Daisy Phillipson
If you've been on TikTok at all in recent months, you may be aware of a trend called 'vabbing'.
While some women swear it's the answer to attracting mates, numerous medical experts have since come forward to warn people that it could cause thrush and even infertility.
For the uninitiated, vabbing is combination of the words 'vagina' and 'dabbing', and is the practice of using vaginal fluids as a natural perfume.
The idea being that it helps people to attract potential dates as the liquid contains pheromones – chemicals secreted by animals, including humans, that can trigger sexual desire in members of the same species.
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Over on TikTok, #Vabtok is a whole movement, having amassed nearly 552.5 million views.
Many people have claimed that the trick works, but they might change their minds after hearing what the medical community has to say about the practice.
Before even getting into the impact it could have on your health, Fortis Hospital gynaecologist Uma Vaidyanathan told the Indian Express that vabbing doesn't actually work.
"The concept of pheromones exists in animals," she explained. "But, we are an evolved species. All of these [trends] have no scientific basis at all."
However, the real issue is what it means for your hygiene.
Hana Patel, a doctor and female health specialist in south London, spoke to Women’s Health about why people shouldn't take part in the trend.
"There is the potential to get an infection," she said. "We have bacteria and fungi on our skin, and if we upset the vagina’s natural balance, it can cause a localised infection."
Adding to this, London gynaecologist Paraskevi Dimitriadi told the Daily Mail that if certain bacteria is on the fingers and then inserted into the vagina, it can lead to a number of issues including vaginosis or thrush.
"If you have bacterial vaginosis or thrush your discharge can be malodorous and will not help you attract a partner," she said.
In extreme cases, it could even cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can spread from the cervix to other organs and can even lead to infertility.
Now obviously you'd have to be very unlucky to reach this point with vabbing, but even so, doctors suggest that it's not a risk you want to take.
Plus, there is actually no need to vab. As explained by Dimitriadi: "We secrete the same pheromones throughout the glands of our body.
"We have pheromones in our sweat. We also secrete pheromones through urine and we don’t put that on our bodies.
"There is absolutely no need to use your vaginal discharge on other parts of your body to attract a partner."
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