Why do I have vaginal odor and itching?

These symptoms may signal a disrupted vaginal microbiome.

We all know probiotics are great for your gut health — but did you know they can be beneficial for your vagina, too?

Your vagina requires a different balance of bacteria than other parts of your body, and it has its own microbiome. A lot of things can disturb your vaginal microbiome, including hormonal birth control, sex, and smoking.¹ And during perimenopause and beyond, you’re even more susceptible to vaginal infection, thanks to diminishing estrogen production.²

That’s where vaginal probiotics come in — they can help balance and maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome, support a healthy vaginal pH, and assist in preventing infections caused by an imbalanced microbiome.³ If you’re menopausal, suffer from yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, or have risk factors for vaginal symptoms, like smoking or stress,⁴ you might benefit from a vaginal probiotic.

If you’re experiencing these symptoms, be sure to bring them up with your healthcare provider.

¹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458466/

²https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00593-20

³https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC6008313/#B5

⁴https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5770522/pdf/jmm-23-139.pdf