Don't put baby powder on your cooch

Photo credit: JeepersMedia, Flickr

Okay, so I’ve been taking a break from social media, and maybe this is a weird post to briefly interrupt my (delightful and possibly permanent) hiatus, but I couldn't resist this bit of no-bullshit health info.

Here’s what caught my attention: $417 Million Award In Suit Tying Johnson’s Baby Powder To Cancer.

A 63-year-old woman who started putting Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder on her perineum (undercarriage, taint, etc.) regularly when she was 11 and continued for decades won the biggest jury award yet among folks who’ve sued J&J after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Some studies dating back to the 1970s potentially linked perineal talc use to ovarian cancer, but according to the National Cancer Institute, “The weight of evidence does not support an association between perineal talc exposure and an increased risk of ovarian cancer.”

Let me parse this typical science writer hedging for you: the way this is worded could mean that there hasn’t been enough evidence either way to draw a conclusion, or it could be saying that there is enough evidence to conclude that an association is unlikely. If you read on a bit in the NCI’s report, you’ll see that there have been studies that show a slightly increased risk of ovarian cancer with perineal talc exposure, but that the association is not “dose-dependent,” which means that the risk wasn’t higher for people who used talc more frequently or for longer duration or in greater amounts. This potentially contradicts an association. On the other hand, some studies have shown a dose-dependent increased risk of developing ovarian cancer from using any genital powder, not just talc. Overall, this sounds inconclusive-ish to me: it’s possible there’s an increased risk, but it may not be unique to baby powder, and it’s decidedly not a slam dunk.

Regardless of the scientific evidence, one thing seems pretty obvious to me: LADIES, DO NOT PUT BABY POWDER ON YOUR COOCH.

Once in a while for chafing or whatever, okay sure, but every day for your entire life??? This unfortunate case of ovarian cancer is probably not talc's or Johnson & Johnson's fault — as some studies indicate, if you put anything on mucosal tissue, which has no protective barrier like epidermis, every day for 50 years, you will likely get cancer of some sort somewhere. Imagine if you put drying powder on your gums every day. Weird, right? It’s wet for a reason. Don’t you think that might cause health problems in your mouth over time?

This woman's cancer is a tragedy, and ovarian cancer is especially terrible because it’s usually not discovered until it’s pretty far along. But wow this jury award is beyond unjust, imho.

Seriously, unless you have a specific medical need to do so, don’t put stuff on or in your vulva or vagina. It does not need to be drier, or cleaner, or purer, or flowery-scented. Just leave it alone. It knows how to take care of itself. :)