Over the weekend, I couldn’t help noticing that people on TikTok were *sigh* putting ice cubes in their vaginas.
Don't believe me? Just search "ice cube" or "ice cube challenge" on TikTok and you'll see the receipts.
I was confused as to why people were choosing to spend their quarantine this way, until I stumbled across this TikTok of a gynecologist.
In the video, Dr. Jennifer Lincoln explains that she's seen people on the platform say the ice cube helps with depression and anxiety, makes your vagina "tighter," and treats warts.
She pretty much says all of this is bullshit and encourages people to "stop and think before we do crazy stuff." I decided to call her up to get more information about this silly trend and to find out what DOES happen if you put ice in your vagina (because I sure as hell wasn't about to test it out).
Lincoln said she's seen a lot of people referring to this ice cube trend as "cryotherapy" — which is totally inaccurate. Cryotherapy is an actual therapy treatment that doctors use to freeze off genital warts and, in some cases, abnormal cells on the cervix. "We don't open the freezer and take ice cubes out when we do it," Lincoln told BuzzFeed.
In terms of the potential dangers of this trend, there are a few. "The concern is you think of that kid in A Christmas Story who stuck his tongue to the flagpole," she said. "It can stick to the delicate skin of the vagina. It can cause an ice burn, and once the ice cube is actually removed, it can cause injury."
Another problem is that water has a different pH level than the vagina, she said. So if you're putting water up there, it could disrupt the pH levels and cause an infection.
A few people who did the TikTok challenge claimed that it felt good, Lincoln said. Putting ice on your genitals "can certainly be a part of sex and temperature play. Usually we recommend that externally."
"But don't do it because you think it's gonna cure your bacterial vaginosis or make your vagina tighter," she said.
