Vaginal Flora

Your vaginal flora is the healthy bacteria and tiny organisms that live in your vagina. The Lactobacillus species makes up most of your vaginal flora. Lactobacilli produce lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide. This helps keep your vaginal pH slightly acidic (pH of 3.8 to 4.2). This environment makes it hard for unhealthy bacteria and yeast to grow.

A healthy vaginal flora keeps unhealthy or “bad” bacteria under control, so it doesn’t cause problems. But sometimes, your vaginal flora can’t protect you from infection. Harmful or “bad” bacteria grows of control and disrupt your vaginal flora.

You can think of your vaginal flora like the security guard for your vagina. It works hard to keep everything inside safe and in perfect order.

What is the normal vaginal flora?

About 95% of the good bacteria are lactobacilli. There are several different species of lactobacilli. These bacteria keep your vagina’s pH more acidic. The acidic environment prevents harmful bacteria from growing. If lactobacilli are low, other bacteria can multiply too much and take over. This is what leads to some infection.

Some other bacteria that live in your vagina in lower amounts are:

• Gardnerella vaginalis
• Mycoplasmagenitalium
• Group B streptococcus

These bacteria are OK in small amounts but can become a problem if they overgrow.

What causes vaginal flora imbalance?

Many things can disrupt your vaginal flora and cause an imbalance. Some of the most common causes are:

• Taking antibiotics
• Douching or using scented washes, tampons or pads
• Having your period
• Experiencing hormonal changes (pregnancy, menopause or taking birth control pills)
• Eating sugary or highly processed foods
• Having unprotected sex with multiple partners
• Smoking cigarettes

What are signs of imbalance?

Some signs of unhealthy vaginal flora are:

• Itching, burning or irritation in your genital area
• Foul-smelling odor from your vagina
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Burning feeling when you pee or have sex

What problems does vaginal flora imbalance cause?

An imbalance can cause several disruptive symptoms, like itching and burning. It can also lead to infections like:

• Bacterial vaginosis (BV)
• Yeast infection
• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Higher risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

How do you restore vaginal flora?

Getting your vaginal flora back to normal can be hard. Sometimes, the bacteria balance themselves out on their own. Other times, you need treatment for the infection first. Once this happens, most people notice a change. See a healthcare provider if you have symptoms of vaginal flora imbalance that don’t go away.

Some things you can do to support your vaginal flora are:

• Use unscented, gentle soaps. Using harsh, scented soaps on your vagina can promote imbalance.
• Practice safe sex. Use protection when you have sex. This helps prevent the exchange of bacteria from your partner to you.
• Wear breathable underwear. Cotton underwear is best because it helps keep you dry. A dry environment makes it hard for harmful bacteria to grow.
• Take probiotics. There’s some evidence that taking lactobacillus may help improve bacterial balance.
• Cut back on sugary foods. Some researchers believe foods that contain lots of sugar can cause Candida to overgrow (this leads to yeast infections).