7 Best Supplements for Vaginal Health
Medically reviewed by our experts
12 min read
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Caring for vaginal health and taking the best supplements for vaginal health are essential for every woman. As women age, hormonal changes, especially lower estrogen levels, lead to transformations in the reproductive system.
While uterine changes are noticeable, vaginal symptoms like dryness, burning, and irritation often go ignored, particularly during peri-menopause and post-menopause. These issues can affect quality of life and well-being, making proper care crucial.
Essential vitamins and supplements help support the vaginal microbiome and maintain a healthy pH balance, reducing infection risk. Choosing the right supplements can promote comfort, confidence, and overall wellness.
Understanding Vaginal Health
The vagina is a muscular canal connecting the vulva to the cervix, lined with a mucus membrane that keeps it moist, elastic, and healthy. Its function is influenced by estrogen, which helps maintain hydration and flexibility. Estrogen levels peak during reproductive years but decline with age, especially during menopause, leading to vaginal dryness, thinning, and reduced elasticity.
The vagina also hosts a balanced microbiome, primarily consisting of Lactobacilli, which help maintain a slightly acidic pH to prevent infections. When this balance is disrupted, it can lead to issues like unusual discharge, itching, burning, or a foul odor. Thick, cottage cheese-like discharge, soreness, or intense discomfort may indicate a fungal or bacterial infection requiring attention.
As menopause approaches, vaginal walls become thinner and drier, increasing the risk of vaginal atrophy, which can cause discomfort during sex, urinary tract infections, and even post-intercourse bleeding. If these symptoms appear, it’s important to seek medical advice to rule out serious conditions, including vaginal cancer.
To maintain vaginal health, women should prioritize regular check-ups, a healthy sex life, and supplements that support the vaginal microbiome and hydration. Staying proactive is essential—if something feels off, don’t ignore it. Listen to your body and take action early, as prevention is always
Key Factors Affecting Vaginal Health
Sexual Activity and External Irritants
Many factors can affect this muscular tunnel. Reducing adverse effects is possible by using proper supplements. When a woman takes part in unprotected sex, she risks contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Furthermore, any instance of sexual intercourse with excessive force can cause vaginal injury that affects vaginal health.
Condoms during sex or female intimate hygiene products are usually good for vaginal health. However, these can irritate the vagina of a few individuals. When such irritation occurs, it is not advisable to use douches or sprays, as they can aggravate the problem further. The use of vaginal supplements can help in reducing the issue.
Medical Conditions and Life Changes
Some conditions, like endometriosis, pelvic surgery, and some cancer treatments, can make sex painful. Vaginal yeast infections can also happen when using certain antibiotics.
When a woman experiences pregnancy followed by childbirth, she has to deal with many issues affecting her vagina. During pregnancy, she will experience increased vaginal discharge. Tears in the vagina are common during childbirth unless it is a c-section delivery. While not very common, sometimes an incision is needed to cut open the vagina during vaginal delivery. It is also common to lose vaginal muscle mass after delivering a child.
Hormonal Changes and Mental Health
The fluctuation or reduction in hormone levels is also a significant cause that affects the vagina. During menopause or while breastfeeding, there is a reduction in estrogen production. Reduced estrogen typically thins the vaginal lining, causing painful sex. Using the best supplements for vaginal health, a woman can significantly reduce the effect of hormonal imbalance.
Anxiety and depression can cause less arousal during sex. These are causes of painful sex. Any trauma, like abuse, can also result in a similar scenario due to psychological effects.
Best Supplements for Vaginal Health
A healthy vagina is a gateway to a healthy and happy life. By contrast, an unhealthy vagina can hamper your mood, sex life, relationship with your partner, and more. Hence, treat your vagina like a temple to maintain its hygiene and microbiome:
1) Probiotics
When the health of the vaginal flora suffers, the chances of vaginal conditions like yeast infections, urinary tract infections (UTI), bacterial vaginosis (BV), and more start to creep into the system, making it hard for a woman to perform daily activities smoothly. According to a few scientific studies, evidence shows that women who took probiotic suppositories for vaginal health supplements had a healthy microbiome and were less prone to develop vaginal imbalances.
Probiotics have notable effects on inhibiting the growth of BV-causing bacteria. Some food items that can help you get this naturally from food are:
- Yogurt
- Sauerkraut
- Kefir
- Tempeh
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
- Pickles
2) Cranberry Extract
The essential acidic compounds in cranberry extract help maintain the pH levels of the vagina. Cranberry extract supplements, juice, pills, and other variants are gaining popularity among women as a treatment option for UTIs, yeast infections, and more. The highly acidic nature of the cranberry inhibits the growth of infection-causing bacteria and protects the vaginal microbiota.
Cranberry extract is one of the top products used in several vagina supplements. You can also choose to ingest fresh cranberry juice (having no preservatives, artificial coloring or flavoring agents, or sugar). If you are doubtful regarding the freshness of the cranberry juice available in departmental stores, it is best to opt for cranberry pills to boost your vaginal health. However, no matter what you buy, always read the label before purchasing.
3) Boric Acid
The acidic formulation of boric acid acts as a fighting agent against harmful bacterial growth to protect your vaginal flora and maintain its pH level. Boric acid suppositories are a surefire treatment for yeast infection and provides respite from painful symptoms like itching and burning sensations down there.
Did you know boric acid has antifungal and antimicrobial properties? A 2011 case study suggested this substance exhibited positive outcomes in curing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis with no side effects. Therefore, it has become one of the safest, most cost-effective, and conveniently available supplements for vaginal health for women suffering from recurrent and chronic vaginitis.
