Happy Thursday friends,
This is your biweekly 3 Generations Wellness newsletter where our belief is we deserve to know ALL the options when it comes to our cycles, fertility, and reproductive health. My essays and informational content explore the rich tapestry of women's reproductive health, herbalism, and lineage. All information shared is for informational purposes only. Nothing is meant as medical advice.
Today I’m sharing my conversation about the vaginal microbiome with Dr. Taylor Soderborg. Taylor is a research scientist, physician and comedian –(yes, for real, all three!), who specializes in microbiome health, and previously worked at the microbiome testing company, Tiny Health. She also happens to be one of my best friends. I was so excited to talk to Taylor for 3GW because investigating my vaginal microbiome has been an unexpected and important part of my own fertility journey.
. In our conversation we discuss:
Factors affecting the vaginal microbiome
Why vaginal microbiome health matters
Vaginal microbiome testing
Tips to support vaginal microbiome health
Taylor’s theory about why there are more dick than vagina jokes.
Here are several highlights
Similar to the gut microbiome, the vaginal microbiome is a unique community of billions and has important implications for our reproductive health and fertility.
Despite its importance for general health and wellbeing, and particular significance for fertility, vaginal microbiome testing is still viewed as ‘extra’ or ‘novel’ in most healthcare practices. Ordering it is not part of the protocol in most practices, yet.
Since here we’re focused on reproductive health sovereignty, one thing I love about vaginal microbiome testing is that options are direct to consumers. This is something you can choose to do for yourself, with or without a medical provider. Though as we discuss, having someone to help you dig deeper into the findings, and implement the recommendations is nice too.
Why vaginal microbiome health matters and why to consider testing
A healthy vaginal microbiome is protective. It decreases the risk of bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections, and STIs. For those looking to conceive, an out of whack vaginal microbiome will be less hospitable to sperm– Lactobacillus, the primary ‘good’ bacteria we want to see lowers the pH, while an overgrowth of harmful bacteria creates a more acidic environment in which sperm will have more trouble. Poor vaginal microbiome health has also been linked to higher risk of miscarriage and pre-term births and means baby will not get the benefit of starting life with healthy microbiome exposure and inheritance. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Vaginal microbiome health is key and frequently overlooked by conventional medicine.
Is it worth it?
I want to touch on cost because we have a healthcare system that is highly capitalistic and inequitable. I am self-employed and have health insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace. Here’s a comparison of some things I’ve spent money on when investigating my fertility:
Lab tests: ~$523+ and counting (insurance has paid a minimal amount for basic blood panels, but typically not covered any common hormone tests. This is ridiculous, as hormone levels are key for women’s health, not just fertility, but that’s another story!)
Sonohysterosalpingogram: $630.53 (insurance did not cover, but I received a $55.47 ‘discount’ for in-network rates).
Tiny Health Vaginal health test: $150 (did not bother with insurance, not something they cover).
Not to mention, IUI and IVF are many thousands of dollars if you go that route, AND outcomes are better when underlying issues, including the vaginal microbiome, are addressed.
The lab tests all came back fine–don’t get me wrong. It’s valuable to know and I’m glad I did them. The so-hy also came back all clear, though the providers still tried to convince me to do another, even more invasive additional x-ray-based test. The vaginal microbiome test showed an imbalance with my vaginal microbiome, and provided clear recommendations for specific probiotics, suppositories, and foods to prioritize in my diet. Thus, in my case the vaginal microbiome test has been the most actionable. It’s also really easy–a simple swab, no needles, no catheters, no provider visit.
Top tips to care for your microbiome
Whether or not you decide to do testing, you can easily take care of your vaginal microbiome. Here are tips Tay and I discuss:
Use natural, organic products free from synthetic ingredients and fragrance–e.g. Personal care, menstrual products, underwear, soaps, etc.
Consider your diet–same as the gut, what we eat affects our vaginal microbiome too. ‘Eat the rainbow’ of veggies (not cereal), sugar consumption can worsen candida/ yeast overgrowth.
Consider a vaginal microbiome specific probiotic. I’ve been adding some I like to Fullscript.
Clarifications from the conversation with Taylor
–The vaginal microbiome was apparently discovered in 1892 by Albert Döderlein. As seems to be tradition, he went ahead and named the bacteria he discovered after himself– Doderlein. Later, the bacteria was renamed Lactobacillus.
–I mistakenly said it was a quick process. It does take 3-4 weeks because of the in-depth sequencing work that Taylor explained.
Your permission slip to do NOTHING
If this is increasing your overwhelm: OMG…you’re telling me I have one MORE part of my body demanding investigation and care!?!? As Tay herself reminded me, ‘babies come out of ALL types of vaginal microbiomes.’ For those not trying to conceive, the vaginal microbiome still matters, as discussed, but typically people don’t test unless there’s an indication of an issue (icky smell, irregular discharge, frequent infections, painful sex, etc). So take a deep breath. You’ve been managing with your vaginal microbiome up til this point.
If it feels empowering or interesting to learn more or test, now you have the basic info to use when the time is right. 🙂
Connect with Taylor
–@DoctorTayComedy on Instagram
She is offering $50 private sessions. Tell her you learned about her via 3GW for the discount!
Test your microbiome
–Tiny Health is where Taylor used to work and what I use. If you’re reading this within 3 days of publication, they are having a mother’s day sale and tests are $50 off. Otherwise, you can try REF-LILYSU4078 for $40 off anytime.
Spread the health agency
I hope you learned something new today! If you’re enjoying reading 3GW, please consider leaving a comment or sharing with a friend. We are ~ 225 readers strong, nearly double what I started with in January. It’s been fun to see this grow and build community. Thanks for being here.
References
Ventolini G. Progresses in vaginal microflora physiology and implications for bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis. Womens Health (Lond). 2016 Jun;12(3):283-91. doi: 10.2217/whe.16.5. Epub 2016 May 24. PMID: 27215488; PMCID: PMC5384519.
Chen X, Lu Y, Chen T, Li R. The Female Vaginal Microbiome in Health and Bacterial Vaginosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021 Apr 7;11:631972. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.631972. PMID: 33898328; PMCID: PMC8058480.
France, M., Alizadeh, M., Brown, S. et al. Towards a deeper understanding of the vaginal microbiota. Nat Microbiol 7, 367–378 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01083-2
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