What Is Blue Waffle Disease & Is it Real?

Blue waffle disease is an absolutely fictional sexually transmitted disease (STD) and is not a real condition at all.⁽¹⁾ The rumors of blue waffle disease started doing the rounds in 2010 and there was even a shocking image of a pus-covered, lesion-filled, and blue-tinted labia going around on the internet. The term ‘waffle’ is used as slang term for the vagina, while the blue in the name of the condition is a reference to one of the symptoms of this fake disease.⁽¹⁾ There is absolutely no medical evidence that the blue waffle disease even exists and it is nothing more than a rumor that was started online.⁽¹⁾

As per the internet rumors, blue waffle disease is an STD that can disfigure the vaginal area and the vulva and also cause it to turn blue. While in real life there are many types of STDs that can even be extremely serious, however, none of these STDs turn the vulva blue.⁽¹⁾

The important thing to understand is that sexual health is not to be joked around with and STDs can be dangerous. Spreading misinformation about STDs can prove to be harmful to young people, particularly between the ages of 15 to 25 years old, who are much more likely to catch an STD as compared to older people. Keeping this in mind, these young people, when they turn to the internet to search for advice on sexual health, they find incorrect information such as the fake STD known as blue waffle disease. This only spreads unsafe sex practices along with misinformation on STDs.

Fake data about this nonexistent, i.e. blue waffle disease are often accompanied by pictures that show a woman’s vulva, which appears to be blue and covered in lesions or scabs. Regardless of whether these pictures are original or fake, the fact is that no existing STD turns the vulva or the vaginal area blue.⁽¹⁾ However, there are many STDs that can cause lesions, discharge or scabs in people who are sexually active. This is why it is still important to consult a doctor and have yourself checked out.

If you go through several websites, you will begin to notice that each website has a different definition for blue waffle disease and what the symptoms appear to be. These rumors also claim that blue waffle disease only affects women who have multiple sexual partners.⁽¹⁾ However, the fact is that STDs affect both men and women, though in women STDs can be more severe than in men.⁽¹⁾ STDs can also have an effect on an unborn baby if the mother gets infected during pregnancy.

The supposed causes of this fictitious blue waffle disease include poor hygiene to frequent intercourse with multiple partners, as well as having several STDs.⁽¹⁾ There are some websites that even claim that it is also possible for men to get blue waffle disease if their women partners practice poor sexual hygiene.⁽¹⁾

However, all these claims are untrue and frequent intercourse and poor hygiene do not cause your genitals to become blue or for that matter change color to begin with.

Certain STDs, such as gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and chlamydia can produce some of the similar symptoms to the ones associated with the fictitious blue waffle disease. These symptoms include:

• Red and inflamed vulva
• Irritation or itching around the vagina
• Unusual discharge from the vagina that may have a fishy odor

These symptoms are generally a sign that you may be suffering from vaginitis, which is caused by infections. While some vaginal infections are passed on through sexual intercourse, others can be caused due to a change in the chemical or bacterial balance of the vagina or even due to an allergic reaction.

Blue Waffle Disease is a very much a fake disease and is not at all real.⁽¹⁾ The phenomenon of blue waffle disease is a good example of how people seeking sex education online are often taken in by such types of false information. Blue waffle disease has been debunked as being nothing more than an urban myth. Without the proper knowledge about safe sex practices and STDs, young people turn to the internet and end up receiving such types of false information. This is why it is so important to have adequate sex education so that young people do not fall for such rumors being spread about fictitious STDs.

References: