Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38357485›Full record

ArticleHealth science reports2024

Vaginal douching and health risks among young women.

Solomon Wireko, Mina Ofosu, Florence Agyemang, Herbert Ekoe Dankluvi, Andrews Evans Cobbina

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health science reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Bacterial vaginosis.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025
    Review
  4. Genital hygiene behaviors in women: a cross-sectional study from Turkey.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Solomon WirekoDepartment of Laboratory Technology Kumasi Technical University Kumasi Ghana.ORCID 0000-0003-3121-6114
Mina OfosuDepartment of Laboratory Technology Kumasi Technical University Kumasi Ghana.
Florence AgyemangDepartment of Laboratory Technology Kumasi Technical University Kumasi Ghana.
Herbert Ekoe DankluviDepartment of Laboratory Technology Kumasi Technical University Kumasi Ghana.
Andrews Evans CobbinaDepartment of Clinical Microbiology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana.
Kumasi Technical University · GHKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology · GH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: Vaginal douching is practiced by women for various reasons. Studies have shown that this practice can upset the normal vaginal flora, increasing susceptibility to certain sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). This study aimed to assess the health risks associated with this practice among women aged 15-54 years in a densely populated community in Kumasi, the second capital city of Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to gather data on the prevalence of vaginal douching among young women and their beliefs, motivations, and knowledge about the practice. A structured questionnaire was used in recruiting participants. One-hundred and fifteen structured questionnaires were administered to women aged between 15 and 54 after their consent was sought. Results: The study established that more than half of the participants (69.6%) engaged in douching with a midpoint of 19.5. The study indicated no significant difference between the age of participants and douching ( Conclusion: Most women in the study community recruited, regardless of their educational and marital status, believed that douching is necessary and considered part of feminine hygiene practices. Practicing douching may lead to most health complications including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility which must be given serious attention by researchers, health personnel, and various women's groups.

Indexed as

douchinghealth riskpelvic inflammatory diseasevaginal

Identifiers

PMID38357485
PMCPMC10865275
OpenAlexW4391825032

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.