“We literally know less about every aspect of female biology compared to male biology”
-Dr. Jannie Austin Clayton, NIH associate director for research.
Over the last few decades, the healthcare sector has taken leaps & bounds in curing a number of communicable & non-communicable diseases. This great feat has been backed by numerous amounts of research & clinical studies.
However these excellent research initiatives lacked one of the most vital aspects- Gender Diversity. Right from the time, females have never been part of studies & clinical trials for drugs & medical devices.
This gender gap starts at an early stage of the scientific investigation process. Traditionally, many scientists & investigators have worked with male lab animals, assuming that hormonal variability & cycles would result in skewed & distorted study results.
In fact females have been underrepresented in clinical studies for long period of time.
This missed out the studying unique aspect of female biology.
Some of the facts which have been ignored for long
-Male & females have been built differently.
–Each has different hormonal patterns & different lifestyle choices that program their biology for health or disease differently.
These differences start at molecular level.
Every cell inside our body right from liver to heart to lungs has sex- being XX or XY impacts physiology of that tissue & impact how male & female processes nutrients, manifest diseases & respond to treatments.
This gap in gender health is so much that
-80% of female population feel not listened by healthcare practitioner
-Healthcare professionals & doctors have failed to recognise that both male & female travel to disease through different routes.For instance, to accurately & precisely treat disease such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease, doctors need to understand that these diseases look differently both in men & women which has been missing since the research, which is first basis of diagnosis & treatment, has been unisex approach.
-These practices misses our individualized & personalized care tailored to men or women since healthcare system is practicing unisex medicine approach.
-The fact is finding in male studies cannot be applied accurately for females.
– The biggest gap-doctors fails to appreciate female respond differently to drugs & treatment.
These are some reasons why the drugs prescribed by doctors are wrong half the time & these drugs & nutrition interventions given by healthcare practitioners are far from curing the chronic conditions.
You may have also gone through the phase where you have gone through various tests which show everything is normal but you are having numerous recurrent symptoms of diseases such as endometriosis, UTI, infertility, preterm births, recurrent infections & more.
Have you ever wondered why?
Doctors & healthcare professionals have missed out studying one of the most important aspect of female biology- VAGINAL MICROBIOME.
What is a vaginal microbiome?
Let me introduce you to billions of bugs- bacteria, viruses, yeast & fungi- your friends living inside your vagina & doing modern health miracles daily.
Vagina is the only structural connection between the outside world & women’s reproductive organs. It is complex ecosystem of various microorganisms living there right from bacteria, fungi, yeast, viruses & more that have biologically evolved to protect your reproductive system.
Vaginal microbiome is linked with 30 plus chronic health conditions right from recurrent infections, UTI, bacterial vaginosis, infertility issues, preterm births, PCOS, yeast infections & more .It can fight against cancer ,protect against pathogens & safeguard a pregnancy.
Microbiome research has been picking up & the first piece of organs where these bugs lived- Gut has been researched & studied extensively. It was found that most of the chronic health conditions are connected with the state of the microbiome. But the research on vital aspect of microbiome- those living in vagina has been overlooked.
Missing analyzing activities of these bugs is one the core reasons for the huge gender health gap.
How does the Vaginal Microbiome work?
The best of the lot among 10 billion microbes living there is Lactobacillus species- the queen of the vaginal kingdom. These species make sure that activities of pathogens & unfriendly microbes are kept at bay. Lactobacillus species work in following ways to regulate your biology.
-Creates lactic acid that keeps Vaginal pH level between 3.8 & 4.5
-Colonizing the vaginal wall & preventing pathogens from occupying the vaginal corner.
-Producing bacteriocins that further prevents growth of unfriendly microbes.
A lack of lactobacillus species makes room for pathogens & disruptive bacteria to colonize- when this happens, it is referred to as vaginal dysbiosis.
Unlike the mechanics of gut microbiome dysbiosis, vaginal dysbiosis is characterized by high diversity of microbes covering Gardnerella, E.coli, or Mycoplasma.
High diversity of these microbes leads to symptoms such as itching, burning, irritation, or pain & can even lead to development of infections such as UTI, Yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis.
Vaginal Infection & microbiome
Your Vaginal microbiome opens the door to just not protective microbes such as lactobacillus species. It is also home to a number of pathogens & disruptive microbes. When your vaginal microbiome becomes more diverse & is disrupted, it becomes a thriving ground for pathogens which can lead to various infections- the most common & prevalent one being bacterial vaginosis.
Other infections associated with Bacterial vaginosis includes yeast infection, Urinary Tract Infection, aerobic vaginitis, cytolytic vaginosis which are very confusing & similar with similar symptoms-abnormal discharge, itching & burning. The only difference is each of these conditions are caused by activities of unique & different sets of vaginal microbes. If you go to a doctor with any of these symptoms, they would misdiagnose it 90% of time since they miss out on understanding & even accepting the fact that it can be caused by microbes living in the vagina.
Impact of vaginal microbiome on holistic health
Recent research has found that the impact of taking care of the vaginal microbiome goes beyond Vagina & reproductive health. Beneficial microbes – lactobacillus species that influence various other health aspects. While on the other hand, disruptive microbes can create an environment for other bad bugs to enter your vagina which can trigger inflammation & interfere with your immune response
Vaginal dysbiosis is connected with a host of health conditions:
-Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
-Fertility issues
-Pre term births, miscarriages, neonatal problems
-Ovarian & Cervical Cancer
By understanding activities of your vaginal microbiome, you can manipulate their behavior to make sure that it is less diverse & densely populated by lactobacillus species
Not all microbiomes are the same. The vaginal microbiome is divided into 5 categories. Depending upon which category your vaginal microbiome falls into can have an impact on your health & determine your susceptibility of developing diseases. These categories referred to as community state types include
- Type 1: Lactobacillus crispatus
- Type 2: Lactobacillus gasseri
- Type 3: Lactobacillus iners
- Type 4: Diverse species covering Gardnerella, E.coli, or Mycoplasma.
- Type 5: Lactobacillus jensenii
We will discuss each of these types in our next blog.
Testing your Vaginal Microbiome
Our Asia’s first & only gut + vagina microbiome test- VAGECO studies functional activities of organisms living in your gut & down there to provide groundbreaking & unique insights & precision & preventative health interventions to regulate their activities & optimize your overall health.
These health interventions include
-Precision nutrition recommendations
-Unique supplement interventions covering vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, food extracts, amino acids & adaptogens.
-Personalized prebiotics, probiotics & synbotics recommendations
Unlike a one time genetic test which gives you the same information every time you test, your gut + vaginal microbiome testing will give a clear picture of ever evolving & changing microbiome ecosystem profile & how your interventions are bringing improvements in your health every time you retest. With Genefitletics, you have an option to test every 6 months, making it cost effective. By re-testing, you can make sure that your gut &vaginal microbiome activities are promoting your biology for health. Log on to https://genefitletics.com/vageco/ & learn what is happening inside the body at molecular level right now & which specific nutrition, supplement, prebiotic & probiotic interventions can regulate your biology & keep you away from chronic illnesses.
