How do I keep the microflora in my secret garden balanced?

Here's how Prof. Graziottin answers this question from her patients:

First, be consistent in having healthy lifestyles: the vaginal “microflora”, the vaginal microbiome, is very connected to the gut microbiota. They have a close dialogue, so to speak. So, very key, the quality of our nutrition, with low sugar, low saturated fats, ideally please no junk food, more vegetables, grains, fish and olive oil, limited or no alcohol, I strongly recommend you that. This helps to have a healthy gut microbiota and microbiome and a healthier vaginal microbiota and microbiome.

Second, try to reduce life stressors. Why is that? Because in our gut microbiome, we have a huge parabolic antenna, so to speak, kind of “satellite dish” that captures all the stressing factors and the cortisol our adrenal glands produce in response to stress, either physical or emotional. What's the point? The healthier the gut, the healthier the vaginal microbiome. The healthier the gut, the healthier the vaginal microbiome. So, simple lifestyle choices, for example, protecting the quality and duration of your sleep, your biorhythm, I strongly recommend to every patient, and I practice myself, brisk walking half an hour in the morning to go to work, to accompany your children to school. Why is that? Because you resynchronize your biorhythms and this will translate in a better gut microbiome and better vaginal microbiome. And also, by walking for half an hour, you steam off your stress and recharge clean energy for your life, your family, your health.

Three, pursue simple intimate hygiene habits:

• First of all, ideally, we women should wash our perineum soon after bowel voiding with a caring attitude to move the hands from front to back
• Second, try to use a soap-free cleanser, gentle, which protects the vulva microbiome and it will indirectly protect the vaginal microflora. And another important thing, with this gentle cleansing, we will eliminate from the vulva and the perineum the contaminant germs coming from the feces, of course, if they are in limited quantity.

Four, and very important to me as a doctor who cares about women's health: use consistently in every intercourse condom, unless you are in a stable, trustworthy relationship or you are looking for a baby. Why is that? This is absolutely the most effective measure to protect you, your microbiome, your intimate health from sexually transmitted infections and protect « your secret garden”, so to speak.

And fifth, respect your vulvar hair, maintain the hair on the vulva. You can clean all the rest but maintain that on the vulva. Why is that? Because the healthier the vulvar and vaginal microflora, thanks to the protecting hair, the more pleasant the scent and the taste of your intimate secretion. In particular, the « scent of women”, this fascinating, charming, capturing, seducing scent, is due to the activation of the precursor of pheromones by the microbiome in the vulva that is protected by the hair. So, if you want to maintain not only the health of your secret garden, but the perfume of your secret garden, protect your hair because these pheromones are the most attractive signal in sexual intimacy for you and your partner.

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