Probiotics to Maintain Vaginal Health
More than 50 different species of bacteria may live in a woman’s vagina, with lactobacilli being the predominant microorganism found in healthy women. However, many factors can change the vaginal bacterial composition and decrease numbers of healthy lactobacilli including: antibiotics, menopause (or estrogen deficiency), oral contraceptives, spermicides, and/or diabetes.
These lactobacilli produce bacteriocins, hydrogen peroxide, and lactic acid. These substances lower the vaginal pH, which creates a more hostile environment for bacteria other than lactobacilli. If the number of lactobacilli falls off, the resulting increase in pH favors an overgrowth of anaerobic and facultative bacteria, which can develop into vaginitis/vaginosis.
Recently, Ronnquist and colleagues (Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2006;85:726-735.)impregnated panty liners with a particular strain of Lactobacillus plantarum. In women who wore the panty liners for 5 months, Lactobacillus plantarum was found in 86% of labial and 54% of vaginal specimens. The pH of vaginal fluid was much lower (P<0.001)>
