Yoni Steaming Myths, Part 1

Myth #1: Women are practicing pelvic steaming to “clean their vaginas”; but the vagina is self-cleaning, so steaming is useless or even dangerous.

Let’s clear this first part right up:

While I can’t say exactly why each & every woman might be steaming, I can say that I have not met a single woman who is trying to use this modality to “clean her vagina”. Refer back to this article (and the Pelvic Steam Testimonial Database) for more information about why women are actually using this modality.

Now, as far as the vagina being self-cleaning:

I have a lot to say on this. I feel like most people are pretty confused here, and there are a lot of layers to this discussion.

I’ve heard the phrase “the vagina is a self-cleaning oven” so many times (and I’m sure you have too).

But what are people even referring to when they use the word “vagina”? Most of the time it’s not clear, because “vagina” is such a catch-all term in our society. Maybe the uterus is included when this word is used; maybe they mean just the vulva or labia; maybe they’re referring to the actual vaginal canal… But from the start, there’s an issue with the use of language, and a lack of accuracy.

I believe it’s correct to say that the inner labia, clitoris, urethral aperture, vaginal opening, and vaginal canal are “self-cleaning”, but only in a very specific sense…. In the sense that using soap (or other topical chemicals) on/in those areas will disrupt the natural balance of bacteria present there.

It’s inaccurate to conclude that because these parts of the female genitalia are “self-cleaning”, the whole system somehow never requires support or action on our part.

It’s so sneaky! Because it sounds like feminine-empowerment rhetoric to say that “our bodies take care of themselves.”

But actually, this discourages women from seeking (and finding) the care & support they need when their bodies aren’t functioning correctly. The assumption is: “Well, my genitalia are supposed to take care of themselves, so my only option is to ride this out and see if it fixes itself, or eventually get my organs cut out because they must be permanently messed up.”

In my opinion, that is not a solution. I’m of course not blaming or shaming any woman who has had a hysterectomy, or surgery of any kind, because chances are, she was never given other options. The other options aren’t exactly widely available or even discussed.

But there is a middle ground, which is to seek natural remedies that support the restoration of correct function — just like when any other organ that isn’t functioning optimally.

Nobody goes three days without a bowel movement and says, “Well I guess since my colon is self-cleaning, I don’t need to try natural and gentle laxatives, like senna tea or magnesium powder or increased hydration….” (or a million other gentle options). They also don’t then decide that they have to live with constipation for years, until the root problem becomes so bad that they need part of their colon removed.

Our society supports people in seeking support for themselves in that situation, because even though poo is taboo, it’s not nearly as taboo as the female reproductive system.

I’ll clarify once again:

The purpose of steaming is not to “clean the vagina”. The purpose of steaming is to deliver herbal constituents & gentle steam to the pelvic region, to increase circulation and therefore improve uterine function.

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