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OK, we knew the human gut had one of these, but the vagina too? What’s actually going on in there?

Microbiomes are incredibly diverse ecosystems: we are more bacteria than we are human. Yep. Read that again — there are more bacteria in us than human cells. You, my friend, are a moving, breathing microcosm that is incredibly cooperative when you’re healthy.

Don’t panic. Katy Bradbury is back to explain what all this means and how we can use this knowledge to be healthier.

Things to know:

• A healthy gut is NOT free from bacteria. We need the friendly bacteria to survive. Yes, it’s a bit icky to think about, but it’s important. 
• “Bad” bacteria is opportunistic, like weeds in a garden, says Katy. You need to keep your “good bacteria” healthy and plentiful so the bad can’t get a foothold.
• We want a diversity of good bacteria in both the gut and the vagina, but these are not the same critters. Lactobacilli are best for the vagina, so knowing how to protect lactobacilli by keeping the vaginal environment at the right pH is a good thing.
• This is important for fertility but also for avoiding infections like yeast infections and UTIs, so care is a life-long need.
• Douching and using other “cleaning products” is NOT vaginal care unless you have a specific medical reason. These products disrupt the natural vaginal pH and aren’t necessary for this self-cleaning organ.

There’s so much good information in this episode, so please give it a listen and share with others. While it may be difficult to overcome the traditional shame around our bodies, this shame is, frankly, not helpful. Sharing information and talking openly are the best way to erase the shame and be healthier.

Ready to learn more? Listen up!

More about Katy Bradbury: Katy is founding member of the Fertility Nutrition Centre, a clinical advisor at Fab Fertile, a content provider for women’s health platform Xena, and a clinical supervisor for nutritional therapy students at the University of West London. You can find her at Katy Bradbury.com. Be sure to check out the robust back catalog of episodes from her podcast Fertility and the First 1000 Days: katybradbury.com/podcast

To hear more from Anne and Ruby, find all their episodes at thewholepineapple.com.