Probiotics ?

I was wondering if anyone here has had noticeable vaginal relief from taking oral probiotics. I've been on probiotics for over a year, and they work wonders for my stomach, and for all I know they do keep some vaginal symptoms at bay, but my gyno swears up and down that oral probiotics don't work for vaginal issues. She says probiotics only work where they are applied, which I suppose makes sense but everything I've read says otherwise. Any thoughts/experiences?

Controversial debate they say can help with yeast but for v I doubt it. My doc says the same but its helped me stomach immensely

Thanks, Alana3. Since the gut is such an integral system in the body taking probiotics probably improves overall health and balance, so I definitely have no plans of stopping them!

I missed this thread or I would have answered immediately. In my early 20s I got thrush over and over again, at the time you couldn't buy anything over the counter so I was at the GPs for pessaries and cream (no oral treatment back then either) every other week for months and months, I got advised to do all the same things they advise for V like no soap, no fabric conditioner on underwear, pads not tampons etc etc and then on one visit my GP told me about another lady with the same problem who had started taking acidophilus and it had resolved it so he wrote it down and I trotted off to Boots who were the only ones who sold it back then and paid a hugely inflated price for these tablets I had to keep in the fridge and it stopped the recurrent thrush after one month. I still take it every day now and if I miss a few days I get thrush without fail so it's definitely worked on yeast for me! Hasn't stopped me getting V however.....

Sarah001, thank you for your response. So probiotics really stopped your reoccurring thrush? Can I ask what probiotic you are taking? I've been taking the same probiotic for over a year and it says its good for vaginal health but I'm wondering if I should take something specifically for vaginal health. Also, do you eat sugar, or have you cut it out?
Sorry for all the questions!

-- Cupcake

It's a very rare happening for me to get thrush since I started on it all those years ago. I take Acidophilus just the strongest one I can find at the time, I usually end up buying online from Amazon or Holland & Barrett so nothing fancy! I still eat sugar yes, I haven't got much of a sweet tooth but it's in so many things you don't really need to have I suppose. I did try the anti yeast diet way back then and it didn't make any difference. Are you having issues with recurring thrush?

Sarah001,

I never had a yeast infection before I was given an arsenal of antibiotics that I didn't need, which led to a pretty bad yeast infection. It took a week of daily Diflucan pills to get rid of, which is about when my v symptoms began, which led to more Diflucan, which made the v symptoms even worse. I'm not really sure where I stand with yeast at this point. I think overuse of Diflucan is the root of my vaginal issues.  I've taken probably a month's worth of Diflucan since June, most of it which I probably didn't need. All I know is its made everything worse, so I'm trying very hard to make sure I keep yeast away any way possible. I'm very interested in the diet connection. I have a healthy diet but do have a bit of a sweet tooth lol.

I did notice that when I was prescribed antibiotics for tonsillitis that I took an acidophilus tablet each day until the course was finished and that I did not have any problems with yeast or other irritation during that time, which is kind of notable as I am very prone to infection/irritation. No way to tell whether that was coincidence or not....

Hi cupcake - i've been using Biokult Candea probiotics. One of the bacteria in it (lactobacillus rhamnosus) has been shown to be effective in some studies for vaginal health.

Femdophilus (i think thats the name) is a US brand that has this strain of bacteria in it plus one other one thats good for the vagina. I think someone on here found this probiotic was the answer to their vulvodynia. I would use that one but i'm in the uk and can't get hold of it so Biokult Candea is my alternative.

I've had no thrush since using it - tho didn't have major problems beforehand - I just don't want any more vaginal issues!

Thanks Dandelion18! It's good to know probiotics helped you during a course of antibiotics. I know no woman on this site is excited about taking antibiotics !

Hi Loulou! Thanks for your input. It's encouraging to hear that probiotics have been a solution for some women, and a huge help for many others. Femdophilus was a product that I looked into when my problems started, but there was a reason I couldn't take it. It's either got milk products or soy in it, I can't remember (I'm intolerant of everything). I have been taking a raw probiotic for a while and didn't realize that the serving size is 3
pills per day, and I'd only been taking 2  so I'm hoping slowly increasing the dosage will help. I did try a probiotic specialized for women called Ultimate Flora vaginal health, and I feel that it relieved some vaginal symptoms, but it was WAY too potent. One dosage a day is too much for my weak tummy lol. Thankfully the one I'm taking now has the lactobacillus strain you mentioned!

Also, does anyone think that it's possible to take too many probiotics???

In my research about V I've stumbled upon women's stories about having an overgrowth of lactobacillus.  One woman blamed this on too many probiotics.  This condition is called Cytolitic Vaginosis.  There's not a whole lot of info out there about it and I'm not sure physicians recognize it much. V symptoms are caused by increased discharge that is without odor. This discharge is what causes the V symptoms of red irritated itchy skin. The lactobacillus is acidic.   Symptoms are typically decreased during menstruation because the menstrual blood alkalizes the vagina. They recommend no tampons to allow blood flow to contact vulvar tissue.  Treatment is baking soda bath and douches to increase alkalization.  I haven't tried this personally because my symptoms vary with my period and my discharge varies as well.  i just wanted to share what I've read. Maybe it'll help someone.....

An update on me and probiotics... I was getting massive yeast infections and no one could figure it out. I went on vacation couodnt bring pros and my yeast infection was spontaneously cured for absolutely no reason. When I got home I took them again and bam! Got a yeast infection. So it didn't work for me...

Leslieg,

There was a period of time I was worried I had cytolytic vaginosis. I take relatively high potency probiotics to keep my stomach balanced. That, plus the fact that I've taken an arsenal of medicine I didn't need, I am still worried things are out of balance. However, my symptoms became 10 times worse the last time I had a period. Granted, that could be because I don't have regular periods... Who knows. I feel like my symptoms are either hormonal or bacterial in nature. But thank you for bringing the topic up because it's definitely something to think about!

Alana,

have you stopped taking the probiotics? I am surprised that they could be the source of your chronic yeast infections! If they are then that's an easy fix, at least! Perhaps taking them is throwing off your balance? I

'm still confused as to whether probiotics actually affect the vagina, considering my last doctor swore up and down they didn't... I guess everyone is different

Yup I haven't taken one in a month and my first month without problems!

Alana that makes me wonder if I should stop probiotics for a bit and see how I feel...

Cant hurt but I can't guarantee thats your problem are you on bcps?