenopausal women.
