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.