Why women should NOT masturbate with electric toothbrushes

Electric toothbrushes should NOT be used as sex toys because they could cause injuries, gynaecologist warns after hearing women have come up with novel use for them

• Anne Henderson, an esteemed UK gynaecologist, said to avoid the practice
• She warned neither the handle nor the head are suitable for pleasuring yourself
• Using the gadgets for sexual pleasure is an ‘interesting new trend’, she said

Women should never use an electric toothbrush to masturbate, a gynaecologist has warned.

Tales of people pleasuring themselves with the vibrating gadgets are common online but one expert said it could lead to ‘lacerations or trauma’. 

The ‘interesting new trend’ risks damaging the sensitive skin around the genitals and isn’t hygienic, she said. 

Gynaecologist Anna Henderson said there is an ‘interesting new trend’ of women trying to use electric toothbrushes to masturbate but that neither end of the gadgets were suitable for the purpose (stock image)

Various warnings from medics suggest that anything not specifically designed to go in or on the vagina should not be put down there.

But this doesn’t seem to have stopped people trying to cure thrush with garlic or using parsley to try and control their periods.

Now, consultant gynaecologist Dr Anne Henderson, based on Harley Street, has told The Sun toothbrushes should always be kept above the neck.

Facebook users in a group of coupon enthusiasts did a double take in September when one of their members posted photos of a toothbrush that looked like a sex toy.

The woman from Exeter, took to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group to show off her new electric toothbrush, which she had bought on sale from Amazon.

However the video of the pink toothbrush buzzing in her hands left some doing a ‘double take’ as they thought she was demonstrating how to use a new sex toy.

The hilarious post, which was shared on Saturday, racked up 711 likes and 698 comments from both confused and entertained Facebook users. 

The toothbrush came in a fleshy shade of pink which led Facebook users to do a double-take

One user said: ‘I didn’t think that was a toothbrush at first! Beautiful colour that isn’t it!’ 

Another added: ‘Glad I’m not the only one with a mind in the gutter’.

She described using toothbrushes to masturbate as an ‘interesting new trend’ and said: ‘I would have serious concerns about anyone using an electric toothbrush for anything other than cleaning their teeth.

‘The structure and shape of the toothbrush, regardless of which part is used, could potentially injure, lacerate or cause trauma to the delicate vulval area, particularly the clitoris, especially if one of the more aggressive cleaning heads is used.’

Women posting on anonymous forums on Reddit claim to have enjoyed the practise using both the brush end and the handle of the devices.

However, the handle is the wrong shape, according to Dr Henderson, and the teeth-cleaning end raises further issues of cleanliness and cross-contamination.

Dr Henderson instead recommends people stick to purpose-built sex toys, which can be bought for less than £5 online.

She added: ‘The whole issue is fraught with potential complications and should be avoided at all costs.’

A doctor in California earlier this year wrote on Twitter warding women off putting cloves of garlic into their vaginas to try and avoid yeast infections.

Dr Jen Gunter said the urban myth has no truth to it and could actually cause bacterial infections.

She said: ‘Bacteria from the soil can be pathogenic – bad for the body. That’s why we clean wounds.

‘If you actually happen to have an inflamed yeasty vagina that soil bacteria would be more likely to infect.’

And British women’s magazine Marie Claire had to retract an article suggesting women put parsley in their vagina to try and encourage menstruation.

The magazine apologised and said its piece was ‘misguided’ and New Jersey-based obstetrician Dr Sheila Newman branded the practice ‘irresponsible’.

She said: ‘That is not something that is recommended by gynaecologists.

‘There are only a few things that should go in your vagina and vegetables generally aren’t one of them.’ 

WHAT ELSE HAVE DOCTORS WARNED WOMEN NOT TO PUT IN THEIR VAGINAS?

Parsley

A bizarre suggestion was made in January 2019 by women’s magazine Marie Claire that parsley could induce periods. 

Women may want to make their period come sooner as a means of controlling their cycle ahead of a holiday or special event.

According to the article, parsley is an emmenagogue – a substance that increases menstrual flow – which can ‘soften the cervix and level out hormonal imbalances’.

Doctors, including Dr Shazia Malik, a London-based obstetrician-gynaecologist, urged women to never insert vegetables into the vagina, as it could lead to health risks – including potentially death. 

Marie Clare has now apologised for the article and taken it down because it is ‘misguided’. 

Apple cider vinegar 

Experts urged women not to use trendy apple cider vinegar to ‘tighten’ their vaginas in October 2017 after online blogs and forums encouraged women to carry out the bizarre douching technique.

Aside from vinegar being completely ineffective at tightening the vagina, Professor Linda Cardozo from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London warns it could disrupt the organ’s delicate ‘good’ bacteria, putting women at risk of irritation and infections.

To maintain the vagina’s strength and tone, women should perform pelvic floor exercises regularly, Professor Cardozo recommends. 

Cleansers, lubricants and wipes

Women who use intimate-health products are more at risk of bacterial, fungal and urinary tract infections (UTIs), research in April 2018 from the University of Guelph, suggested.

Vaginal sanitising gels raise women’s risk of developing a genital bacterial infection by almost 20 times and a yeast infection, like thrush, by eight times, a study found.

Intimate washes make women 3.5 times more likely to catch a bacterial infection and 2.5 times more at risk of a yeast infestation, the research adds.

Vaginal wipes double the risk of a UTI, while lubricants and moisturising creams increase women’s susceptibility to thrush by 2.5 times, the study found.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Jade Eggs

A gynecologist slammed Gwyneth Paltrow’s suggestion for women to put jade eggs up their vaginas as ridiculous and dangerous.

Writing on her lifestyle blog goop, the Hollywood actress claimed the $66 rocks boost orgasms, vaginal muscle tone, hormonal balance, and ‘feminine energy’.

Women, Paltrow explained through an interview with her ‘beauty guru/healer/inspiration/friend’, should clench the egg inside them all day to exercise their pelvic floor.

But acclaimed gynecologist Dr Jen Gunter warned in January 2019 that the whole idea is nonsense – and could even increase the risk of bacterial vaginosis or deadly toxic shock syndrome.

Vaginal scraping

Doctors warned about this procedure after Mel B, 43, revealed she had the insides of her vagina scraped out and new tissue put inside after her bitter divorce with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte.  

The procedure, which has been largely unheard of until Mel B spoke out, could lead to a serious risk of infection, experts have said. 

Dr Jen Gunter – gynaecologist, obstetrician and author of The Vagina Bible – told Refinery29 that women should ‘never, ever have their vagina scraped’ – or even douched – which cleans the vagina using a douche and fluid. 

She said: ‘Any scraping of the vaginal epithelium [tissue] could affect the vaginal ecosystem and theoretically could spread HPV locally and would increase a woman’s vulnerability to infection.

She added that the vagina regenerates itself every 96 hours and the surface cells are shed every four hours. 

Bath bombs

Doctors expressed concern in January 2019 that people would bath bombs as a sex toy.

The comments came after popular high street retailer Lush released a cheeky Valentine’s Day range  which included bombs shaped like aubergines and peach emojis.

Dr Vanessa Mackay, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told The Metro: ‘We would strongly discourage the use of bath bombs internally as these could disturb the fragile balance of good bacteria inside the vagina.

‘This natural flora helps to protect the vagina and disrupting it could lead to irritation, inflammation and infection, such as bacterial vaginosis or thrush.’ 

 

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