An imbalance in the body’s pH levels is a big contributor to women’s health issues such as bacterial vaginosis. When your pH becomes unbalanced, specifically too acidic it creates an ideal environment for harmful bacteria and fungus to thrive in. Subsequently it also creates an environment that your normal flora (good bacteria) cannot survive in, so really you are opening the door to infection simply from creating an acidic environment in your body. There are multiple factors that can contribute to this imbalance, the most common of which are diet, medications and hygiene practices.

Eating foods that are high in acid properties can certainly cause your pH levels to drop, don’t worry about one meal but if you are constantly eating something in your diet that is acidic such as coffee or acidic fruits, this could be your culprit to vaginal itching and other feminine hygiene infections. Foods that are very helpful in restoring your body’s pH levels are broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, spinach, celery, lima beans and rhubarb. These are all medium alkaline foods and can be beneficial in pulling you out of an acidic funk. Think salad foods, when trying to remember what foods are alkaline.

Medications are another very common source of pH imbalance. Specifically antibiotics which not only eliminate the harmful bacteria in your body, but also kill off any normal flora (good bacteria) leaving you exposed to infection in the lady parts if not properly maintained This is kind of a tricky one because antibiotics are designed to keep you healthy yet this is one of the more popular causes of feminine health issues. What happens is women will be taking the antibiotics for something other than a feminine hygiene issue such as a nasty cold or sinus infection and suddenly will develop symptoms such as vaginal itching. If you’re taking such medications be sure to be extra thorough in proper feminine hygiene practices.

This leads us to the third most popular cause, hygiene practices or maintenance. Improper cleaning of this area can absolutely lead to infection and something as simple as not wiping from front to back is a huge risk to contracting a condition you don’t want. The vagina is self cleaning for the most part, just be sure to cleanse after intense perspiration activities and never douche as this removes all the normal flora that is there to protect the vagina from conditions discussed here. Look to these sources first if you are experiencing reoccurring vaginal itching and related symptoms.