From Vicks VapoRub to WASPS’ NESTS – the bizarre vagina trends of 2017 you need to avoid

WE HAD glitter bombs, cucumbers, Vicks VapoRub and even wasp nests being put in vaginas in 2017.

And it seems there's no end to the bizarre trends women are willing to try, despite the warnings from gynaecologists.

Most are sold as a way to clean your lady bits, to help get rid of any odour. But the fact of the matter is, the vagina cleans itself - and requires very little help when it comes to products.

It produces a discharge that is a form of mucus produced from the cervix, the opening of the womb, that's designed to keep your lady garden clean and healthy.

Some other trends have been sold as a way to improve your sex life and the appearance down there, despite the fact that no vagina looks the same as the next.

And yet, all of these trends put women at greater risk of grim sexually transmitted infections and other nasty problems, by upsetting the natural pH balance of the vagina.

Here's a round up of the weird and wonderful things women put in (or around) their vaginas in 2017.

1. Glitter bombs

Last year sparkle enthusiasts took their love of glitter to a whole new level.

Passion Dust Intimacy Capsules are tiny capsules that allow you to put a "glitter bomb" in your lady bits.

Online retailer, Pretty Woman Inc, is selling the Passion Dust intimacy capsules.

They are filled with candy-scented glitter that are designed to "to add a sparkle and flavour to your natural vaginal fluids" to make you "magically delicious".

They work by dissolving after being inserted into the vagina, releasing the glittery contents with the vagina's natural lubricants.

But, , a Canadian gynaecologist, said they are bound to lead to a dangerous infection and even "vaginal sunburn".

She said the capsules could upset the good bacteria found naturally in a vagina, therefore increasing your risk of a sexually transmitted infection.

"Is it possible the goo might damage the good vaginal bacteria leading to infections as well as in increased risk of STIs?

"You bet. Given how tacky it looks it is unlikely an intimate lubricant (or a safe one anyway).

"Could the vehicle be an irritant and cause a vaginal contact dermatitis? Yes and ouch. Think vaginal sunburn!"

But the products maker suggested that any problems you experience down stairs after using a glitter bomb "you had them before you used Passion Dust".

2. Cucumbers

Yes, that's right, the salad staple was recommended by alternative health sites as a way to cleanse your "yoni".

Bloggers, vloggers and a number of alternative health therapists were encouraging women to cleanse their lady garden with the salad fave - but ONLY after peeling it (a thinly veiled attempt at safety advice, perhaps).

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The odd trend - dubbed a "vagina facial" - apparently involves inserting the cold cucumber into your vagina before twisting it around for about 20 minutes.

They claim the fruit's high vitamin content "helps sanitise and maintain a pleasant odour" down there and can even ward off sexually transmitted infections.

But any doctor worth their credentials will tell you that is WRONG.

Dr Gunter again warned that anything not specifically designed to go in a vagina could upset the natural pH level down there and leave you at risk of nasty infections.

"Study after study after study tells us that douches, cleanses, steams, vinegar, pH balancing products, aloe, colloidal silver, garlic or whatever else passing as the vaginal snake oil du jour at best do nothing but have real potential for harming good bacteria or disrupting the mucosal surface," she said.

"By damaging lactobacilli and the mucosa, attempts at vaginal cleaning increase a woman’s risk of contracting gonorrhoea or HIV if she is exposed.

"A healthy vaginal should smell like a healthy vagina not a cucumber. If you find the idea of a vegetable in or around your vagina intriguing they do make vibrators."

3. Vicks VapoRub

Anyone who has ever experience the tingling of this ointment on their chest is firmly crossing their legs right now.

Vicks VapoRub made its way into the scene as a way to boost your sex life, soothe itching, clean your intimate areas and maintain odour pleasant down there.

Some even suggest it can protect you against yeast infections.

But, as discussed extensively above already, it absolutely does not work.

Generally vaginas don't give off an offensive odour, so using VapoRub to make it smell like someone's chest when they have a cold won't achieve anything except an unwanted burning sensation that's hard to ignore.

If you do notice an unpleasant odour coming from your va-jay-jay then it could be a sign you have an infection like bacterial vaginosis or a sexually transmitted infection.

Dr Vanessa Mackay, a gynaecologist and spokeswomen for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told The Sun Online: "It [the vagina] contains good bacteria, which are there to protect it from infections.

"Disturbing the natural flora through extensive cleaning can lead to infection, such as bacterial vaginosis or thrush, and inflammation.

