How To Keep Your Ph Balance Balanced?

What Tin Throw off Your Vaginal pH Balance & How to Restore It

The vaginal pH is a measurement that indicates whether the vagina is acidic or basic. This can range from 0 to xiv, where if the pH is less than seven, the vagina is considered acidic, and if information technology is more than 7, it is basic.

So, what tin throw off your pH balance? How practise you lot use a vaginal pH residual test?

In this commodity, we'll talk about vaginal pH in more particular and what you can exercise to maintain a healthy balance. We'll also discuss when to contact your women's health clinic most your vaginal health.

What Is Considered A Healthy Vaginal pH?

The vagina is moderately acidic, every bit its pH level is between 3.8 and 4.5, only this depends on the individual'due south phase of life.

For instance, women who are anile between fifteen and 49 and are during their reproductive years usually have a vaginal pH of less than or equal to 4.5. The levels tend to be higher before menses or if the patient has gone through menopause.

That said, an acidic vagina creates a protective environment, equally information technology reduces the chance of a person having an infection.

Furthermore, if the pH level is to a higher place 4.5, unhealthy bacteria tin can grow in the vagina, and this increases the risk of the following infections:

Bacterial vaginosis (BV): This medical condition occurs when in that location is a bacterial overgrowth in your vagina. You may notice that your vaginal belch is grayness, white, or yellow, and y'all may also have itchiness and a burning sensation when urinating. BV can increment your risk of developing severe infections, such as HIV, human papilloma, and the herpes simplex virus.
Trichomoniasis (trich): This is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that doesn't usually cause symptoms. Notwithstanding, people who have this illness are at meaning risk of contracting HIV.

An acidic vaginal environs may not atomic number 82 to diseases, but you may accept difficulty getting pregnant if the acidity level is very high. This is because sperm needs an element of group i environment to thrive, and the pH levels have to be between 7.0 and 8.5.

In improver, when you have sex, your vagina's pH levels increment, creating an alkaline environment so that information technology helps the sperm to reach the egg.

What Can Throw Off Your pH Residuum?

There are many factors that can throw off or cause a pH imbalance in your vagina, such as:

Douching: Douching is when you clean your vagina with solutions that contain vinegar or baking soda. These can increase the pH level equally they remove the good for you bacteria from your vagina, increasing your risk of developing infections.
Unprotected sex activity: Seminal fluid is element of group i, and it tin temporarily increase the vaginal's pH levels.
Antibiotics: Y'all may take antibiotics to get rid of the harmful bacteria, but these medications can also kill good bacteria, including those in your vagina. As a outcome, this can cause a vaginal pH imbalance.
Periods: The blood's pH is college than that of the vaginal environment. And then, when you're menstruating, your period can increase pH levels.

Symptoms Of A Vaginal pH Imbalance

Some symptoms you may experience when you lot have an imbalance in your vaginal pH include:

Itching or discomfort around the vagina and vulva.
Burning during urination.
Discharge with a fishy-like smell.
Yellow or green discharge.
Thick or mesomorphic belch.

How To Balance Vaginal pH

The following are the options that you may notice useful to assist restore your vaginal pH balance:

Natural Remedies

If the pH levels in your vagina are regularly high, but y'all don't have any signs of an infection, there are several steps that you can have to aid reduce these levels.

Avoiding douching: Nosotros recommend that y'all avoid douching or using harsh soaps, as well-nigh soaps have a loftier pH and are considered basic, and they can increment the vaginal pH. You lot may consider cleaning the vulva with warm water and a gentle cleanser, but don't put any soap inside your vagina.
Taking probiotics: This helps restore the natural bacterial levels in the torso. You can find them in yogurt, miso, and kombucha, or you lot can likewise buy supplements.
Using contraception: Condoms protect against STDs, only they too prevent semen from affecting the vaginal pH levels.
Irresolute tampons regularly: It is best to avoid leaving a tampon in your vagina for too long, every bit the blood is slightly basic and can increase vaginal pH. Well-nigh companies recommend changing tampons every four to eight hours, which helps reduce the risk of toxic daze syndrome (TSS). TSS is a rare, life-threatening condition that can crusade a sudden high fever, depression claret pressure, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Furthermore, you may also consider fugitive doing the following so that you don't irritate the vagina:

Wearing tight underwear.
Holding in urine.
Using spermicidal foam.
Using products containing fragrance.

Vaginal pH Balance Exam

Here'due south how to balance vaginal pH using an calm test kit.

Some companies offer test kits that you can buy to measure your vaginal pH residual at home, and these are available online and in some pharmacies.

If you lot go for this selection, you have to place a strip of paper confronting your vaginal walls for a few seconds, and later on that, you can compare the resulting colour to the nautical chart that yous accept received with the exam kit. This helps you determine the pH value.

However, brand sure to read the manufacturer's instructions before performing the test. It should include recommendations on when you can test the pH levels, for instance, not testing when you're on your menstruum or after having sexual practice.

You can contact our gynecologists in Boca Raton if you wish to know more than about these domicile vaginal pH remainder tests.

Medications

Doctors can prescribe antibiotics if yous accept BV symptoms and a high vaginal pH. These tin can exist:

Clindamycin: This is bachelor as a suppository and cream that you insert within the vagina, and the physician may recommend using one suppository per day for three days in a row. Withal, yous may use the foam once also, but for three or seven days.
Metronidazole: This comes in pill form, and you tin can likewise notice it equally a topical gel that you insert into the vagina. Information technology may be best to avert drinking alcohol while getting treated with this drug, equally this reduces the risk of abdominal pain, nausea, and breadbasket upset.
Tinidazole: You can take this medication orally, and it can too crusade stomach upset and nausea. Avoiding alcohol tin can reduce your gamble of these side furnishings.

When To Meet Your Physician

Our team recommends visiting an OB-GYN regularly for your vaginal wellness checkups .

It also helps to volume a gynecological appointment if you lot have whatsoever signs of a vaginal pH imbalance, such every bit itching, unusual discharge, or burning sensation.

The doctor can perform tests to check your vaginal pH and decide whether you have an infection.

Volume Your Appointment With U.s.a.

When in that location is an imbalance in your vaginal pH, you may have itching, burning when urinating, and a chunky, yellow or dark-green belch.

There are many ways that can assistance restore pH residue – you can take prebiotics, apply gentle cleansers to clean the vulva, alter tampons regularly and consider using condoms during sex.

You're not alone in this. You can book an appointment with our team at Women's Healthcare of Boca Raton if you lot are concerned nearly your vaginal health or want to know more about how to balance vaginal pH.

You can call our clinic at (561) 273-7364 or (561) 465-8834 or request an appointment online.