Subscribe and save up to 40% OFF
Subscribe and save up to 40% OFF

The best foods for vaginal health (and what to avoid)

The best foods for vaginal health (and what to avoid)

Miller, C., Morikawa, K., Benny, P., Riel, J., Fialkowski, M. K., Qin, Y., Khadka, V., & Lee, M. J. (2024). Effects of Dietary Quality on Vaginal Microbiome Composition Throughout Pregnancy in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort. Nutrients, 16(19), 3405. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16193405.

Lebeer, S., Ahannach, S., Gehrmann, T., Wittouck, S., Eilers, T., Oerlemans, E., Condori, S., Dillen, J., Spacova, I., Donck, L., Masquillier, C., Allonsius, C., Bron, P., Van Beeck, W., De Backer, C., Donders, G., & Verhoeven, V. (2023). A citizen-science-enabled catalogue of the vaginal microbiome and associated factors. Nature Microbiology, 8, 2183 – 2195. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01500-0.

Amabebe, E., & Anumba, D. (2020). Female Gut and Genital Tract Microbiota-Induced Crosstalk and Differential Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Immune Sequelae. Frontiers in Immunology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.02184.

Shivakoti, R., Tuddenham, S., Caulfield, L., Murphy, C., Robinson, C., Ravel, J., Ghanem, K., & Brotman, R. (2020). Dietary macronutrient intake and molecular-bacterial vaginosis: Role of fiber.. Clinical nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2020.01.011.

Martinez, R., Franceschini, S., Patta, M., Quintana, S., Gomes, B., De Martinis, E., & Reid, G. (2009). Improved cure of bacterial vaginosis with single dose of tinidazole (2 g), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1, and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.. Canadian journal of microbiology, 55 2, 133-8 . https://doi.org/10.1139/w08-102.

Leeuwendaal, N. K., Stanton, C., O’Toole, P. W., & Beresford, T. P. (2022). Fermented Foods, Health and the Gut Microbiome. Nutrients, 14(7), 1527. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14071527.

Corbett, G., Moore, R., Feehily, C., Killeen, S., O’Brien, E., Van Sinderen, D., Matthews, E., O’Flaherty, R., Rudd, P., Saldova, R., Walsh, C., Lawton, E., MacIntyre, D., Corcoran, S., Cotter, P., & McAuliffe, F. (2024). Dietary amino acids, macronutrients, vaginal birth, and breastfeeding are associated with the vaginal microbiome in early pregnancy. Microbiology Spectrum, 12. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01130-24.

Rosen, E., Martin, C., Siega-Riz, A., Dole, N., Basta, P., Serrano, M., Fettweis, J., Wu, M., Sun, S., Thorp, J., Buck, G., Fodor, A., & Engel, S. (2021). Is prenatal diet associated with the composition of the vaginal microbiome?. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppe.12830.

Miller, E., Beasley, D., Dunn, R., & Archie, E. (2016). Lactobacilli Dominance and Vaginal pH: Why Is the Human Vaginal Microbiome Unique?. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01936.

Dall’Asta, M., Laghi, L., Morselli, S., Re, M., Zagonari, S., Patuelli, G., Foschi, C., Pedna, M., Sambri, V., Marangoni, A., & Danesi, F. (2021). Pre-Pregnancy Diet and Vaginal Environment in Caucasian Pregnant Women: An Exploratory Study. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2021.702370.

Song, S., Acharya, K., Zhu, J., Deveney, C., Walther-Antonio, M., Tetel, M., & Chia, N. (2020). Daily Vaginal Microbiota Fluctuations Associated with Natural Hormonal Cycle, Contraceptives, Diet, and Exercise. mSphere, 5. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00593-20.

Lehtoranta, L., Ala-Jaakkola, R., Laitila, A., & Maukonen, J. (2022). Healthy Vaginal Microbiota and Influence of Probiotics Across the Female Life Span. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.819958.

Rob Hobson
Rob Hobson Writer and expert

Rob Hobson is an award-winning, registered nutritionist, Sunday Times best-selling author, and a regular contributor on This Morning. With nearly 20 years’ experience and three degrees in nutrition—including public health and sports nutrition—Rob is passionate about the vital role nutrition plays in overall health, particularly gut health. As Bio-Kult’s brand ambassador, Rob brings his expert insight and enthusiasm to help demystify the gut and its connection to wellbeing.

Related Posts