Using alum to wash and tighten the vagina does not restore lost virginity in women, but could cause infection and infertility, according to maternal health experts.
Some women have been found to wash their vaginas with Alum, an inorganic chemical compound, generally consisting of water molecules, aluminum or other metals, and sulfates.
Dr. Uche Agu, an Associate Professor and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu State, told The PUNCH that the practice is dangerous and could narrow or block the vagina to the extent of requiring a surgical procedure to open it up again.
Dr Agu described virginity as a thing of the mind, adding that, using alum to wash the vagina cannot regrow a ruptured or broken hymen.
“Using alum to wash the vagina is a misconception by some women that it gives them a sense of tightness and a sense of virginity. But it is just a misconception and deceit because it doesn’t mean anything.
"It is very dangerous because alum can be corrosive and cause some burning and irritation of the vaginal wall.
“It can also cause scarring and might even block or narrow the place terribly that the vaginal might require some surgical interventions to open it up.
“So, it is a very bad practice. It does not help anyone, rather it is dangerous. When you are using that substance on the vagina, by the time it erodes the walls of the vagina, causing burning, then infection can set in. That infection can spread up to the uterus and cause infertility in the future, ” Dr. Agu said.
According to him, the infection resulting from such unhealthy practices could also block the fallopian tubes or cause complications in pregnancy.
“If the woman eventually gets pregnant and the vagina is narrowed, it will be difficult for a baby to pass through a narrow canal,". he noted.
Health and Wellness.