Describing the “Healthy” Vaginal Microbiome

Research implicating the presence of Lactobacillus as healthy stems from previous studies that have shown that those who haveLactobacillus dominated vaginal communities tend to have better health outcomes7,19. Recent research has challenged this view, though. While women with BV tend to have a higher vaginal pH, a recent review of the literature found that no specific taxa, including Lactobacillus, was associated with vaginal pH10. In fact, it was documented early on that some people withLactobacillus dominated vaginal communities have a high vaginal pH5. Despite this evidence, much of the research focus has been on describing the role of Lactobacillus at the expense of holistically understanding the vaginal microbiome. As such, much of the research discussed here will outline how Lactobacillus is associated with health outcomes.