COMMON 🐱 QUESTIONS WITH GOODKIND NATUROPATHY

We’re here to chat VAGINAL HEALTH. The taboo topic you may not know enough about. 

We often get lots of DMs on vaginal health and whilst we love sharing our personal experience, we’ve levelled it up for you with Brooke from GoodKind Naturopathy, one of our favourite local naturopaths.

1. Fishy smell? What does this mean?

 

2. Why do I keep getting holes in the crutch of my undies?
A healthy vagina has a pH of around a 4. Compared to a neutral pH in most other areas of the body (eg pH of 7). Lactobacillus species are the most dominant species of bacteria in the vagina, they produce lactic acid = an acidic state. Lactic acid being a gentle acid may be damaging the fibres in your underwear, this is actually a sign of a healthy vagina! However it shouldn’t be destroying all of your underwear, if this is the case your vagina pH might actually be too acidic (consistently <3). If your undies appear to be ‘bleaching’ over time, this is more of a sign of a vagina that is too alkaline which could be a BV sign.

 

3. Does BV or Thrush medication/cream work properly? They keep re-occurring
Generally speaking, yes, however for mixed infections like thrush and BV at the same time (which is quite common!), people will rarely have a complete resolution of symptoms. If you’re being treated with an anti-fungal medicine like fluconazole (canestan) it will help to reduce candida, however if there is also bacteria present as an infection then it will do nothing to address this. For recurrent vaginal infections (eg: more than 3 times a year) I would recommend getting testing and treatment from a vaginal health specialist. 

 

4. Why am I getting Thrush / Infection?
Various factors can influence vaginal health, especially your pH. Never wash your vulva with soap! This disrupts your pH (remember we want it to be more acidic than alkaline) - soap is alkaline. Some lubricants can disrupt the microbiome too so look for ‘microbiome friendly brands’. High sugar diets, stress, smoking, alcohol, hormonal birth control, IUD’s and antibiotics can all disrupt the microbiome too, which can lead to vaginal health concerns. Something that’s commonly overlooked though is your underwear, you’d be surprised what a difference switching to organic bamboo underwear can make! I’ve recently thrown away all of my old synthetic and cotton underwear and switched and the difference is amazing. Organic bamboo is the only moisture wicking, antibacterial and pH friendly fabric so it’s really helpful to maintain a healthy vagina. 

 

5.How can I get rid of thrush whilst pregnant? 
Often during pregnancy intravaginal treatments may not be appropriate, but there are many herbal, nutritional and probiotic options you can take orally to support your vaginal health during pregnancy. As well as changing some of your lifestyle factors like underwear, hygiene, potentially minimising sugars, supporting your immune system and using microbiome friendly vulval creams or balms. Green tea and cinnamon are beautiful herbs to consume during pregnancy that are gently anti-fungal, you can include as tea or in cooking. 

 

6. Tried to test for BV but am too dry post menopause, other non-swap options for me?
You could trial testing your pH with pH strips (find them on ebay/amazon/chemists), you can press the strip on the inner part of your vulva to try and capture the pH and track throughout the month to note any changes. I really love seabuckthorn oil and fennel oil during menopause as a topical treatment for vaginal dryness as they soothe vulval tissue and also feed lactobacillus. I would question which testing method you are using as there should be enough mucous to capture on a high vaginal swab. 

 

7. What causes yellow staining underwear? I don't recall it happening prior to having kids
Yellow coloured discharge could be normal vaginal discharge. Sometimes yellowish discolouration to discharge can be a sign of aerobic bacterial infections or candida. If you have accompanying symptoms like odour, itch, vulval swelling, redness or irritation I would suggest investigating further. Pregnancy and postpartum hormonal and immune changes can shift the environment of your vagina (not always in a negative way!) so it may be a normal change. 

 

8. What are the signs / symptoms of vaginal problems?
The most common signs of vaginal infections or imbalances:

• Change in odour: fishy smell, acidic, sweet or pungent, rubbish/rotten, bleach
• Change in discharge: excess discharge outside of ovulation, watery, ‘gushing’, thick/chunky, discolouration like grey, green, yellow, clear
• Vulval symptoms: swelling, redness, irritation, itch, bleeding, reactivity 
• Pain or discomfort: after or during sex, after your period or during your bleed, random pains throughout the month?

9. How to maintain a healthy 🐱
Essentially following a wholefood diet which is rich in antioxidants, polyphenols and proteins. Minimising things like alcohol, refined sugar, gluten and additives can help to support the health of your gut lining, immune function and overall digestion. 

Your gut health is also important for a healthy vagina. If you’ve got low levels of healthy flora in the gut microbiome this can translate to an imbalance in the vaginal microbiome - especially lactobacillus. Often overgrowths of yeasts like candida in the gut can drive recurrent thrush, same for bacteria overgrowth as these can drive recurrent BV. If you’re someone who experiences thrush or vaginal symptoms when or after taking antibiotics, this could be a sign there’s an underlying imbalance or low levels of beneficial gut flora.