No one told Jacqueline Fox that using baby powder on a regular basis might cause cancer. Last October, at 59, she tragically died of ovarian cancer. “I was raised up on it…. to help you stay fresh and clean. … We ladies have to take care of ourselves.” Four months after her death, it took a jury only four hours to decide to award her estate $72 million in her lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson for failure to warn Ms. Fox regarding the potential harm of using their product on the vulva and perineum. There are currently over 1,200 lawsuits currently pending against Johnson & Johnson in relation to the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. What Ms. Fox didn’t know — and what a lot of American women don’t know, is that:
1. You don’t need a product to keep your vulva and vagina clean; and
2. Talcum powder has been associated with ovarian cancer in thousands of women.
Talcum Powder
Talcum powder or talc is a clay mineral made up of magnesium and silicon, combined with hydrogen and oxygen. It is a soft mineral, making it highly absorbent of water and odor. It’s used in the making of paper, plastics, ceramics and a variety of other manufactured products. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against using talcum or baby powder due to possible lung injury from inhalation of the talc — given its fine particles. Early formulation of talcum powder contained asbestos—a known carcinogen. More recent formulations, of course, have omitted this harmful agent. However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (the organization the American Cancer Society relies on to evaluate potential harm to humans) states that talc is possibly carcinogenic to humans.
A review of the scientific literature on PubMed demonstrates that many prospective and retrospective studies have suggested, though not proved, a causal relationship between talcum powder use and ovarian cancer. One of the nation’s foremost experts on the issue, Dr. Daniel Cramer, a professor of OBGyn at Harvard, and director of the OBGyn Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, asserts a strong correlation and cites over 24 studies which demonstrate a significant association and up to a 30% increased risk of ovarian cancer with long term use.
Additional studies are forthcoming and with them, greater understanding of both the etiology and the consequences of talcum use.
So How Do I Keep it Clean?
In the meantime….. let’s talk about the vulva and why we might want to keep it dry, fresh and clean. The vulva (Latin wrapper or covering) is comprised of quite a few structures: the mons, labias minora and majora, the clitoris, urinary opening and vaginal opening, in addition to sweat, Skene’s and Bartholin’s glands. A lot of women think that the “odor” that needs cleaning or covering up in their genital area comes from the vagina — when in fact it comes from their sweat glands on their vulva.
Most vaginas have no odor. If your vagina has an odor, it could be a sign of bacterial vaginosis, which is an infection that causes an alteration of the pH of the vagina, thus giving it an alkaline or “fishy” odor. See your health care provider if you notice excess vaginal discharge and an odor from the vagina.
Vulvas can be kept fresh with water alone or water and a simple gentle soap. If you exercise and sweat a lot, it’s good to wash the vulva with simple soap and water, thus preventing clogged pores, odor and irritation from the salts dried sweat leaves behind on your skin. The more ingredients in the soap, the more likely it is to irritate your vulva. Avoid antibacterial soaps, fancy-perfumey soaps, and soaps with glitter in them. Just a simple vegetable-based soap. No steaming, talcum, or perfume is necessary. If you are worried about sweat and moisture, a small amount of simple cornstarch powder can be used.
As consumers, we put hope and faith into the products we purchase. We rely on companies to perform due diligence when testing their products and we rely on science to keep pace with technology and alert consumers to potential harm.
Given the intensity of the litigation surrounding talcum powder and its use on the vulva, definitive answers will hopefully be forthcoming from studies and professional organizations.
In the meantime, less is more when it comes to products used on or near the vulva. Simple soap and water can keep it fresh and clean.
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About the author: Dr. Jane van Dis is a board certified OB/GYN and has been practicing medicine for 13 years. She is also a medical advisor to The Flex Company.
