Women told to stop putting toothpaste in their vaginas

You don't need to steam it and you don't need to put toothpaste on it.

In news we did not expect to type today, doctors have issued a warning urging women to stop putting toothpaste in their vaginas in order to tighten them.

"Putting toothpaste into the vagina, or on the vulva, would not only be uncomfortable but it could also cause serious damage and disrupt the natural flora of the vagina, leading to the potential for infections like bacterial vaginosis and thrush," Dr Vanessa Mackay, spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, told Britain's Sun newspaper.

The doctor's comments come in response to a reported trend overseas of women trying to tighten the vagina with toothpaste.

It's not just in Britain this is becoming an issue.

Nigerian doctor Oluwole Yusuf put out a similar warning via the News Agency of Nigeria.

"Toothpaste is caustic and too abrasive for a sensitive body part like the vagina and using such on it can destroy the organisms meant to protect the vagina from possible infections," he said.

The doctor says he has seen a "recent obsession" with the DIY practice.

"When the vagina can no longer protect itself, the body is prone to infections which could later destroy the tubes and block the chances of getting pregnant."

Experts all over the world advise women that none of these DIY practices are safe and that the vagina is best left alone.

"I'd urge anyone thinking of trying this rather worrying 'toothpaste' technique to cease and desist - because it won't do anything at all to combat premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction, despite the claims being made in these videos," British consultant pharmacist James O'Loan said, according to the Sun.

"The peppermint oils and other chemicals in toothpaste, including bleaching agents, can be extremely irritating to sensitive skin. By putting it on your genitals you actually risk a mild burn, as well as blisters and scarring.

"And toothpaste should in no way be used as a lubricant, either."

Similar warnings had to be issued when Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle website Goop suggested vaginal steams.