What Is Vaginal pH & Why Does It Matter For Your Health?

Why is maintaining vaginal pH important for your health?

Vaginal pH (the pH level of your vagina), whether it’s acidic or basic, plays an important part in determining whether it’s healthy.

Keeping vaginal pH is a delicate balancing act

During the reproductive years, the vagina’s pH is between 3.5 and 4.5. After menopause, the pH of the vagina track rises to about 4.5 and even as high as six. This can create an environment that increases the risk for bacterial vaginosis.

The optimal labial pH range is 4.5 to 5.5, which is higher than the optimal vaginal pH. The reason is that our labial skin, like the rest of the skin on our body, has a protective acid mantle that provides a barrier against the wrong bacteria and subsequent infection.

Studies have shown that a pH of the skin, including labial skin that is under 5, keeps the existing good bacteria flora attached to the skin. Once the pH of your skin rises, these good bacteria detach.

So basically you want to have your pH lower so your good bacteria can thrive and keep out the bad bacteria. Now just to recap, keeping your vaginal pH levels in balance can help to reduce vaginal infections as well.