Mr. Stephen Turreh, a Pharmacist at the Ashaiman Polyclinic, warned on Monday that the usage of vaginal wash and feminine hygiene products might lead to bacterial infections, which can raise the risk of cervical cancer.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema, he explained that cervical cancer begins in the cervix, which is a hollow cylinder that links the bottom section of a woman's uterus to her vagina.
Many women, particularly young women, have turned to the usage of feminine hygiene products, particularly vagina wash, to tighten their vagina after giving birth or to give it a nice odor, he added.
Mr. Turreh stated that it was critical to educate women about the effects of such items since they included chemicals that, when injected into the female reproductive organ, removed the protective agents, rendering it vulnerable to bacterial infections.
The female reproductive organ contains protective bacteria that fight infections, but the chemicals in those goods made them less efficient, placing women at an increased risk of infections that might lead to cervical cancer.
"When a woman gives birth, the PH level of the vagina is neutral, but once she begins menstruation, it becomes acidic, and that acidity serves a function in that any microorganism that gets there that is damaging to the body will be removed."
Mr. Turreh stated that, in addition to cervical cancer, other illnesses such as pelvic inflammation might be transmitted, particularly by douching with devices that others had used.
"Getting something to fix something is really easy, but the difficulty is what it does to the body," he warned women against using some homemade mixtures to clean the vagina.
Instead of utilizing concoctions, he encouraged ladies with odor and discoloration, as well as itching, to seek advice from a skilled health care practitioner.