Contra-indications
There are a few situations where it is contraindicated for a woman to steam:
—During the period. If you see red, pink, purple, or orange blood, DO NOT steam, as you can cause yourself to bleed heavily. If you see only brown spotting, you can steam. For a slightly more nuanced conversation on this topic, click here.
—During pregnancy. Though very unlikely, you could theoretically cause yourself to miscarry, because steaming may soften/open the cervix, which needs to remain closed in order to keep the fetus inside you until labor/birth. Generally speaking, you’d have to steam for a long time, with extremely strong herbs, to create this outcome; however, most practitioners will still recommend against it during pregnancy for liability reasons. If you are having any kind of issue during pregnancy, it’s best to consult your care provider or a pelvic floor physical therapist.
— If you are trying to conceive, and are past ovulation in your cycle. Steaming may prevent the fertilized egg from properly implanting.
—If you have had any spontaneous bleeding in the last 3 months. This includes anything other than very slight spotting between periods. Steaming is cleansing, and can bring on heavy bleeding for this type of person. It is recommended that you see an acupuncturist or herbalist to get the bleeding under control. Once it has been three full months since any abnormal bleeding, you may steam again (for no more than 10 minutes).
There are a couple other situations where steaming could exacerbate an issue, but ultimately, it’s up to you whether or not you steam:
—Burning itch. Steaming can cause you to get itchier, or the burning to get worse. Try herbal sitz-baths or natural suppositories to calm the sensation for a few days first.
—Tubal coagulation. What is this? Some women have their fallopian tubes “tied” to prevent eggs from being able to get down into the uterus (as permanent pregnancy prevention). There is one form of this where doctors will burn the tubes, not tie them. They singe them, causing them to close with scar tissue, which prevents the eggs from getting through. Vaginal steaming can dissolve scar tissue, so it’s possible that steaming can REVERSE this procedure, causing this form of birth control to fail.
—Uterine ablation. Similar to tubal coagulation, this is a procedure where the walls of the uterus are burnt and scarred, to prevent implantation of fertilized eggs. Again, steaming can clear out scar tissue, possibly reversing the procedure.
—Nexplanon birth control. This is an arm implant of birth control. It prevents pregnancy by making a thick mucus in the uterus, which prevents implantation of a fertilized egg. Steaming clears out excess mucus in the uterus, so it can cause this form of birth control to fail too. If you choose to steam, you are hereby informed that you likely need to use a backup form of birth control.
—Essure birth control. This is an insert in the fallopian tubes, which forms a barrier to block the sperm from getting to the egg. There haven’t been any proven cases of steaming causing this to fail, but it’s plausible that it could dislodge the barrier. Again, it’s up to you to make an informed choice.
As long as you are not contraindicated…
Enjoy your steam!
For a few other safety considerations, click here.
To learn how to set up your home steam session, click here.
For more information about supplies we recommend, click here.
To see all our educational blog posts, click here.
Every woman is unique. Curious what YOUR ideal steam schedule is? Text STEAM to this number (additional fees apply).
