Doctors warn against vagina wasp nest trend

In the latest bizarre health news, women are inserting ground-up wasp nests into their vagina.

Several Etsy stores are claiming that oak galls – the product formed when a wasp lays eggs in a tree’s leaf buds – can improve your sex life and rejuvenate your vagina.

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Of course, this natural treatment has no scientific evidence to back it up. One gynaecologist, Dr Jen Gunter, has even gone so far as to write a blog post detailing exactly why women shouldn’t be doing this.

Dr Gunter says that this method can cause painful sex along with an increased risk of contracting HIV. “Drying the vaginal mucosa increases the risk of abrasions during sex (not good) and destroys the protective mucous layer (not good),” she writes.

“It could also wreak havoc with the good bacteria. In addition to causing pain during sex, it can increase the risk of HIV transmission. This is a dangerous practice with real potential to harm.”

One Etsy retailer, Heritage Health Shop, claimed that the oak gall paste could be used on cuts – although it will sting.

“Here’s a pro tip. If something burns when you apply it to the vagina, it is generally bad for the vagina,” Dr Gunter comments.

That particular listing has since been removed but the ground-up wasp nest products are still available elsewhere. Another store says that their product can do everything from tightening the vagina to curing urinary infections.

Dr Gunter came to fame earlier this week after she wrote another scathing post aimed at Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle site, Goop.

Having had enough of the actresses “crackpot theories”, the gynaecologist set out to show that there is no scientific theory behind any of Goop’s wild claims.

Another pro tip: let’s listen to the experts.

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