Lactobacilli: the bacteria that protect you from vaginal infections

A healthy vagina needs to have bacteria, but not just any bacteria, your intimate health prefers lactobacilli, which are responsible for creating the ideal environment to keep other harmful bacteria away. Learn to take care of them!

Lactobacilli are those “good” bacteria that live normally in our digestive, urinary, and genital systems without causing disease. These bacteria are also found in foods such as yogurt and in dietary supplements.

Lactobacilli are found in greater quantity in the vagina. And they are so important for your intimate health, because they are responsible for producing lactic acid that lowers vaginal pH and maintains the acidic environment, a condition that prevents the development of opportunistic microorganisms and prevents the proliferation of other harmful bacteria responsible for diseases, such as vaginitis and vaginosis.

What causes a vaginal pH imbalance?

It is important that all women know how to take care of the vaginal pH balance and ensure that they maintain the necessary amount of those good policemen called Lactobacilli, because when they decrease in quantity or there is an imbalance between good and bad bacteria, the harmful bacteria win. battle and settle in to produce disease.

To help you take care of the ph balance of your vagina, below, we list some of the main situations that you should take care of:

1. During the menstrual cycle it is normal for hormonal changes to cause the level of acidity in the vaginal flora to vary. In the days before and during menstruation, acidity is lower, making it easier for organisms that are in the ecosystem of the vagina to proliferate, such as fungi or bacteria, which lactobacilli keep away.
   
   
2. Some broad-spectrum antibiotics also kill good bacteria. That can unbalance the vaginal ecosystem.
   
   
3. The use of soaps in the intimate area can also unbalance that vaginal ecosystem. Choose products specially created for the intimate area.
   
   
4. When women have frequent unprotected sexual intercourse, over time the lactobacilli decrease in quantity and there is a possibility that another type of harmful bacteria, such as gardnerella vaginalis, can settle in the vagina, which causes the disease known as Bacterial Vaginosis . , which has as its main symptom the presence of an abnormal discharge from the vagina with a strong and unpleasant smell of fish, but the interesting thing is that in 50% of cases there are no symptoms. Likewise, in both cases, medical treatment with your gynecologist is required.

What to do to protect the "good cops" of your vagina?

1. Maintain optimal hygiene . That means you can wash twice a day just with water. And if you prefer to use an intimate hygiene product, do not use common soap on your genitals, prefer a product especially for the female genitalia, without artificial scents, that is not abrasive, does not destroy those good policemen (lactobacilli) or interferes with the pH vaginal. In this channel we always recommend the Zenzsual cleansing foam for its components that add to vaginal health.
   
   
2. Do not use daily protectors every day, leave them for those post-menstruation days or those moments that you think you really need them. And if you consider them necessary, change them frequently and don't sleep with them.
   
   
3. During the days of menstruation , change your sanitary towel (tampon or menstrual cup) with due frequency, do not let more than 3-4 hours go by without changing it.
   
   
4. Do not douche with any product (unless your gynecologist has prescribed it). The vagina (inside) regulates itself, it is "self-cleaning" so it is not necessary for women to intervene with artificial products in this hygiene process.
   
   
5. Do not apply home remedies to appease the natural odor of your vagina. (No baking soda, natural oils, yogurt, herbal seats, etc.) Any product that has not been produced with special attention to vaginal pH can eliminate the bacteria that protect it and expose you to infections later.
   
   
6. Use a condom during your sexual relations, especially if you do not have a recurring fixed partner.
   
   
7. If your partner is a man and is not circumcised, recommend that he clean that area of ​​the foreskin regularly to reduce the risk of infection in you.
   
   
8. Do not apply perfumes or artificial scents directly to your vulva. Beyond the fact that alcohol can irritate you, we return to the point of hiding any smell that can give you signs that something is wrong or that you have an infection.
   
   
9. Use the Zenzsual intimate gel daily. A product aimed at hydrating the female genital area due to its high content of hyaluronic acid and balancing the pH to alleviate the symptoms of dryness that can occur at various times in a woman's life, this in turn improves the health of the area. genital and decreases the chance of infections that are related to the pH imbalance that can occur after pregnancy, while taking contraceptives during menopause and on other occasions.
   
   
10. And if you have had recurring infections, you can find the balance of good bacteria by taking the Zenbiotic nutritional supplement daily , which has a formula designed to boost vaginal health as well as digestive and immune well-being of the whole body, since it contains 25 thousand Millions of CFUs of probiotics, which coexist in the human body favoring proper functioning and promoting natural environments that stimulate defense systems against germs that can cause disease. It is a product specially made with Bifidobacteria and precisely with the specific Lactobacilli of the vagina, (which we talk about in this article), to reduce the frequency of the most common female problems such as: vaginal pH imbalance and the presence of yeasts or fungi ( Candidiasis).
    
    
11. As for your diet, try to consume little sugar and plenty of vegetables. It also includes the intake of yogurt, kombucha, olives, tempeh, sauerkraut and other foods known to have live bacteria that contribute to improving general health and vaginal flora, which help prevent the recurrence of vaginal infections.

In your preventive work to preserve the millions of lactobacilli that live in your vagina, you just have to take care of your daily habits, eat healthy and use some products such as the #Zenzsual product line , dedicated to intimate health care and put aside the interventions and homemade recommendations that only destroy them and expose you to infections.

Through our social networks @TuSaludIntima we keep sharing content of interest, tips and advice on women's health. We invite you to join this network of women who are part of the #TeamZenzsual to replicate the information that you consider useful in your immediate environment.

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FOUNTAIN:

• Dr. Klara Senior @doctoraklarasenior - Founder of Zenzsual
• Dr. Sofía Herrera @tu_ginecologa - Founder of Zenzsual
• medlineplus
• BBC.com