Women are fond of inserting materials such as shampoos, detergents, scented perfumes, soaps, disinfectants,s and what have you in their vagina with the view to sanitizing the area. This is ironically the foundation for female vulvovaginal pathologies seen these days.
The fact of the matter is that the Vagina is sterile(clean by nature) and requires no disinfection. This is called the normal vaginal flora or microbiota.
Vaginal flora, vaginal microbiota, or vaginal microbiome are the microorganisms that colonize the vagina. They were discovered by the German gynecologist Albert Döderlein in 1892 and are part of the overall human flora. The amount and type of bacteria present have significant implications for a woman’s overall health.
The primary colonizing bacteria of a healthy individual are of the genus Lactobacillus (90–95%), the most common being L. crispatus, L. iners, L. jensenii, and L. gasseri.Since the first description of lactobacilli by Döderlein, lactobacilli have been generally considered the gatekeepers of the vaginal ecosystem.
Lactobacilli have been shown to inhibit in vitro growth of pathogenic microorganisms, e.g. Bacteroides fragilis, Escherichia coli, Gardnerella vaginalis, Mobiluncus spp., Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, P. bivia and Staphylococcus aureus.
The use of foreign materials and disinfectants disrupt the normal microbiome of the vagina by killing this protective organism. The flora, therefore, gives rise to the growth of an organism that causes disease of the vagina.
The activities of the lactobacillus lowers the PH of the vagina 4.5-5.5 which are acidic. As such no pathogenic organism can thrive in these environments.
Disease seen in women such as vaginitis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, bacterial vaginitis, etc where there is secretions of abnormal vaginal fluids that ranges from being non offensive to fowl smell are the result of killing these protective lactobacillus.
Women should therefore take note and avoid such practices.
By Samuel Odoom (Medical Herbalist Intern)
