Vitamins and Supplements for Vaginal Health

Vitamins and nutrients play an important role in our overall health during perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. But can taking certain vitamins and supplements help support vaginal health?

We'll share how your hormones affect your vaginal health - specifically vaginal pH. By understanding the the hormonal changes in your body, including which vitamins might help with hormonal changes, you can better support your vaginal health for the years to come.

Vaginal pH and Vaginal Health

The vagina has an ideal vaginal pH that’s needed to prevent infection and maintain a healthy vagina free of itching, burning, unusual vaginal odor, or unusual vaginal discharge.

A healthy and balanced vaginal pH is low and acidic. The ideal vaginal pH ranges between 3.8 and 4.5. This acidity provides important protection from discomfort and infection.

As estrogen levels decrease through perimenopause and menopause, the vaginal pH can rise to the range of 6.0 to 7.5.⁽¹⁾ Research shows that women in menopause are less likely to have a healthy vaginal pH than pre-menopausal women.^(2,3,4)

Other things besides hormones can disrupt your vaginal pH, such as washing inside the vagina, having unprotected sex, and taking antibiotics.⁽⁵⁾

Vitamins for Vaginal Health

If you’re experiencing recurrent vaginal infections or discomfort, certain vitamins might help. However, research on the benefits of vitamins for vaginal health is limited.

It's important to note you should never rely on vitamins, supplements, or probiotics to prevent vaginal infections. These products won’t treat an active infection - you’ll probably need antibiotics for that. And you should always check with your doctor before taking anything for your vaginal health.

Vitamin C

Research suggests vitamin C suppositories inserted into the vagina can help to improve vaginal pH by increasing the acidity of the vagina.⁽⁶⁾

A 2006 study found that vitamin C suppositories inserted into the vagina significantly lowered vaginal pH.⁽⁷⁾ And 2013 study found that vitamin C reduced bacterial vaginosis recurrence by half.⁽⁸⁾ This is an emerging area of research, and you should talk to your doctor before inserting vitamin C into your vagina.

Probiotics

A healthy vagina and urinary tract are dominated by the bacteria called Lactobacillus that promote your vaginal health in two important ways:

Lactobacilli don't just exist in your vagina. Lactobacilli can also be found in probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, and in oral or vaginal probiotic products.

The idea behind probiotic products is to add more lactobacilli back into the vagina. This sounds like a great idea and it might work for some people. However, there isn’t a lot of research to support using probiotic supplements.

There's some research to suggest that consuming probiotic-rich foods might increase lactobacilli in the vagina. One study found an association between eating yogurt and having increased amounts of lactobacillus in the vagina.⁽⁹⁾ But this is only an association and not a direct link. More research is needed to understand the impact of probiotic foods on the vaginal environment.

Cranberry

Research suggests that cranberry can protect your vaginal health by preventing harmful bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract,⁽¹⁰⁾ reducing the movement of bacteria,⁽¹¹⁾ and stopping biofilm formation of bacteria like E. Coli.⁽¹²⁾

The use of cranberry has been associated with a decrease in UTIs, but the research is not totally conclusive.⁽¹³⁾ A 2008 review showed that cranberry products reduced UTIs in women who are prone to UTI infections.⁽¹⁴⁾ However, a 2012 review showed no reduction in UTIs in the same population of women.⁽¹⁵⁾

Although the data is mixed, the American Urological Association 2022 guidelines support physicians offering cranberry to prevent UTIs.

D-mannose

D-mannose naturally occurs in our bodies and in certain fruits, but you can also take it as a supplement. In small or unreliable studies, D-mannose powder or capsules have shown some promise as a way of preventing UTIs.^(16,17) However, a high-quality study in 2024 showed that D-mannose did not prevent UTIs in women who are prone to UTIs.⁽¹⁸⁾

It’s important to note that the data on D-mannose is mixed. So if you try D-mannose and find it is beneficial for you, then keep at it!

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens, or foods that mimic estrogen, have been studied for their potential to improve vaginal health in menopause,⁽¹⁹⁾ but there aren’t any high-quality studies or conclusive findings.

Garlic

One small study shows that garlic supplements may help treat the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis. But you should not rely on garlic to treat bacterial vaginosis. According to the CDC, the first-line treatment for bacterial vaginosis is antibiotics.

Vaginal Estrogen

If vitamins are not providing the relief you need, consider low-dose vaginal estrogen to restore vaginal pH to healthy levels. Low-dose vaginal estrogen is shown to increase the amount of good bacteria in the vagina.^(20,21) And if you’re experiencing vaginal dryness, frequent UTIs, or urgency to pee, vaginal estrogen can help with that as well.

In short, vaginal estrogen is the hero of vaginal health for women in perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. This treatment has been around for decades. And with FDA-approved formulations like estradiol vaginal cream, you can be sure that you’re using a product that’s rigorously tested for safety and efficacy.

Conclusion and Next Steps

When it comes to supporting vaginal health, particularly vaginal pH, the impact of vitamins is minimal. It's important to consider that shifts in vaginal pH can be driven by hormonal changes, which vitamins alone cannot address. By understanding these hormonal changes and knowing which vitamins might support your vaginal health, you can better navigate your vaginal health through the years.