Yoni steaming is a time-honored practice aimed at cleansing your vagina and improving its health. Vaginal steaming is common in Indonesia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and some countries in Africa.1 It is a traditional treatment in which you expose your vagina to steam for some time. Apart from cleansing, yoni steam is also said to enhance fertility and relieve period pain.
There hasn’t been much quality research on this treatment, but adherents claim a multitude of benefits. You should be aware that vaginal steaming (sometimes called v steaming) requires the application of hot vapor to sensitive tissues and could be dangerous. Yoni steaming doesn’t enhance the appearance of your lady parts — for that you can consider monsplasty or labiaplasty.
How Is Yoni Steam Done?
Professional setups provide a seat with an opening in it. You sit on it while a steaming bowl of liquid is placed underneath. At home, you could fill a bucket with hot water and sit on it.2 The rising steam carries out the treatment.
You can use plain water for the steam treatment. However, some advise adding herbs like garlic, basil, mugwort, rosemary, and wormwood. The leaves from avocado, guava, and lemon trees are also used.3 This practice benefits the yoni tissues by improving blood flow.
The procedure is simple, and the equipment doesn’t cost much. You could do it at home with a little instruction. Some spas also offer v steaming.4
Yoni Steam Benefits
Vaginal steaming is claimed to have several benefits:5
- Provides relief from period symptoms like cramps, bloating, heavy bleeding, and tiredness
- Enhances fertility
- Heals the birth passage after childbirth
- Treats piles (hemorrhoids)
- Improves energy
- Reduces stress, fatigue, and headaches
There is no scientific evidence for these claims. However, people who practice yoni steam believe the steam goes inside and cleans the unhealthy material, leaving you feeling “light and nice.”6
Vaginal Steaming Dangers
Applying heat to the delicate tissues of your vagina is dangerous. You can reduce the risks by avoiding boiling water and stopping the treatment if you feel pain.
V steaming may also deplete the Lactobacillus species that are normal inhabitants of your vagina. These friendly bacteria produce antibacterial substances and lactic acid, keeping your vagina acidic. These actions prevent disease-causing bacteria from infecting your vagina.7 Killing these Lactobacilli might leave you susceptible to infections.
Yoni steaming can also be harmful to pregnant women. Apart from the dangers of infection at this vulnerable time, vaginal steaming has been suspected, but not proven, to be associated with premature birth.8
Explore More Body Treatments
Yoni steam can improve the blood flow to your vaginal area and provide a pleasant warmth. But other benefits still need to be proven. The dangers are few, and you can reduce them with reasonable precautions.
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SOURCES:
- PLoS One: “The association between vaginal hygiene practices and spontaneous preterm birth: A case-control study.”
- BMC Research Notes: “Intravaginal practices and microbicide acceptability in Papua New Guinea: implications for HIV prevention in a moderate-prevalence setting.”
- BMC Research Notes: “Intravaginal practices and microbicide acceptability in Papua New Guinea: implications for HIV prevention in a moderate-prevalence setting.”
- Medical News Today: “What to know about vaginal steaming.”
- Medical News Today: “What to know about vaginal steaming.”
- BMC Research Notes: “Intravaginal practices and microbicide acceptability in Papua New Guinea: implications for HIV prevention in a moderate-prevalence setting.”
- BMJ Open: “Vaginal herb use and Chlamydia trachomatis infection: cross-sectional study among women of various ethnic groups in Suriname.”
- PLoS One: “The association between vaginal hygiene practices and spontaneous preterm birth: A case-control study.”
