How Long Does It Take Probiotics To Work For Vaginal Health?

It is highly advised, vital even, that women take care of their intimate health and well-being as it can lead to several health issues and concerns if vaginal health is not supported correctly! We recently posted a blog titled Do Probiotics Make You Taste Better that explored several ways that can help women support their feminine hygiene and personal health. One of the biggest takeaways from that blog post is the importance of being gentle when it comes to your vagina as it doesn't require too much effort to be healthy. It also highlighted the importance of daily hygiene and probiotics to support vaginal health and intimate flora. 

Probiotics especially can help to reduce the amount of ‘bad’ bacteria that can grow in your vagina by keeping the pH balanced and ‘good’ bacteria thriving; to neutralise ‘unfriendly’ bacteria. It is crucial to keep your pH as balanced as possible as an imbalance or shift can increase your risk of infections such as bacterial vaginosis; which is what we aim to cover in today's post! Firstly, we will go over how long probiotics can take to balance your pH as well as their effectiveness towards clearing up bacterial infections…

How long does it take for probiotics to work for pH balance?

Whilst the effects of probiotics can be linked to balancing pH unfortunately they will not work overnight! That is because probiotics need time to be able to do what they intend; they increase ‘good’ bacteria count, decrease ‘bad’ bacteria count and can even reduce inflammation. These three functions can take some time to become a regular process within the body. Therefore you can expect to wait approximately 2-3 weeks before you begin to feel a significant change when you start taking your probiotics supplements. Your probiotics will help to restore the natural balance of bacteria throughout the body almost instantly, but it just takes time for the benefits to be noticeable as there can be factors that contribute to the process taking longer. Not all can be avoided! 

For instance, food being processed through the digestive system can cause an obstruction to probiotics and the time it takes for them to reach the areas inside the body they are needed like the vagina or gut. That is why it’s advised to leave a considerable amount of time between eating and taking probiotics so that their journey through the body is not obstructed and can work more quickly. 

What is the fastest way to regulate pH balance?

Probiotics are not the only suitable solution that can help regulate pH balance as there are many other methods of doing so that could also be slightly faster. You can rely on probiotics to support your pH long-term, making them one of the more popular solutions and relatively quick with only a 2-3 week time frame. This does make probiotics one of the quickest ways to regulate pH balance, although there are also natural ways that can work quickly just not always as fast or easily noticeable. 

• Eat Lactobacillus-rich and high-fibre foods to increase ‘good’ bacteria in the microbiome.
• Garlic supplements, packed with antioxidants and Allicin - a bacteria-fighting compound.
• Exercising & meditation can help relieve stress as a spike in cortisol can affect hormones (pH).
• Daily hygiene but not excessive as it can clean itself, so just rinse with water for pH balance.
• Wear breathable underwear to avoid moisture build-up but support vaginal pH balance.

These methods might not sound like they can work to regulate pH balance very fast but they can all be added into your daily routine right away, therefore, allowing pH balance to occur faster. Probiotic supplements and your diet are two highly advised methods that can be fast and effective for balancing pH as well as limiting risks of bacterial infections. 

Will BV go away with probiotics?

If probiotics can help regulate more ‘good’ bacteria whilst at the same time reducing ‘bad’ bacteria inside the body, then you can be sure that probiotics will be able to help support the vagina against bacterial infections like bacterial vaginosis or a yeast infection. The right probiotic supplement will help ensure that the vaginal bacteria is neutralised and work to help soothe any BV side effects, like itchiness or discharge, when taken alongside a suitable antibiotic. Not only can probiotics help clear up vaginal infections, but they can also continue to support the intimate flora and bacteria after an infection has cleared up to ensure that another infection does not come back right afterwards. Suitable antibiotics are still the advised method of treating BV or similar bacterial infections, with probiotics being a suitable support for them as well as a long-term aid. 

How long does it take probiotics to work for BV?

You can typically expect probiotics to take up to 2-3 weeks to assist as well as aid in clearing up a vaginal infection like bacterial vaginosis. Although, it may take longer depending on how severe your infection is. If your symptoms are prominent and have been affecting you for a while then that might mean the infection could take longer to clear up. Although, you may experience little to no side effects from symptoms which could allow for BV to clear up with antibiotics and probiotics quicker; especially if caught early on!