A Survey of Daily Genital Care Practices among Reproductive-aged Female Personnel at Siriraj Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To demonstrate the genital cleansing habit and associating factors among reproductive-aged Thai women. Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted at Siriraj Hospital between June and September 2022 (COA no. Si 370/2022). Twenty patient unit wards and 20 office units were randomly selected. Only active Siriraj female staff aged 18-50 were approached. The exclusion criteria included medical students and doctors, pregnant women, incomplete questionnaires, and women with immunocompromised conditions. Twenty sets of questionnaires, together with an information sheet as well as a box to return the questionnaire, were left at each unit. The primary outcome was the frequency of daily genital cleansing done outside of shower time. Associating factors and other genital care practices were secondary outcomes. Results: Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 611 were returned (response rate of 76.4%) and 504 were eligible for the study. The participants were 32.7±7.3 years old and most were in the 25-40 age group. Up to 90% reported genital cleansing outside shower time and 74.2% (374/504) of all respondents and 74.7% (236/316) of those with sexual experience cleansed >2 times daily. Twenty-four participants (4.8%) practiced vaginal douche. Water without genital care products is the most common method of cleansing. There was no association between sexual health risks and frequency of cleansing. Conclusion: Three fourths of reproductive aged Thai women practice genital cleansing >2 times per day. Water without genital care products is the most common method of cleansing. There is no association between the habit and any demographic data and sexual health risks.