Benefits of Postpartum Vaginal Steaming

Exciting news on the Yoni Steaming front! 

Recently, a new study on the benefits of postpartum vaginal steaming has come out thanks to Keli Garza of Steamy Chick, and Kimberly Johnson of Magamama. 

The study helps to show how beneficial Yoni (or Vaginal) Steaming really is in the postpartum period. 

Keli herself steamed for 30 days straight after giving birth and she has no doubt that her speedy recovery was thanks to steaming. She had a significant prolapse that healed completely, and she was even back to her pre-pregnancy weight when she finished her 30 days of steaming.

The participants of the study did not steam for 30 days straight like Keli, but they did steam for five days in a row. The participants started steaming on day four of their postpartum period until day eight. The midwife conducting the study, Raquel Lemus, checked the participants on day four postpartum (the first day of steaming), day eight (the last day of steaming), and then again when the women were six weeks postpartum. They chose to check the moms at six weeks postpartum because that is usually when mothers get checked by the doctor, and get cleared for normal activity. With the conclusion of this study, it is clear that the women who steamed healed faster, easier, and more complete. Additionally, if they had steamed for the full 30 days, rather than just for five, their healing would have been even better. This was clear specifically in the category of hemorrhoids. No one in the group who steamed had hemorrhoids when checked at the eight day mark, while many in the non steaming group had them. However, because the group didn’t steam anymore past that, some of the participant’s hemorrhoids had returned when they were checked at 6 weeks postpartum. 

One major find is that when steaming postpartum, your uterus returns back to its normal size at a faster rate. This is important because that means that your other organs get back into place faster and can start working regularly again sooner, thus allowing your body to heal better. This especially impacts your digestive track, bowel movements, and urinary tract. The uterus gets back to size faster because steaming accelerates the elimination of  lochia. Therefore if you steam, you may experience more bleeding at first, but this just means you are cleansing and detoxing. Steaming helps your uterus eliminate the lochia completely and allows your uterus to be fully cleansed. Many women suffer from their uterus not fully cleansing after they give birth. Issues can show up a year or two later, or even later in life, when you go through menopause. 

Women who needed sutures from their birth experience really benefitted from steaming their yonis. At eight days postpartum, they no longer experienced any pain from their sutures versus the non-steaming group, who still had pain at the six-week check up. Having pain in the area makes it harder for women to get back to normal activity, and to sex. It makes it harder to feel good in your body again. When you are not in pain, it is much easier to reconnect with your partner, bond with your baby, and get your vitality back.

Beyond the physical benefits, steaming can be a spiritual practice. In your postpartum period, yoni steaming is helpful to open the connection again between you and your body. It also helps promote the much-needed rest you should be getting after giving birth. Taking that small amount of time every day for you is relaxing and soothing to the nerves, helping regulate your nervous system after such an intense experience.

So why, you ask, is vaginal steaming not common practice if it’s so beneficial? I’m not totally sure, but my guess is that this ancient practice faded away around the same time that women were being burned at the stake for being healers and midwives, or maybe when women started giving birth on their backs (which is the worst position possible). Whenever it was exactly, it was when birthing and women’s health started to be controlled by men, rather than women. Vaginal steaming is a very powerful tool in the postpartum period and using it to heal is one small way you can take back some control of your own health.

***If you’re interested in seeing the results of the study for yourself, click here.