After the birth of my second baby, things just didn’t feel quite right ‘down there’. Long story short, it wasn’t until I tried the best probiotics for vaginal health that they did.
I had been too embarrassed and exhausted by two children to go to the doctor about it, so I just put up with feeling uncomfortable for weeks, hoping it would resolve itself. That’s not the recommended approach, by the way. You should definitely seek advice if you’re feeling uncomfortable. I didn’t – and when things didn’t resolve, I decided I’d seek the advice of a nutritionist.
The nutritionist suggested I try a vaginal probiotic to rebalance my microbiome — something that can be disrupted by everything from hormones, to sanitary products, sex and antibiotics. While feeling slightly sceptical, I took her advice and I was pleasantly surprised to find that by the time I’d finished the small bottle, I felt back to normal.
But according to new research by PrecisionBiotics, I’m not alone — 76% of women said they would rather suffer in silence than talk about vaginal health. The good news is that while we (largely) remain a nation of prudes, more women are becoming aware of the vaginal microbiome and how probiotics can help to keep it happy.
But what exactly are vaginal probiotics and are they suitable for all women? “Probiotics are supplements which contain replacement ‘good bacteria’ to help the vaginal microbiome repopulate when there is an imbalance in the bacterial numbers and pH,” says Sandrine Olmi, a Registered nutritional therapist and health coach.
“They are not, however, a replacement for medical treatment of established infection and it is essential that you see a doctor in the case that you are concerned about any changes including a change in your discharge (smell, colour, consistency), vulval or vaginal itching, pelvic pain, or unexpected bleeding.”
Considering adding a vaginal probiotic into your routine? As with all supplements, not all are created equal. With that in mind, read on to find out which ones we believe are worthy of your consideration, all approved by GLAMOUR’s shopping editors.
Probiotics for vaginal health FAQs, answered:
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that this article isn’t a substitute for professional medical advice, and our recommendations won’t replace a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet.
Meet the experts:
What are probiotics for vaginal health and how do they work?
“Under normal conditions, the vagina has many different bacteria which colonise it and play an essential role in maintaining vaginal health,” explains Dr Rebecca Gorgievska, Here We Flo’s gynae in residence. “Unlike with infections, these bacteria are what we like to call ‘good bacteria,’ we want them to be there, we like them.”
This natural bacterial colonisation of the vagina, she says, is called the vaginal microbiome, and it is essential to overall vaginal health including immune defence from other infections and health of the vaginal tissue. “When there is a loss of these ‘good bacteria’ or an imbalance in them, the chances of a problematic vaginal infection developing increases. The most common infections which can occur in cases of a disrupted microbiome are Candida (commonly known as thrush) and Bacterial Vaginosis (BV).”
How we test probiotics for vaginal health:
As vaginal probiotics for women should not be taken when you have no symptoms of an imbalance with your microbiome, our trials have been a little stop and start. Essentially, our volunteers — GLAMOUR editors with vulvas who were between the ages of 26 and 45 at the time of testing — only called on them when required. While taking their capsules, gummies or drinkable powder, they were asked to consider the following:
- Ease of use — Where the capsules easy to swallow? Where the gummies too sweet to take early in the day?
- Efficacy and evidence — How long did it take them to notice a difference, if any?
- Value for money — Would they be happy to commit to the weekly, monthly or bi-monthly spend?
For those we haven’t personally reviewed (yet), we paid close attention to the list of ingredients, online reviews, and consulted with industry experts on whether they’d recommend them.
