The 'Feminine hygiene’ market is predicted to reach $42.7bn by 2022 – but it's doing more harm than we realise

There is no evidence – not a shred – that we need special vaginal washes. As the head of a gynaecological cancer charity, I haven't worked with a single gynaecologist or GP who recommends them

We thought we might see the beginning of the end of unnecessary products when Goop agreed to settle for $145,000 for making unproven scientific claims about its vaginal eggs. It seems not.

“Feminine hygiene” is on a roll. The global market is predicted to reach $42.7bn in revenue by 2022 (more than a 6 per cent growth since 2016).

Now, I’m delighted that the vulva and the vagina are getting more attention – indeed, as CEO of gynaecological charity, The Eve Appeal, we’ve worked with a gynae army of clinicians, charities and women’s health experts who are all working to reduce the stigma and taboos that surround female reproductive health. We launched the Vagina Dialogues in 2014 and led the taboo-busting way, helping women understand their own bodies and not be too embarrassed or ashamed to seek medical advice or be seen by doctor if they think something is wrong.

Front and central to changing behaviour and the culture around gynae health are three principles: 1) using proper, anatomical words for parts of the body is vital – there is strong evidence that the use of euphemistic and silly language is a barrier to women knowing their own bodies; 2) ensuring all information is factual and based on clinical evidence; and finally – 3) this is not just a conversation for women.

To break culture around these taboos, everyone must be included. So why does a gynae cancer charity focused on prevention care so truly, madly, deeply about all this?

Our ambition is to stop these cancers before they start. The symptoms for the five gynae cancers are all different but if you don’t equip people with the language and the knowledge to know their normal, recognise changes to bleeding, discharge, skin colour and appearance, pelvic pain, changes to bowel and urinary habits – then they won’t know when something is wrong and get themselves to the doctor or seek further information.

Our research tells us that women are woefully unaware of what is going on inside their pelvis or between their legs. According to latest stats from YouGov, nearly one in five women think that they urinate and menstruate from the same hole.

We hear from women who are aware of the signs of ovarian cancer but who haven’t been to the doctor when they’ve experienced these symptoms because they’ve had a hysterectomy, so mistakenly believe they can’t be at risk (a hysterectomy most commonly removes the womb NOT the ovaries).

There is no evidence – not a shred – that we NEED special vaginal washes. We do not work with a single gynaecologist or GP who recommends them. We’ve just done some research with over 1000 health care professionals – they don’t recommend them either.

The reason is clear: they aren’t necessary, they can cause infections, and most worrying, can mask symptoms like itching and then delay a woman seeking medical advice when something may be wrong.

Just talk to a women who has suffered from lichen sclerosis and then been diagnosed with vulval cancer some years later. She will tell you the harm that can be done from concealing symptoms and not finding the underlying cause or understanding the risks.

Everyone is aware of body shaming (too fat, too thin) – it still happens, but there’s an acceptance that it’s wrong. “Internal body shaming” happens around women’s bodies – it’s the embarrassment that stops women attending screening, the shame that allows some to accept profuse and heavy bleeding without seeking help, and the stigma that makes them pause when they notice that their discharge smells and looks different, but not ask for advice.

We see the consequences of this in so many reproductive health issues – late diagnosis of endometriosis, the vaginal mesh scandal and at Eve, in delayed diagnosis of gynaecological cancers. If you want to use special hygiene products – go right ahead, spend your pounds on the full range of wipes, exfoliators, douches, highlighters (yes, highlighters) and masks (yes, masks, for your vulva) making it on to the market – just don’t believe that it’s necessary or good for your health. And be aware that you’re literally being sold shame in a bottle.

The language used – “hygiene”, “intimate”, “discrete”, perpetuates the myth that a woman's body is an embarrassing place and you need to prepare it to make an appearance – even to a doctor or nurse.

Athena Lamnisos is CEO of The Eve Appeal

Throughout May, Eve will be running Get Lippy, a campaign to address the taboos that surrounds all things gynae.

If you have any questions about possible gynae cancer signs and symptoms, contact The Eve Appeal's free, confidential nurse service Ask Eve nurse@eveappeal.org.uk and follow Eve @eveappeal on Instagram and Twitter