We hear a lot about the microbiome and how a healthy microbial diversity in our guts affects all aspects of our health ranging from digestive health, immunity and also our mental health. But did you know about the vaginal microbiome? This microbiome is an ecosystem of microorganisms completely unique to the vagina. An imbalanced vaginal ecosystem has been linked to cervical cancers, endometriosis, higher risk of HIV, and other infections such as thrush, Bacterial Vaginosis, and even HPV. Many women use pharmaceutical approach to treat vaginal infections, however, this doesn’t really work long term. This is because the over the counter treatments do not address the root cause which is the disturbance in the vaginal ecosystem and quite often in the gut microbiome, too.
We really need to talk to every woman we know about this, and it’s important we make this information known to our gynaecologists, family doctors, and anyone working in women’s health – knowing about the vaginal ecosystem, knowing what to do to maintain a healthy vaginal microbial balance, and how this has the potential to prevent cervical cancers will save lives. My mother died of cervical cancer when I was only 14 years old, so preventing other women from going through this experience is very dear to my heart. We also have an emerging research that a healthy vaginal ecosystem not only helps women to get pregnant but that it also helps to carry pregnancy to full term. In contrast, a vaginal ecosystem that is out of whack may be the leading silent reason for many fertility challenges and pre-term births.
While the gut microbiome thrives on being made up of a huge diversity of microbes, the vaginal ecosystem should be populated by mainly lactobacilli species, the most essential of which is Lactobacilli Crispatus. Crispatus makes lots of lactic acid – it’s the very same lactic acid we try to prevent during an exercise, but the vagina loves it. Lactic acid in the vagina is the key for killing off pathogens. There have been some initial tests and we still have so much to learn, but so far we know that only 25% of women have the healthy ecosystem filled with Crispatus species. If we remember that a healthy vaginal ecosystem supports not only vaginal health, but also pregnancy, and can prevent cervical cancers – we can see that as many as 75% of women may need additional support.
Why do so many women have an imbalanced vaginal ecosystem? It may be because they have not inherited the healthy Crispatus species from their mothers at birth because their mothers didn’t have it themselves. Or maybe they were cesarean-born which prevented them from getting any lactobacilli as they were being born. Many women have also been exposed to antibiotics, and are nutritionally not supporting their microbiome. Cigarette smoking literally kills the vaginal lactobacilli, as do all the intimate soaps, sprays, lubricants, most sanitary products that have been bleached or perfumed, bath foams loaded with glitter and chemicals, wearing g-strings, and… stress. Learning how to relax and support the body’s responses to stress is so important for a good vaginal health.
I am still awaiting the only test available to explore the vaginal ecosystem to arrive to the UK from the States, and I’ve been assured that it will be here soon. But we can now do an easy initial screen at home. If you have a history of infertility, antibiotic use, UTIs, chronic pelvic pain, painful sex, vaginal discharge or dryness, then this screen may explain a lot for you and become the important foundation in your journey to wellness.
I have been asking all my clients to get pH strips and measure their vaginal pH. The number should be acidic, ideally below 4.4. If it’s above 4.4, we know we have some work to do.
The easiest treatment is to use green tea. Green tea has many benefits as it is anti-aging, and anti-oxidant, and may help prevent cancer. In the vagina, green tea provides natural compounds called polyphenols which are the food that the healthy lactobacilli species love. It makes them grow and, at the same time, helps to diminish the number of pathogenic organisms.
How do you use green tea to heal your vagina? Make a strong green tea, wait for it to cool down, and spray onto the vulva, or even use as a douche. It is also possible to do a sitz bath filled with green tea. I recommend using only filtered or mineral water for this as the last thing we want it to introduce any more contaminants from the tap. The green tea treatment can be done daily at first and then once every 3 or 4 days once the pH has gone down to below 4.4. I would not recommend to do this preventatively. If your vaginal pH is at a healthy level, that’s wonderful, drink a cup of green tea to that – we don’t want to disturb an already healthy microflora.
I also recommend getting a good probiotic that has been prepared to support the vaginal ecosystem – it needs to be rich in lactobacilli species and ideally also contain Lactobacilli Crispatus.
If your pH is above 4.4 chances are that your gut health may also need healing, and that you may need to modify your lifestyle choices such as the use of cosmetics, sanitary products and learning how to relax in order to fully support the health of your vagina.
My hope is that in the near future all practitioners will be able to address the vaginal ecosystem with their female patients. And I feel that this goes beyond just talking about an aspect of female physiology. When women become more aware of their vaginal health, when this becomes something we can all talk about, this knowledge and connection will also help uncover and heal all kinds of unresolved and suppressed stuff that has been weighing women down for centuries. The vagina stores everything related to being a female, including all the things we may be too afraid to look at. The emerging research into the microbiological health of the vagina has therefore the potential to unleash so much more – a real transformation for so many women around the world who will be ready to step into the new feminine which we see emerging in the recent years: aware, empowered, and hopefully a bit more “wild”.
With love
Magda
References and further reading:
Dr Aviva Romm, Vaginal Ecology. https://avivaromm.com/vaginal-ecology-down-there/
Dr Jason Hawrelak , Just what is a “leaky vagina?” https://www.probioticadvisor.com/category/vaginal-microbiome/#.W5Ez9ehKg2w