4) L-Arginine
Vaginal infections during the peri-menopausal and post-menopausal phases almost always affect a woman’s sexual desire negatively. A pretty sensitive matter, don’t you think? But why should you let age or infections hamper your personal life? Let us tell you: this supplement, just like the other master supplements for women’s health, is the precursor to the synthesis of nitric oxide.
When this nitric oxide gets into the bloodstream, it helps the genital muscles to relax and betters the blood circulation to heighten the libido. In fact, L-arginine is arguably one of the top elements able to treat wounds. It can also treat other conditions like high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction (in men), support the healthy secretion of growth hormones, bolster the health of tendons and bones, etc.
5) Folic Acid
Folic acid is a natural healer for women frustrated with recurring bacterial vaginosis. If nothing seems to work for you, folic acid might save you. Folic acid promotes the growth of healthy new cells in our body. This B vitamin will fortify your immune system to combat the harmful bacteria that cause BV. Reports also claim that supplementing your diet with folic acid prevents BV from recurring.
6) Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Menopause is challenging for a woman, primarily because her body experiences many changes. Vaginal dryness is a known problem among women in their peri and post-menopausal stages that only worsens the experience of sexual intercourse. However, you can count on an omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplement or include fatty fish in your diet. Recent studies have revealed that fish oil increases vaginal lubrication during the menopausal phases.
Did you know that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA-one among many omega-3 fatty acids) can reduce the frequency of hot flashes that menopausal women experience? It also boosts the estrogen level, which directly and positively impacts the sex drive and lowers vaginal dryness. So, choose only the best supplements for vaginal health enriched with omega-3 fatty acids to also improve your heart health.
7) Vitamins (C, D, A, E)
The uncomfortable experiences associated with menopause can vary from woman to woman. Some women complain of vaginal atrophy leading to vaginal dryness, itching, burning, too much discharge, urge to urinate frequently, vulnerability to UTIs, irritation during intercourse, and more. If you’ve encountered any of the previously mentioned symptoms, do not think twice before trying out vitamin E.
Vitamin C promotes the health of the vaginal microbiome by letting the Lactobacillus grow. A study recently conducted to check the efficacy of vitamin C among patients with recurring BV showed that vitamin C is a successful treatment option that lowers the risk of getting BV again.
If vaginal dryness bothers you, the sunshine vitamin (vitamin D) could be your sunshine. It is a go-to option for women who have entered the menopausal phase and are facing problems related to vaginal wall thinning, itching, etc. Oral vitamin D supplements and suppositories work well in preserving the moisture in the vagina and its flexibility.
Vitamin A is one of the vital players that helps maintain vaginal consistency (moisture) and boosts collagen production to reinforce vaginal walls for ultimate vaginal rejuvenation.
Vaginal Health Supplements for Women Experiencing Menopause
Transitioning through menopause is a challenging phase in the life of a woman. She faces many transformations, both physically and emotionally. The physical change includes the changes to her vagina.
The drop in estrogen level during menopause triggers many shifts to the vagina and vulva, which causes vaginal dryness and more frequent urinary tract bacterial invasions. Discomfort during sex, burning sensation during urination, and changes in the outward appearance of the vulva are all associated with the changes triggered by menopause.
These changes are together called the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).
MenoHarmony, by PureHealth Research, can be the best supplement for women’s health during menopause. Many experts have endorsed and praised this revolutionary power-packed formulation, including award-winning Dr. Holly Lucille, ND.
The primary reason for the vagina’s affectation post-menopause is the reduction in the estrogen level. MenoHarmony, with its unique ingredients, addresses this problem making it one of the best vaginal supplements.
Ingredients like hops have shown excellent efficacy in reducing vaginal dryness. It contains xanthohumol (XN), isoxanthohumol (IX), and a powerful phytoestrogen, 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN). Another ingredient, Angelica gigas, has unique bioactive compounds that act like estrogen reproductive and ovarian hormones. These compounds help to normalize estrogen and progesterone levels. Once the estrogen level normalizes, the vaginal issues reduce significantly.
A third ingredient that is worth mentioning is Cynanchum wilfordii. Compounds in this ingredient activate the estrogen receptor beta and signaling pathways. Cynanchum wilfordii also protects the vaginal tissue, resulting in less discomfort during sex. Red clover present in the product also reduces vaginal dryness and shrinkage. These ingredients make MenoHarmony an excellent natural supplement for vaginal health.
Final Thoughts
Silently suffering is not an option today when alternative medicine has traversed a long way in helping women. Research suggests that the best supplements for vaginal health are a great way to find comfort while safeguarding the sanctity of a happy relationship.
The best part is the botanicals effectively support your body’s natural systems without harsh side effects that can hamper your health in the long run. So, age is like fine wine because you do not get to live twice. Why let age get the better of you? Choose effective supplements for vaginal health like MenoHarmony and live a fulfilling life ever after!
Reduced estrogen levels during menopause can cause dryness, irritation, and discomfort during sex due to thinner and less elastic vaginal walls. Supporting vaginal health with supplements can help alleviate these symptoms and improve well-being.
Key supplements for vaginal health include probiotics, cranberry extract, boric acid, L-arginine, folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins (C, D, A, E). These supplements help maintain a healthy microbiome, support pH balance, and reduce symptoms like dryness and irritation.
Maintaining a balanced vaginal microbiome and pH level prevents infections and ensures overall vaginal health. Proper care and supplements support this balance, reducing symptoms like unusual discharge, odor, and irritation.
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