What NOT to Insert in Your Vagina: A Guide

Author: Jessica Lloyd
Senior Naturopath | BHSc(N) | ISSVD, ISSWSH, BSSM, ATMS

Last reviewed: November 8, 2025

It can be tempting to try different objects inserted into your vagina, but here are some no-go objects with clear explanations as to why. It’s great to experiment, but it’s best to be safe than sorry. Ask any gynaecological emergency room doctor!

1. Avoid anything with a flat or concave (curves inward) bottom

Don’t insert bottles, tubes, cans, shampoo bottles, etc. While an upside-down bottle may be inserted easily enough, the flat or concave bottom will create suction when you try to pull it out.

2. Avoid anything sharp, spikey or pointy

Don’t use items such as hairbrushes, anything made of glass, pens, pencils, or any type of chopping, cooking or eating utensil.

3. Avoid sugary foods, liquids, drinks

It can seem like a nice idea to fill yourself with chocolate sauce and then make someone lick it out, but in reality, there are two main reasons not to do this:

Sugary foods are full of glucose, which bacteria love.
Sweet sauces are very sticky, and they can end up making the vagina feel dry.

Realistically, it’s not a crime to dribble sweet things on the vulva or clitoris every once in a while to provide a sweet treat for a lover, but don’t insert sugary foods inside your vagina, and don’t make it a regular habit.

4. Avoid anything poisonous (drugs, alcohol)

Your vaginal mucous membranes are an excellent drug delivery system¹, which means substances can be absorbed through the walls and into the bloodstream. Don’t use drugs or alcohol in the vagina; it is not safe and it’s not healthy for your protective bacteria.

There is a famous myth about teenage girls getting themselves drunk – and ending up with alcohol poisoning – from vodka-soaked tampons. Don’t do it. Alcohol and drugs, without your liver to protect you, are poisonous.

Don’t use any medication not designed for vaginal use in your vagina.

5. Douching is bad news for your vag

Douching can interfere with healthy vaginas by rinsing away protective bacteria and upsetting the ecosystem. If you have unusual symptoms, see your healthcare provider, get a test, receive treatment, and avoid douching.

Douching might feel helpful in the moment, but if you have an underlying microbial imbalance, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), you’re not treating the underlying problem; you’re just masking symptoms.

References

1.
Hussain A, Ahsan F. The vagina as a route for systemic drug delivery. Journal of Controlled Release. Published online March 2005:301-313. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2004.11.034