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Vaginal Probiotics: What Does The Science Say?
Plus: 7 signs of undiagnosed autism in adults
The 10almonds Team
September 13, 2024
Today’s almonds have been activated by:
It’s not icey sidewalk season yet… Which makes now a good time to get spikes and chains and things, before the ice hits and you need them later.
If you walk with a cane, you can and should get a made-for-purpose spike attachment for that (it’s just like crampons for boots, but for your cane).
If you use a wheelchair, then zip-ties can be added to your wheels and used like tire chains to improve traction.
And for most people, attachments for feet and tires are a very sensible option to look at.
You’ll probably only need them for a few days per year, but when those few days arrive, it makes a big difference to have them ready!
In A Rush?
Today’s 30-Second Summary
If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:
Vaginal probiotics are a fascinating option for health down there, but do they work?
Today’s main feature answers that question (it’s a weak “somewhat, sometimes” with assorted caveats) as well as the different kinds, and what to more usefully do (and what to definitely not do) to support naturally good health.
Skincare is important, but it’s easy to not find time for it.
Today’s sponsor, Tiége Hanley, is offering a “Bare Minimum Routine” kit for just $9 and first-time customers receive extra bonuses too; check them out and see if you’d like anything!
Today’s featured recipe is for a chaat masala spiced potato salad with beans, for a perfect blend of macro- and micro-nutrients, making a flavorful addition to your table!
Read on to learn more about these things, or click here to visit our archive
A Word To The Wise
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7 Signs of Undiagnosed Autism in Adults
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Q&A Thursday
It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small 😎
❝Is there any merit to vaginal probiotics?❞
What a fun question! First let’s break it down, as this could mean two different things:
Probiotics, which you consume, using your mouth, which are marketed as benefiting vaginal health
Probiotics taken as a vaginal pessary/suppository, to act directly there
The former has limited evidence for it, but generally speaking, improving one’s gut health improves all other areas of health, so it’s not surprising if it helps this too.
See for example:
Some notes:
candidal vaginitis means a yeast infection causing vaginal inflammation
bacterial vaginosis means a vaginal bacterial imbalance (generally also featuring vaginal inflammation, though it can be asymptomatic)
In the latter case, the “imbalance” in question is usually a shortage of Lactobacillus sp. (that is to say, the diverse species of the Lactobacillus genus) resulting in an overgrowth of other kinds of bacteria, which in turn results in changing the vaginal microbiome to make it warmer and more acidic than it should be.
While a healthy vagina shouldn’t smell of roses, it shouldn’t smell fishy either; if it does, that’s a sign of bacterial vaginosis.
What it’s supposed to be like: slightly bitter, slightly salty, distinctly umami, along with a cocktail of personal pheromones (and if menstruating or otherwise* vaginally bleeding, then of course add: iron/”metallic”). The pheromones will also reflect any hormonal changes, but should never make anything smell bad, just different.
*e.g. due to PCOS, fibroids, etc. Note that in the case of PCOS, it may also smell a little different (if it does, then usually: a little more musky), due to often different hormone levels. Again: it still shouldn’t smell bad, though, just different.
In the above-linked study, taking more live Lactobacillus acidophilus (in yogurt, eating it, with their mouths) improved levels of L. acidophilus in the vagina. While the study authors concluded “this ingestion of yogurt may have reduced episodes of bacterial vaginosis”, which is rather a weak claim, it can be argued that it merely improving the levels of L. acidophilus in the vagina was already a win.
That was a small (n=42, and only 7 followed through to completion) and old (1996) study, and it bears mentioning that most of the studies into this seem to be small and old, but conclude similarly with weakly positive statements.
However, it does make a difference what kind of Lactobacillus is used, for example in this next study…
L. fermentum RC-14 worked well (90% success rate)
L. rhamnosus GR-1 worked somewhat (40% success rate)
L. rhamnosus GG did not work (0% success rate)
So, diversity is key, and getting a wide range of Lactobacillus sp. seems to be a safe bet.
Short version: enjoying probiotics as part of your diet probably improves vaginal health, just like it improves pretty much everything else.
You would think that this would mean that taking probiotics as a vaginal pessary/suppository would be even better, but the results are weaker, as in this study, which produced temporary improvements in about half the study group, with only 3 out of 28 being free of bacterial vaginosis the next month:
This study got better results, with a 61% success rate:
Important note
Do note that this last category, involving topical treatments (i.e., manually introducing Lactobacillus sp. to the vagina) were all in cases of pre-existing bacterial vaginosis, not as a prophylactic and/or general health-improving thing.
If your vagina seems happy right now, then do not mess with its happy bacterial balance!
And at all times (regardless of whether it seems happy right now or not): do not douche (it does not need it and will not benefit from it; the vagina is self-cleaning*) as this will wash out many of your Lactobacilli and will do absolutely nothing against any Candida there (C. albicans being a rooted fungus, whereas Lactobacillus is a sausage-shaped bacterium with many tiny appendages but no actual ability to stay put), so Candida will flourish in the Lactobacillus’s absence.
*by the vagina, we are referring to the vaginal canal. The vulva—the outside part consisting of the two pairs of labia, the glans clitoris, and clitoral hood—are not self-cleaning, and should just be washed gently per your normal bath/shower routine; that’s perfectly fine and good.
And definitely don’t put any “cleansing” toiletries inside the vagina (or any toiletries at all, for that matter), even if they are sold and marketed for that purpose; they will not help and they will harm.
Also, due to their neighborliness, messing up the microbiome inside the vagina is a common way to also get Candida inside the urethra:
One other option
Finally, unless you have a “very good friend” you have a pressing urge to swap germs with, you might want to leave this one to the scientists, but we share this paper just for interest:
Lastly…
Going back to oral supplementation, if you’d like to try that then check out this for further notes on what, why, how, etc:
Take care!
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Recipes Worth Sharing
Chaat Masala Spiced Potato Salad With Beans
This is an especially gut-healthy dish; the cooked-and-cooled potatoes are not rich with resistant starches (that’s good), the beans bring protein (as well as more fiber and micronutrients), nor are the sun-dried tomatoes to be underestimated (top-tier source of lycopene), and many of the spices bring their own benefits. A flavorful addition to your table!
Click below for our full recipe, and learn its secrets:
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Wishing you a happy and healthy day today and every day,
The 10almonds Team
