Gwyneth Paltrow‘s lifestyle website Goop is raving about women putting a certain object in their vagina — and many health experts aren’t pleased, according to the Washington Post.
A recent article on the site entitled ” Better Sex: Jade Eggs for Your Yoni,” advocates for sticking a $66 golf-ball-sized jade egg in your vagina. Moreover, it suggests keeping it there during sleep or even all day, in the name of better orgasms, vaginal muscle tone, energy and hormonal balance, and more.
“The strictly guarded secret of Chinese royalty in antiquity — queens and concubines used them to stay in shape for emperors — jade eggs harness the power of energy work, crystal healing, and a Kegel-like physical practice,” the article reads. “We tried them, too, and were so convinced we put them into the goop shop,” it continues. The first few paragraphs are followed by a question-and-answer section with “actress and beauty guru” Shiva Rose, who claims to be a years-long jade egg user.
This advice was met with criticism by health advocates, as several news outlets have reported.
“Nothing says female empowerment more than the only reason to do this is for your man!” Dr. Jen Gunter, San Franscio-based OB-GYN for Kaiser Permanente, wrote in a blog post. “And then the claim that they can balance hormones, is quite simply, biologically impossible … As for female energy? I’m a gynecologist and I don’t know what that is!?”
She added that keeping said egg in a woman’s vagina mid-sleep “could allow bacteria to get inside” and lead to bacterial vaginosis or a deadly complication like toxic shock syndrome.
And Gunter wasn’t alone.
“Jade does not result in hormonal changes, even when inserted in the vagina,” Dr. Leena Nathan, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA Health, told Live Science.
The Goop post does include a disclaimer: “The article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.”
This isn’t the first time Paltrow’s site has been criticized for making questionable health claims. Goop recently touted the controversial practice of vaginal steaming, not to mention its sale of a $15,000 gold dildo.
While celebrities often insert themselves into conversations about consumer health, (think Jenny McCarthy and Angelina Jolie), not all advocacy efforts are met with praise from the medical community.
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Don’t Put This in Your Vagina, Doctors Say originally appeared on usnews.com
