All 22 probiotics used as suppositories in vaginal probiotics were evaluated in a 2020 review. Some even showed promise in treating and preventing B.V. They were not able to stay in the vagina long enough to prove beneficial. They also didn’t prevent yeast infections.
“It just seems like such a great idea, right? It seems so logical,” Sharon Hillier, a microbiologist at Magee-Womens Research Institute who studies the vaginal microbiome and S.T.I.s., said of vaginal probiotics. “And yet study after study has failed to identify a real benefit for most of these products.”
Dr. Carolyn Ross, an OB-GYN and medical adviser for Stix, a company that sells vaginal probiotics among other women’s health products, said in an email that while the evidence on vaginal probiotics is limited, published studies do suggest “a beneficial effect of probiotics on the prevention of bacterial vaginosis.” She cited two meta-analyses that did note beneficial effects, but also cautioned that large, high-quality studies “are urgently needed” before broad conclusions could be drawn.
Bobban Subhadra (a microbiologist) is the chief executive officer of Biom Therapeutics. The company makes vaginal Probiotic suppositories.
Some researchers believe that more research will prove the benefits of vaginal probiotics. “I do think it’s an area of great promise,” said Dr. Janneke van de Wijgert, an infectious disease researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and lead author of the 2020 review. “But we’re not there yet.”
Is there something I should do or take to ensure my vaginal microbiome remains healthy?
In the future, there may be research-backed ways to strengthen the vagina’s bacterial defenses, possibly by combining effective probiotics with antibiotics or even by performing vaginal microbiome transplants.
But for now, experts simply don’t know enough about the vaginal microbiome to be able to reliably shift it in the direction of better health. So while vaginal probiotics are unlikely to hurt you, they also aren’t likely to help you — whether you have an infection or not. And unless you’re actively ailing, the best way to maintain “optimal feminine balance” is also the simplest: Don’t do anything special. And certainly don’t spend money on unproven treatments for your most intimate of landscapes.
“Women have enough things in this world to worry about,” Dr. Hillier said. “The bottom line is that it’s the doorway to your reproductive tract. Treat it with respect, and love it.”
Rachel E. Gross is a science writer based in Brooklyn and the author of “Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage.”
Source: NY Times
