Uncovering the Magical Microbial World of the Vagina

Vaginal itching? Funky odor? Abnormal discharge? All of these changes are influenced by the vaginal microbiome, the community of bacteria that’s meant to protect you from infection. Here’s your crash course.

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At this very moment, there are trillions of microbes in and on your body. These bacteria, fungi, and viruses and more are a part of our bodies from the moment we’re born, and we need them.

The bacteria in our gut help us digest our food. The bacteria in our mouth and nose can help us fight off infections. Almost every part of your body has its own unique microbiome, or community of microorganisms, and that includes...the vagina.

#womenshealth #vaginalmicrobiome #vaginalhealth #wellness #seeker

Read More:

Decoding the Vaginal Microbiome
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/decoding-the-vaginal-microbiome/
Progress in this area may soon speed up, however, because on Wednesday, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced a new tool that maps the vaginal microbiome with unprecedented resolution.

Should you clean your vagina?
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-clean-your-vagina#what-to-avoid
The vagina is a self-cleaning organ that does not require special cleaning products. It does not even need any cleaning products at all.

What’s the Deal with Using Boric Acid to Treat Yeast Infections?
https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3d5ab/boric-acid-for-yeast-infection
So, why not just use boric acid all the time? Well, it's important to note that boric acid doesn't just kill yeast—it can disrupt the entire vaginal microbiome.
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Editor's Note: At Seeker, we recognized that people of many genders and identities have vaginas and uteruses, and are affected by the topics that fall into women’s health. For this episode, we interviewed experts who generally referred to people with vaginas and uteruses as women.

Series Description:
Body Language is Seeker’s latest series diving into the world of women’s health, and their bodies. For so long, the medical field only used men to conduct research, creating a gap in terms of what we know about women’s bodies. So in this series, we'll be talking to experts to get a better understanding of some of these issues, and what we actually know about them. So join us as we discover how incredibly cool the female body is and how much more we still have to learn about it.