Vaginal Health and Probiotics – Women, Let’s Talk!
April 25, 2016
Ladies we all have a vagina, yet many of us are too embarrassed to talk about it. We don’t discuss it with our friends, our partners, and we’re often embarrassed to say the word vagina to our doctor. In this day and age, it’s so difficult to believe how we approach women’s health. Let’s face it, if we’re not comfortable with our own bodies, avoiding treatment when something’s wrong downstairs, can have serious implications for our overall health.
Overcoming the Taboo
How do we overcome the taboo and take charge, not just for ourselves, but our daughters and granddaughters when we’re too afraid to talk, or worse, uniformed about our vagina? Forcing it out in the open to overcome the taboo is what Dr. Jessica Younes said at a recent probiotics convention in Amsterdam. Younes, who is a Medical Science Liaison at Winclove Probiotics, said that women needed better information with how to manage their vaginal health, and a greater understanding of their bodies. Reliable and simple, trustworthy information, she says, needs to come from not only the health care community, but from the probiotics industry and other alternative health care practices.
To Douche or Not?
Probably one of the simplest health messages for women to understand, is that we need to stop douching – washing the inside of the vagina. Health care practitioners have been saying this for a long time, but many women still don’t know and wonder if everything’s normal “down there”. One of the beauties of being a woman is the vagina is self-cleaning and discharge is part of that process. Douching upsets the bacterial and fungal balance that may lead to an infection. If you’ve been unfortunate to have a vaginal infection, then you know it’s not pleasant. The last thing you want to do is cause a problem by douching.
Normal Discharge vs Abnormal Discharge
Knowing the difference between a normal discharge and a vaginal infection can be confusing, if you’ve never had one. Usually, normal discharge is clear or cloudy white, but sometimes it can even look yellow after it’s dried.
There can be changes, and especially around that time of the month, stressors, pregnancy, medications or even sexual arousal may alter the color or consistency. Even a change in diet can affect normal vaginal discharge. But, you should understand and get to know what’s normal for you since any change in the color, amount of discharge, burning, or even the smell, may be an indication that you’ve got something going on. McKinley Health Center has a very informative guide to help women better understand the differences. Without a doubt, if you’re not sure, or your intuition tells you something’s not right, always follow up with your health care provider.
Bacterial Vaginosis
Another type of vaginal infection is called bacterial vaginosis (BV). While the exact cause isn’t known, it happens when there’s too much of the bad bacteria and not enough of the good bacteria in the vagina. Having multiple sex partners or engaging in oral intercourse increases the risks for some women. Unfortunately, it can be reoccurring and it can coexist with other vaginal infections.
While it sounds fairly similar to a yeast infection, the treatment is very different. Don’t ignore it hoping that it’ll go away. If you let it go, it can cause other problems that may put you at a higher risk for getting other sexually transmitted diseases or even pregnancy complications. To find out more information about BV, read this informative epublication that the government put together for women that goes into more depth. If this is something that you think you have, you’ll need to see your health care practitioner since you will likely need a round of antibiotics. It’s very easy to treat, but it’s important during this time to make sure you rebalance your system with probiotics especially since there’s new evidence that antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome for up to 12-months. Just remember to take the probiotics two hours after the antibiotic. Even after you’ve finished treatment, it’s important to keep taking a quality probiotic to restore harmony to your entire body and not just your vagina.
Gy-Na-Tren
Taking charge of your vaginal health should always be a priority. That’s why Natren formulated and always recommends Gynatren as a natural and holistic approach to vaginal health. It’s specifically made for women who want to avoid chemical-based remedies.
If you’ve been keeping up with Natren, then you’re already familiar with the new formulation. This dual-action 14-day homeopathic and probiotic preparation is the result of many years’ research, and collaboration with a leading homeopathic expert and medical doctor. Gynatren is an effective and safe formula for feminine health because there’s nothing more aggravating, or inconvenient, for us women than experiencing poor vaginal health.
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