Meet Your Vaginal Microbiome (and How Condoms Help Protect It)

You’ve heard about the gut microbiome, but did you know your vagina has one too?
This delicate ecosystem is one of your body’s quiet protectors, influencing comfort, fertility, and infection resistance. Understanding it is the first step to caring for it, inside and out.

What Is the Vaginal Microbiome?

Your vaginal microbiome is made up of billions of bacteria that live naturally inside the vagina.
When in balance, it’s dominated by Lactobacillus species — friendly bacteria that produce lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and bacteriocins (natural antimicrobial substances). These keep your vaginal environment slightly acidic (a pH of about 3.5–4.5), creating conditions that discourage harmful microbes and support overall comfort.¹⁻⁵

Why this balance matters

• Defense against infection: Lactobacilli form a protective barrier on the vaginal wall, preventing harmful bacteria (like Gardnerella vaginalis) and yeast (Candida albicans) from overgrowing.
• Odour control: A healthy microbiome naturally neutralises odour without the need for perfumed washes or sprays.
• Fertility and pregnancy: The vaginal microbiome supports sperm survival and early embryo implantation, and emerging research suggests that imbalances may increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm birth.²⁻⁴
• Comfort and pH stability: When the environment becomes less acidic (for example, after sex without a condom or following antibiotics), opportunistic bacteria can multiply, causing itching, discharge, or irritation.

Essentially, your vaginal microbiome is an intelligent, self-regulating system that thrives when left undisturbed and when protected from external stressors.

How Condoms (Especially MyBliss) Support Vaginal Health

Condoms are more than just contraception. They’re one of the simplest, most effective tools for supporting a healthy vaginal ecosystem.

• They reduce exposure to semen and new bacteria.
  Semen has a higher pH (around 7.2–8), which can temporarily shift the vaginal environment. Condoms help prevent this change, allowing your Lactobacillus species to stay in control.³⁻⁴
• They support healthy bacterial communities.
  Studies show that consistent condom use is linked to lower rates of bacterial vaginosis and higher levels of Lactobacillus crispatus, one of the most protective species.³⁻⁴
• They maintain comfort and prevent microtrauma.
  MyBliss condoms are ultra thin, pH neutral, and lubricated with high quality silicone oil for smooth comfort. Less friction means fewer tiny abrasions, and therefore fewer chances for harmful microbes to invade.
• They reduce STI risk.
  Condoms remain the only contraceptive method that also helps prevent sexually transmitted infections like HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhoea, all of which can significantly disrupt the vaginal microbiome.⁶

By reducing exposure to semen, bacteria, and friction, MyBliss condoms support the environment your body naturally prefers — calm, balanced, and Lactobacillus rich.

My Ova: Supporting Your Body From Within

While MyBliss works externally to protect your vaginal health, My Ova supports your body internally — addressing the hormonal and metabolic rhythms that influence your microbiome.

Hormones like oestrogen and progesterone affect the vaginal environment. For instance, oestrogen encourages the growth of Lactobacillus by increasing glycogen in the vaginal lining, which acts as their “food.” When hormones fluctuate, such as around your period, postpartum, or with conditions like PCOS, the microbiome can shift too.

That’s where My Ova comes in. Their science-backed supplements help support hormonal balance and metabolic health, creating better conditions for microbial stability.

• Myoplus — 4000 mg myo-inositol, folate, chromium, and vitamin B6 to regulate hormones and support ovarian function.
• Preconception — myo-inositol and B6 to prepare the body for pregnancy and support reproductive balance.
• Metabolism — myo-inositol with chromium and key nutrients that support normal blood sugar levels and energy balance.
• Hair, Skin & Nails — vitamins and minerals that nourish your body from the inside out.

Together, MyBliss and My Ova form a complete circle of care: protecting your vaginal environment while supporting the internal rhythms that sustain it.

Everyday Microbiome-Friendly Habits

• Avoid douching or perfumed washes.
• Choose breathable underwear and change out of damp clothes promptly.
• Get regular STI screenings if you have new or multiple partners.
• Discuss probiotics with your healthcare provider — certain strains like Lactobacillus crispatus show promise for vaginal health.⁷

There's also still time to join our vaginal microbiome study. 

Sign up to be part of our research study to clinically test MyBliss condoms and help raise the standard of care in sexual health. By taking part, you’ll be contributing to important women’s health research and helping to shape the future of products designed to support the vaginal microbiome. As a thank you, participants will receive a free box of MyBliss condoms. SIGN UP HERE. 

The Takeaway

Your vaginal microbiome is an intelligent, responsive ecosystem that flourishes with gentle care and mindful protection.
By using MyBliss condoms to support balance and My Ova supplements to nurture hormonal harmony, you’re caring for your health from both sides — inside and out.

Because real sexual wellness isn’t just about protection.
It’s about connection, confidence, and feeling completely at home in your body.

Bibliography

1. Ravel J. et al. (2011). Vaginal microbiome of reproductive-age women. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 108(Suppl 1), 4680–4687.
2. O’Hanlon D. E. et al. (2011). The role of lactic acid in the control of vaginal microbiota and prevention of infection. Microbial Cell, 8(8), 100–112.
3. Klebanoff M. A. et al. (2010). Condom use and the risk of bacterial vaginosis: A prospective study. Sex Transm Dis, 37(1), 36–42.
4. Ness R. B. et al. (2004). Condom use and the risk of recurrent bacterial vaginosis. Sex Transm Dis, 31(1), 43–46.
5. Aldunate M. et al. (2015). Antimicrobial properties of lactic acid in the female reproductive tract: implications for protection against sexually transmitted infections. Front Physiol, 6, 164.
6. Wiesenfeld H. C. & Hillier S. L. (2019). The vaginal microbiome and sexually transmitted infections. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol, 31(1), 77–82.
7. Cohen C. R. et al. (2020). Randomized trial of Lactin-V to prevent recurrence of bacterial vaginosis. N Engl J Med, 382(20), 1906–1915.
8. Unfer V. et al. (2020). Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol: supporting evidence for the management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Gynecol Endocrinol, 36(7), 572–578.
9. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). (2010). Scientific opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to vitamin B6 and regulation of hormonal activity. EFSA Journal, 8(10), 1757.
10. National Health Service (NHS). Bacterial vaginosis overview. Updated 2023.