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Why is douching not an effective method of birth control?

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Blister pack of 28 oral contraceptive pills arranged in four rows, with 21 white active pills followed by 7 orange inactive pills. Arrows indicate the order for taking pills. — birth control A 28-day package of birth control pills.

Douching is not an effective method of birth control because it is unable to remove sperm that have already entered the uterus.1

While douching with water or a spermicidal agent may wash away some sperm remaining in the vaginal canal, it does not affect those that have already traveled beyond the cervix and into the uterine cavity. Because sperm can reach the uterus very quickly following ejaculation, douching cannot prevent fertilization and should not be relied upon for contraception.12