Yesterday, I came across an article on ScaryMommy.com about Yoni eggs for sale on Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop.com (eggs are sold out, better luck next time!). Rather than try and describe them myself, I pulled the description from her site:

Yoni eggs, once the strictly guarded secret of Chinese concubines and royalty in antiquity, harness the power of energy work, crystal healing, and a Kegel-like physical practice. Jade eggs’ power to cleanse and clear make them ideal for detox, too. “This particular jade, nephrite jade, has incredible clearing, cleansing powers,” says Shiva Rose; “It’s a dark, deep green and heavy—it’s a great stone for taking away negativity—and it’s definitely the one to start with.” (Read the whole story—plus a Q&A with Shiva Rose herself—here.) Fans say regular use increases chi, orgasms, vaginal muscle tone, hormonal balance, and feminine energy in general. Shiva Rose has been practicing with them for about seven years, and raves about the results; we tried them, too, and were so convinced we put them into the goop shop. 

The product is getting some backlash from Gynecologists. An article on CBSNews.com had this to say:

Doctors are warning that the health claims Paltrow’s site are making are unsubstantiated and the eggs may even pose some health risks. 

“I read the post on GOOP and all I can tell you is it is the biggest load of garbage I have read on your site since vaginal steaming,” Dr. Jen Gunter wrote in a scathing open letter to Paltrow.

Gunter, who is an OB-GYN for Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, also says the claim that the jade eggs can balance hormones is “quite simply, biologically impossible.”

“Pelvic floor exercises can help with incontinence and even give stronger orgasms for some women, but they cannot change hormones,” she continues. “As for female energy? I’m a gynecologist and I don’t know what that is!?”

Gunter also emphasizes the potential health risks associated with the vaginal use of jade eggs.

“As for the recommendation that women sleep with a jade egg in their vaginas I would like to point out that jade is porous which could allow bacteria to get inside and so the egg could act like a fomite” — an object capable of harboring or transmitting an infectious agent. This, she writes, “could be a risk factor for bacterial vaginosis or even the potentially deadly toxic shock syndrome.” 

We're thinking we'll stick with good ole fashion Kegels for now! What are your thoughts on the Yoni egg?