Health

Don’t insert tobacco powder into vagina, physicians warn women

Published

4 years ago

January 17, 2021

Medical experts have warned women against applying tobacco powder to their genitals.

Women who indulge in the practice claim that it boosts sexual pleasure and helps their fertility. There is no scientific proof for either, physicians say..

Rather, experts warn, tobacco powder has the potential to cause cancer, difficulties during delivery, and it is capable of affecting the normal flow of menstruation.

A researcher and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Gregory Ohihoin, said tobacco has a lot of side effects and its use should be discouraged among women.

“It is not healthy for women to apply tobacco powder to the genitals. Tobacco is associated with cancer in many parts of the body, so, it’s not safe.

“Tobacco has a lot of side effects and it is not healthy for women to add it to their genitals; it should be discouraged.

“Tobacco is associated with gut cancer and over 75 percent of the cancers of the body and that is why tobacco is highly discouraged,” Ohihoin said.

According to him, tobacco is dangerous for human consumption or use, whether it is in the form of cigarettes, snuff, or powder.

“There is nothing good in tobacco; the evidence is well-documented. Some people have the tendency to be addicted to it and in whatever form you make it, it’s a very dangerous substance and it is associated with cancer in many different parts of the body.

“It doesn’t improve fertility, there is no good thing associated with tobacco.

“Tobacco is a dangerous substance and is carcinogenic and its use must be discouraged,” Ohihoin reiterated.

Also, a senior resident doctor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Azeez Ojekunle, added that the practice has no effect on libido or fertility but can cause scarring.

“It’s known that many women apply some substances into their genitals for various purposes.

“Some are culturally motivated. However, all these have an impact not only on the genitalia but also on the reproductive parts, generally.

“It’s more of the negative side effects than the positive effects. One of the known effects is that it can increase the risk of developing cancer of the reproductive parts, especially ovarian cancer,” Ojekunle warned.