SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION:
Genital hygiene can play an essential role in avoiding vulvovaginal discomfort and preventing infections. The scientific evidence on best practices on genital hygiene is scarce, and without doubt, gynecologists should be the best person to discuss and guide the subject.
OBJECTIVE:
Evaluate the general genital female gynecologist hygiene.
METHODS:
This descriptive analytic study identified genital hygiene and sexual practices of 220 female gynecologists, through a questionnaire with 60 self-answered questions. The data were analyzed and presented using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.
RESULTS:
The studied population was constituted by middle age (37.3 years) and white (71.3%) female gynecologists. More than a half (53.6%) declared spending over 10 hours a day away from home and complained of vaginal discharge in 48.1% of the cases. Regular vulvovaginal hygiene: 17.8% reported washing genitals once a day and 52% twice a day. The use of dry paper alone was reported in 66.4% post urination and 78.5% post-evacuation. Using running water and soap was practiced by 25.9% and 21.5% respectively. Vulvovaginal hygiene related to sex: More than half of them had intercourse 1-3 times a week, and 37.4% and 24.1% had frequent oral sex and eventually anal sexof the participants, respectively. Genital hygiene before sex was positive in 52.7% of the subjects and, post-sex hygiene in 78.5% of them.
Conclusion:
Genital hygiene habits of female gynecologists can be improved, despite the high grade of scientific knowledge they hold.
KEYWORDS:
Gynecology; Feminine Hygiene Products/adverse effects; Vaginal Creams, Foams, and Jellies; Sexual Behavior; Physicians, Women