What’s growing in your vagina?
no it’s probably not teeth.
Hey guys, Julia here for Dnews
We’ve talked before about the microbiome inside of us here on DNews before.
From how our guts affect our moods to poop transplants.
But did you know the vagina is it’s own healthy balanced ecosystem?
That’s right, ladies.
You’ve got an entire ecosystem between your legs.
First off some studies indicate that YOU DON’T NEED DOUCHES.
PLEASE STOP.
I know a lot of you do it, an estimated 20% to 40% of American women between ages 15 and
44 say they use a vaginal douche.
Unfortunately, douching might actually mess up this down under dynamic community.
Your vagina is cleaning itself.
It’s supposed to smell like vagina, not like roses or peaches or whatever.
So what does a healthy vagina look like?
Well there might not be one type of “healthy” vagina..
there’s natural variation in the fauna of the female bits.
Researchers used to think vaginas dominated by bacteria Lactobacilius are the healthiest,
but some studies suggest there’s at least 5 types of bacterial communities that like
lady parts.
These colonies vary in people from different ethnicities and from person to person and
even week to week in the same person.
Some researchers from the University of Maryland even think it’s the fluctuation of bacteria
that signal a healthy vagina.
We’ve got a pretty cozy relationship with these bacteria.
We provide them a warm and moist place to grow and they provide us with protection.
No only to they colonize the space to squeeze out any unwanted inhabitants, but they produce
lactic acid which helps keep the vagina very strongly acidic, with a pH around 4.5 —similar
to beer.
This keeps out infections and makes it harder for other nasty things to grow.
Some studies suggest that vaginal bacteria is important for babies’ immune system.
As a baby moves through the birth canal during childbirth, it picks up some of mom’s bacteria.
A study published in the Proceeds of the National Academy of Sciences show that babies born
from C-Sections are actually missing certain crucial bacteria.
Missing this first colonization of bacteria from mom, means their immune systems don’t
get a chance to learn god bacteria from bad, and could leave the infants with an increased
risk of immune disorders like asthma and food allergies.
But this ecosystem can get out of balance.
Just like when the gut’s ecosystem gets out of balance, people can get ulcerative
colitis, people with vaginas can get bacterial vaginosis.
bacterial vaginosis is relatively common condition, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) says in fact, it’s the most common vaginal infection.
It’s basically when the microbiome gets a little out of whack.
Research from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed a bacteria
called Gardnerella vaginalis, is likely the cause.
It leads to a shedding of cells in the vaginal wall, exposing sensitive underlying tissue,
leaving some women vulnerable to STIs and UTI.
But it’s easier to study something when stuff goes wrong, and researchers are still
unsure about what a “right” vaginal microbiome looks like.
Like we say on DNews, more research is clearly needed.
so hold off on trying new things, like douches or peach scented stuff, your nether regions
are probably normal and fine so chill out.
mk?
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this week!
Here on DNews, we take a look at the news from a science angle, and they take a look
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Like this video here explaining why Egypt is destroying one of the oldest cities on
Earth
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Alright, so got any other weird body questions?
Let us know in the comments below.
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