Vaginal Environment and Fertility
The Vaginal Microbiome
Do you or have you ever suffered from regular bouts of Thrush?
Do you or have you ever suffered from regular bladder infections?
Have you had several courses of antibiotics in your lifetime?
If the answer is yes to any of the questions above and are still struggling to conceive your vaginal microbiome (VMB) might not be very hospitable to incoming sperm. The vaginal biome is so important as it’s the first environment the sperm come into contact with. Therefore, if the PH is too acidic it could be killing the sperm off before they even get a chance to travel down the fallopian tubes to meet the oncoming egg.
A healthy VMB is defined as a lack of symptoms and various infections and is associated with good pregnancy outcomes. The normal VMB of non-pregnant women predominately includes a variety of Lactobacillus species, which promotes a healthy and supportive environment for the embryo in the pre-conceptual period.
Lactobacillus species create LACTIC ACID in the vagina which leads to lower vaginal pH therefore it creates an unfavourable environment for the growth of bacteria.
What can disturb the natural VMB
There are many things that can cause a negative disturbance in the vaginal microbiome. These include: – contraceptives (cervical cap/spermicide) , antibiotics, smoking, exposure to xeno oestrogens ( environmental oestrogens), sexual activity (semen contains micro-organisms) and age.
What you can do to help improve your VMB
We can help support our natural VMB by taking probiotics. By taking oral supplementation of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus ad Lactobacillus Fermentum have been shown to restore healthy vagina flora in up to 82 % of women with previous vaginal dysbiosis.
https://www.cytoplan.co.uk/shop-by-product/probiotics/acidophilus-plus
https://www.cytoplan.co.uk/saccharomyces-boulardii-60-capsules ( Candida clear)
https://www.optibacprobiotics.com/uk/product/for-women-30-capsules