Susannah Taylor: I’ve had a gynae wake-up call 

If there was a wellbeing buzz word of the past ten years, it would have to be ‘microbiome’, which has been the subject of ongoing and extensive clinical research in every area of wellness. In my mind’s eye I see our microbiome as a vast army of tiny happy organisms that work together to protect our whole body: preventing illness, feasting on food to release energy in our gut and guarding our skin.

Yet how much do we know about the microbiome of our lady bits? Recently I attended a fascinating online presentation from medical gynaecologist Christilla Nevi hosted by Gallinée (gallinee.com) – a French skincare brand created to maintain your skin’s microbiome. Christilla explained how our vaginal microbiome can be weakened and upset by many factors including stress, feminine hygiene products such as sprays and wipes, smoking or antibiotics. As a result, many women suffer in needless silence from recurrent problems caused by an imbalance in vaginal flora such as thrush or bacterial vaginosis, a common condition caused by the overgrowth of harmful bacteria.

So what can we do to keep our microbiota as happy as possible? If you suffer from recurrent problems Christilla advises using probiotics, which can restore the natural balance, but you need to choose one specifically created for this area of our body. Try Optibac Live Cultures for Women (£18.99, optibacprobiotics.com/uk), which has been proven to reach the vaginal flora.

What else? During your period it’s important to change your protection regularly – every four to six hours – because, Christilla says, bacteria feed off blood. In fact, she says, ‘They love blood.’ If you use a menstrual cup, wash it with soap when you change it, too.

As for pads, don’t just pick the same old brand for convenience as some are coated in plastic. Always opt for cotton, which is not only better for the environment, but allows skin to breathe. I’ve switched to using sanitary products that are transparent about their ingredients, such as Yoni (which is available in Sainsbury’s), a brand that uses 100 per cent organic cotton in its tampons and pads.

Our bodies’ ecosystems change a lot over our lives. They are vastly influenced by our hormones, such as when we hit adolescence (which is why we don’t have thrush before then), during pregnancy and the menopause when the pH changes and the lactobacillus (the good bacteria in the microbiome) can disappear.

This is often when ‘you need to use a hormone cream, vaginal pessary or probiotics,’ says Christilla.

Finally, Christilla spoke about cleanliness. Our vaginas don’t require jet-washing, scrubbing, or dousing with fresheners like a car valet. And we absolutely should not wash inside ourselves (or steam clean in there like Gwyneth Paltrow) as the microbiome here is delicately balanced. Overly fragranced shower gels can also upset things down below – a perfume-free cleansing bar will help your microbiota to thrive.

@susannahtaylor_

Fizz up your greens

After going through cancer treatment, Dawn Russell created 8Greens to boost essential vitamins in our busy lives. In a similar ‘plink, fizz’ formula to Berocca, each tablet includes a dose of spinach, kale, aloe vera, wheatgrass, blue green algae, barley grass, chlorella and spirulina. From £14, uk.8greens.com. 

 

 

Upgrade your playlist  

Here’s one for your Christmas list: the Powerbeats High-Performance Wireless Earphones (£129.95, beatsbydre.com/uk). With super-snug ear hooks that won’t budge during a burpee, they also provide 15 hours of listening time per charge, and have a Fast Fuel Function giving an hour’s play from just five minutes of juice. You can even share your soundtrack with a training buddy and take a work call on the treadmill thanks to an external noise-cancelling mic