You might be wondering what the HECK is vaginal steaming and how this practice is beneficial for hormone health. I felt the same way when I first learned about steaming. It felt like another thing to add to my to-do list, and I wasn’t sure how effective it would actually be. When I did some research and learned that this is an ancient practice that has been used to treat different women’s health issues for thousands of years, I started to change my tune and become intrigued. Then I came across the Fourth Trimester Vaginal Steam Study and was amazed at the results for postpartum moms. I listened to an episode on the Fertility Friday podcast discussing the study and knew I wanted to use this as a tool postpartum one day. I mean, why would you not? Because I knew I wanted to steam postpartum, I decided to work with a steaming expert before we tried to conceive. I wanted to be familiar and very well versed in steaming before pregnancy, so that it would be easy to implement during the postpartum time period.

I was so focused on using steaming postpartum that I didn’t realize there were so many benefits I could see in the meantime. I immediately noticed improved lubrication and an increase in cervical mucus. I also had ZERO cramps during my first cycle of steaming. While my cramps are minimal now, I have a history of extreme cramping and used to have to miss school/work because of them. The first day of my period typically still has some cramping, but it’s not debilitating. I was pleasantly surprised to not have any cramping during my first period after steaming.

I began my steaming journey in June of this year thinking that we would try to conceive in the fall. My goal was to prepare my uterus for conception and enjoy this relaxing practice as I worked on reducing stress. It’s amazing how powerful stress is when it comes to getting pregnant. It really can inhibit the process, even if you feel like you’ve done everything right. Steaming is very relaxing, so it was the perfect addition. I made a steaming plan with Kit from Kitara. Kit is a steaming expert and makes the most beautiful steaming seats.

When I met with Kit, we went through my health history, main concerns, and goals for the future. This helped her create a steaming plan that would work for my body. The biggest things that she needed to know were the length of my cycles and history of UTI, yeast, or other infections. This is what helps you know how often and how long to steam for. Kit has a free guide that goes into this and everything you need to know when you first get started steaming that you can download here. She’s one of my favorite resources for steaming because she really wants to make this practice accessible to everyone, which is why she is so generous with the knowledge she shares on her website and in the guide.

I have about 29-day cycles and have a history of UTI/yeast infections, which led Kit to recommend a shorter steam of about 10 minutes. The first month I steamed every other day (no steaming during my period), and then the second cycle, I steamed every day (minus during my period). I wanted to steam for 3 cycles before we tried to conceive, but God had other plans. During my second month of steaming, I conceived our baby. However, I did not know this since we were not trying, and I kept steaming after ovulation (if you are trying to conceive, you would want to stop steaming after ovulation since steaming can release things from your uterus). When I was on day 32 of my cycle, things felt off. I was extremely tired and thought I was getting sick, and that’s why my cycle was longer. I decided to take a pregnancy test just in case, and turns out I was pregnant.

I truly think steaming played a role in our conception. We tried to conceive summer of 2020 but had way too much stress going on. After three months of trying, we decided to take a break and wait until we got to our next duty station since we would be there for a while. I also wanted to optimize my thyroid health a bit more so that I would feel good during pregnancy. After being on the pill and having the copper IUD, I have a long history of estrogen dominance, which negatively impacted my thyroid health. My husband was gone for June and July, then in August when he returned, I had been steaming for a couple of months, and that’s when we conceived without even trying. If you look at why steaming can support fertility, it makes sense.

For me, I think steaming helped to clean out my uterus and remove stagnation that was in there. I have had pelvic floor issues in the past as well, which I learned can also prevent implantation. I have a podcast coming out with a pelvic floor PT in December where we will get into this more.

What Else Is Steaming Helpful For?

While steaming is a great practice to consider before conception and postpartum to help with healing, there are many other benefits. Some of the biggest ones are an improvement in fibroids (they can actually shrink) and both endometriosis pain and growth recurrence. These are two debilitating and life-altering conditions. If a noninvasive practice like steaming can help, this is something women need to know. While I do think surgery can be helpful for both conditions, what about recurrent growth? Steaming has been shown to reduce that (see image and study below). We need more research on both of these, but that has been a difficult task. The Fourth Trimester Steaming Study was hoping to get picked up for further research, but that has not happened. Likely because steaming doesn’t make anyone money, and women can even do it at home on their own.

Steaming can also improve lubrication, which can be especially great for those in menopause. It can also improve long cycles and help get rid of infections like UTI’s and yeast.

Listen to the podcast episode I did with Kit here from the are you menstrual? podcast.

reminder: i’m currently taking on 1:1 clients. if you’d like to explore what it would be like to work together and if we are a good fit, fill out this form to get more details!​