"Using Vicks VapoRub on the vagina would not only be uncomfortable but also has the potential to cause damage and disrupt the natural flora of the vagina."

4. Jade eggs

Jade eggs really kicked off the year that was inserting things into vaginas.

Holistic medicine fan Gwyneth Paltrow started selling the stone eggs on her lifestyle website, Goop, in January.

She claims the eggs “increase orgasms and vaginal muscle tone” however later admitted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that she hasn't used the eggs and "don't know what the f**k we talk about".

Goop says that the eggs date back to ancient Asia, it claims “queens and concubines used them to stay in shape for emperors”.

"Fans say regular use increases chi, orgasms, vaginal muscle tone, hormonal balance, and feminine energy in general," they added.

But there is no evidence to suggest Jade will tighten your lady garden or make sex better.

Dr Gunter said: "They are still porous as they will have micro-fractures where bacteria can hide and an adequate and safe cleaning method has yet to be studied.

"In addition, the acidic pH of the vagina could etch the surface over time leaving more nooks and crannies for bacteria."

5. Wasps nest

This bizarre trend suggests that using ground-up wasp nests can tighten and rejuvenate the vagina.

Some online retailers were selling oak galls, which are nests that house wasp eggs before they hatch, and touting them as a natural way of cleaning female genitals.

The product is reportedly used by being crushed into a paste and applied topically, with one listing on Etsy, that has now been removed, claiming it can improve a woman's sex life.

But Dr Gunter warned women off the trend.

"Drying the vaginal mucosa increases the risk of abrasions during sex (not good) and destroys the protective mucous layer (not good)," she wrote.

"It could also wreak havoc with the good bacteria. This is a dangerous practice with real potential to harm.

"Here’s a pro-tip, if something burns when you apply it to the vagina it is generally bad for the vagina."

6. Vampire injections

Yes, this is as horrifying as it sounds - an injection of blood designed to make your orgasms mind-blowing.

In a nutshell, the O-Shot involves injecting platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into the clitoris and vaginal wall.

A couple of vials of blood are taken from the patient and spun in a machine to remove the platelets.

The plasma from the blood is then extracted and mixed with the platelets.

It is then injected you-know-where at a cost of about £850.

Ouch is a word that springs to mind.

And Dr Gunter warned "there is no human data to suggest it is safe".

"There are no studies in indexed, peer-reviewed literature looking at injecting platelet rich plasma into the vagina or clitoris to improve sexual satisfaction," she said.

"There are not even any studies in animals telling us what, if anything, PRP does to vaginal tissue.

"Who knows if this could spread the human papillomavirus or herpes to other areas of the lower genital tract?

"I can think of a thousand ways this could harm women."

7. Vaginal highlighter

Yes, this sounds as bizarre as you think.

Basically, vaginal highlighters are creams that are designed to lighten the colour of your downstairs area.

The products are designed to change the colour of your labia and other intimate areas, but Dr Vanessa Mackay, a gynaecologist and spokeswomen for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, warned it could ruin your sex life.

She told The Sun Online: "Vaginas come in all different shapes and sizes and lots of different shades based on skin colour.

"I don’t think anything with a bleaching agent should go there because that could lead to burns and there is absolutely no evidence that it is safe to do so.

"It could lead to scarring and if it does those things it could potentially damage nerve endings and lead to reduced sexual function."

8. Magnets

OK, so the magnets aren't being put in the vagina but they have still caused a stir.

LadyCare magnets claim to be a "natural and drug-free" way to manage the symptoms of menopause, period pain and even stress.

The "extremely powerful and therapeutic device" is designed to be clipped onto the front of your underwear for you to wear throughout the day.

LadyCare claims to relieve the symptoms of menopause for 71 per cent of women by re-balancing their autonomic nervous system (ANS) - responsible for involuntary actions such as breathing - by using magnetic therapy.

But there is no science that backs this claim up.

Magnet therapy is considered an alternative therapy, and there is very little scientific research to back up claims they can be used for the treatment of conditions like menopause.

Dr Gunter said: "Hot flushes are the end result of multiple factors that narrow the thermoregulatory zone, increasing sensitivity to subtle changes in core temperature.

"While there is evidence to suggest the autonomic nervous system plays a role, so do the serotonergic, noradrenergic, opioid, and adrenal systems."

One of the largest studies on magnetic therapy, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2007, concluded there is no evidence that magnets can provide pain relief and they cannot be recommended as an effective treatment.

Another study that reviewed scientific research into magnets, published in the British Medical Journal in 2006, also concluded that there is no evidence to suggest they work.

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