Your Vaginal Biome and How to Keep It Healthy

The female vaginal biome is an ecosystem of good bacteria and bad bacteria. When those bacteria are out of balance, problems such as vaginal infections occur. On the show today. we welcome Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, an Associate Professor of Cancer Prevention and Control at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Among many other topics, Melissa explains what the female vaginal biome is, how it changes as we age, and why it’s important to our health. We also talk about what we can do to keep our biome in balance. The Herbst-Kralovetz lab, which she founded, focuses on understanding the microbiome and host-microbe interactions in the female reproductive tract related to gynecologic and oncologic health outcomes. For more information about this episode and the Beyond The Paper Gown podcast series, please visit Beyond The Paper Gown. Links Mentioned: NAU Native American Cancer Preventions Study