How healthy is your vagina?

Below are some of the reasons why your vaginal health is so important, as well as how you can take back control of your vaginal health. This is particularly important as the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) has noted that 84% of women with a vaginal imbalance are asymptomatic – so you may have no idea of your risk of long-term issues including BV, thrush, fertility complications, and cervical cancer!

What determines my vaginal health?

You are likely to have heard very little about the vaginal microbiome, despite the gut microbiome being a hot topic in many health magazines and current discussions. But yes, the vaginal microbiome is very real and can really influence your health far beyond the vagina.

Every woman has a slightly different vaginal microbiome, but this generally consists of a unique combination of the following:

• Bacteria

• Fungi

• Viruses

• Yeast

• Archaea

The amount and types of each of these elements will vary, and determine your community state-type and consequently the health of your vaginal microbiome. For more information on what state types are and what this means for your health, then have a look at our other blog here.

Why is my vaginal health important?

1. Cancer

A newly published study by a team at UCL has also found that women with less lactobacilli in their vaginal microbiome may be at greater risk of ovarian cancer.

2. Fertility

• Your vaginal microbiome is a key determinant in fertility outcomes

• Women who have a stable vaginal microbiome, have higher fertility success rates.

3. IVF

Up to 40% of women undergoing IVF have abnormal reproductive tract microbiota and research shows decreased diversity of the vaginal microbiome before embryo transfer can increase success of IVF by around 60%, so testing before transfer can help to increase the success rate.

4. Risk of disease

• Infections, such as BV

• STDs

• Risk of thrush

5. Risk of uncomfortable symptoms which include:

• Pain during sex

• Burning sensation

• Itchiness

• Abnormal discharge

• Unpleasant smell

• Dryness

6. Miscarriage

An imbalance in your vaginal microbiome is increasingly linked to risk of miscarriage.

It's been found that women who have healthy pregnancies have microbiomes rich in Lactobacillus and low in diversity, compared to women who have experienced recurrent miscarriages.

For more information on the Vaginal microbiome and miscarriage – read ScreenMe's dedicated blog post on such here.

7. General health

The gut microbiome and the vaginal microbiome communicate with each other and are linked. Therefore, you can help to heal your vaginal health through your gut, i.e. through your diet.

Read some of ScreenMe's blogs on this connection, such as 5 foods that fight thrush.

By healing your vaginal health, you can also improve your gut health.

8. Your children’s health

The vaginal microbiota has been linked to seeding your child’s microbiota. This is likely to therefore have an impact on your child’s entire life, through gut health, disease response, and more.

Ok… but what can I do to improve my vaginal health!

Testing

The first step to improving your vaginal health is by understanding it. Our Vaginal Sexual Health Testing Packages screen 100% of the bacteria and yeast in your microbiome, therefore giving you a complete understanding of what is going on.

ScreenMe's packages include:

• Free consultation with our experts

• Full composition and diversity of microbiome analysed

• Screening of 100% of the bacteria and/or yeast in your microbiome

• Your vaginal community state-type

• NHS registered doctor’s report

• Tailored advice on how you can protect yourself against UTIs, STDs, vaginosis, reduce risk of cervical cancer, and enhance fertility based off of your results.

Food and Supplements

Diet plays a crucial role not just for your vaginal health, but for your overall health and wellness. This is why all of the tests come with a free consultation with one of ScreenMe's experts, who will guide you through tailored nutritional plans, including our Eat Well Plate.

To help you get started, a few examples of foods that are good for your vaginal health include:

• Prebiotic foods feed the good bacteria

• Leeks, garlic, artichoke, peas, berries, bananas, kiwi

• Probiotic foods promote growth of good bacteria

• Ferment/real Greek yogurt, kefir, miso, fermented or naturally pickled foods like onions, cauliflower, carrots, sauerkraut, tempeh, and kimchi

• avoid shop pickles that may be made with synthetic products.

ScreenMe recommend that you speak to a health professional before taking any supplements, in order to make sure you are doing what is best for your body.

Products

It is very important to use products that are friendly for your vaginal microbiome.

This includes using products that are free from parabens, hormone disrupters, flavours, and any other nasty chemicals.

Head over to the ScreenMe Shop to see what products we have tried, tested, and approved!

We hope this has helped to explain the vaginal microbiome to you.