Is it appropriate or not to use bidet? Myths and truths behind the Argentine "classic" in the bathrooms
Using the water jet underneath can lead to infections in women due to the bacterial flora that passes into the vagina.
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The debate over the use of the bidet was installed today on the agenda, with opinions both in favor (mostly) and against. Is that the new Building Code of the City of Buenos Aires aims to remove the mandatory status of installing this classic Argentine real estate. But, although many do not believe it, the use of the water jet harms the health of women.
Daniel Ruffolo , obstetrician and gynecologist, explained to Los Andes that the use of bidet leads to infections in women. "A bridge of bacteria is generated between the vagina and the anus, so it is not advisable to use it," he explained. The most common diagnosis is vulvovaginitis , an inflammation or infection of the vulva and vagina that affects women of any age.
The doctor said that many patients come to his office with this type of infection. "The first thing I ask is if they used the bidet. And many times they do not correct the habit and continue with the problems derived from the use of the bidet, "he acknowledged.
He clarified that the infection is not avoided if the bidet is clean : "It has nothing to do with it. It is the bacterial flora itself that contaminates the vagina . " In this sense, she always recommends that patients be hygienic with toilet paper , with portable showers or with other peculiarities that have some bidets.
It is the jet of water that comes out of the back wall, not the one that ejects from below. "They are the new bidets that they use in Europe. We have the old ones, with the classic jet below, "said Ruffolo.
"It's a cultural issue. We use the bidet because they formed us like that, that the girls must wash themselves with the jet of the bidet. The cases are recurrent, no matter how much you meditate, after two weeks it is repeated. What is changing is behavior, "said the specialist.
In spite of the changes promoted in the Federal Capital, in the departments of Mendoza, for now, the installation of the bidet in the bathrooms of the houses is still mandatory.
According to our code, the buildings "must have a bathroom every two bedrooms, the bathrooms must be within the same sector and at the level of the bedrooms, in a place equidistant from the bedrooms they serve." Dimensions: 3.00 m2 of minimum surface area, with a minimum side of 1.20 m, it will have a toilet, sink, bidet and shower ".
Origins and legends of the bidet
The most widespread version states that the bidet was created in France , in the eighteenth century , where women of the nobility used it, too, to cleanse their private parts. In fact, the word "bidet" is of French origin and means "little horse", because to use it you have to ride on the toilet.
The first bidets were mobile and consisted of a wooden frame with a backrest and a lid that concealed a basin of decorated earthenware. In 1750 one appeared with a syringe that sent a rain rising.
The bidet arrived in Argentina around 1880 , when Paris was the cultural mecca for Argentines, explained Jorge Tartarini , director of AySA's Water and Health History Museum, to Clarín.
Fun fact: in Argentina we use the bidet upside down and we check the taps behind our backs to open or close them. "The correct way is looking towards the wall, with the taps in front," Tartarini explained.