How Long Does It Take For Probiotics To Work For pH?

You may not have paid much mind to your pH before, perhaps believing that due to the vagina being ‘self-cleaning,’ that general maintenance such as your pH is already taken care of. Now, whilst this is mostly true, you could also be affecting your pH negatively causing it to be unbalanced and therefore potentially trigger more intimate health concerns. Rebalancing your pH is not quite as simple as washing it to keep it clean as would you believe that overwashing and using highly fragranced products on your intimate area is one of the most common causes of an unbalanced pH! A popular method of maintaining and supporting intimate health (which includes supporting intimate flora and pH balance) is women's-formulated probiotics! Effective and can easily be added into your daily routine to keep your intimate health supported long-term. Now an unbalanced pH may not sound very harmful at first but for the sake of your intimate health; it should not be ignored or brushed aside. A healthy vagina is a happy one after all and that also goes for your pH and intimate flora. If you keep your intimate environment healthy, harmful bacteria are less likely to manifest themselves; leading to bacterial infections or even UTIs. The silver lining here is that keeping your pH balanced and healthy can be done with suitable probiotics within as little as 2-3 weeks! 

How long does it take for probiotics to rebalance pH?

Two - three weeks with a suitable probiotic! For intimate health and pH support, a women's-formulated probiotics supplement is highly advised; they are likely to contain the appropriate probiotic bacteria that are believed to work best (as well as quickly) for supporting intimate health. Here at Wellgard, we have our very own VITAFLORA probiotic supplement, a blend made especially for women to help keep their digestive system and gut bacteria healthy and support their intimate flora. Supporting the intimate flora as well as keeping the vagina safe from ‘harmful’ bacteria are ways that probiotics can help keep to rebalance your natural pH. Probiotic supplements are not considered invasive or believed to pose any common risks to our health therefore they can be taken as a long-term supplement (based on your doctor's or GPS recommendations and advice) to help ensure your vaginal flora is continuously supported. Probiotics can help in both rebalancing pH as well as preventing it from becoming disrupted (as easily) over time. One daily probiotic supplement will be able to help support your vaginal health to ensure that any bacterial disruptions are reduced and do not pose a risk to your overall intimate health. Your pH should begin to rebalance in just a few weeks. 

What probiotics are best for pH balance?

A women's-formulated probiotics supplement is considered the most suitable for balancing your body's natural pH as they are likely to be made up of a combination of suitable and hard-working probiotic bacteria. If you are looking for suitable probiotics (that might not be labelled as a women's-blend) then be sure to look out for a combination of the following Lactobacilli bacteria: 

• Lactobacillus Acidophilus - Help treat vaginal inflammation as well as balance bacteria.
• Lactobacillus Rhamnosus - Its main purpose is to promote a healthy vaginal pH.
• Lactobacillus Reuteri - Aids on overall vaginal health and keeps it ‘protected’

A long-life shelf-stable probiotic, as well as a refrigerated supplement, can both be effective at helping to keep your vaginal bacteria healthy; which in turn can help improve intimate flora as well as rebalance an acidic pH! A combination of the above Lactobacillus strains will all serve their function in rebalancing your pH from acidic to a healthier neutral. The only important aspect to remember, when it comes to any probiotic, is to ensure you store them correctly (in the fridge or cupboard- depending on the type of probiotic supplement you have) If they are stored incorrectly, then their bacteria can die out thus rendering the probiotic useless; probiotics bacteria needs to be live on order to serve any function like balancing pH! For more information on storing your probiotics, you can check out our blog post which goes through the difference between how to store refrigerated and non-refrigerated probiotics. To clarify, make sure you store your probiotics correctly if you want them to be effective in regards to rebalancing and supporting your pH; which is important in itself! 

Why is a balanced pH so important?

A balanced pH is crucial for your body's overall health, as even the slightest offset can trigger an influx of ‘harmful’ bacteria to overpopulate your body; this could be in the gut as well as inside the vagina. A slight off-balance should be easy to rectify with suitable probiotics and some minor lifestyle changes. Whereas an excess acidity (pH) could take longer to rebalance and become dangerous to the body if not treated properly. A high acidic pH level can weaken the body and leave it vulnerable to disease as well as bacterial infections. In this situation, the body can naturally aid in neutralising the acidity but this can leave us weak as it can drain our body's natural alkaline bank. That's just one reason why it’s so important for the body's natural pH to be balanced. An unbalanced pH can lead to:

• Weakening the body leaves it vulnerable to disease and infections
• The body's natural defence of draining alkaline from the body can cause inflammation
• An unbalance can throw off intimate bacteria leaving them prone to bacterial infections 
• Potentially increases your risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection

A healthy and balanced pH goes beyond your intimate area but this is likely where the disruption and imbalances begin; the trigger for a weakened body that has a higher risk of contracting various infections! Something as simple as a probiotic can help keep that vital balance and support your health in ways to help prevent an imbalance from becoming a persistent health issue.