When it comes to taking care of our bodies, our vaginal health hasn’t always been centre of attention. We might go to the doctor if we’re experiencing any worrying symptoms, but that’s about it. For the most part, we’ve let ‘down there’ kind of do its own thing.

But it seems as if things are changing. Spurred on by the hype surrounding the gut microbiome and how it affects our digestion, mental health and energy levels, there’s growing interest in how we can support all the different microbiomes that our bodies are home to – including the all-important vaginal microbiome.

As the first line of defence for our vaginal health, the vaginal microbiome is incredibly important. Ensuring yours is in tip-top shape can offer a range of benefits, whether that’s protecting you from infections such as bacterial vaginosis and thrush or potentially reducing your risk of developing certain cancers. There’s also some evidence that shows the vaginal microbiome could play a role in fertility – although more research is needed in this area.

A growing number of companies are now selling vaginal probiotics – supplements that promise to help balance the vaginal microbiome to ensure it is functioning correctly. But will taking these probiotics really make a difference to your vaginal health or are they just a bit unnecessary? And if they are worth it, what makes a good one?

Can vaginal probiotics really make a difference to your microbiome?