How To Fix Ph Balance While Pregnant

The physical process of pregnancy is obvious. Your enlarged breasts and blooming belly are sometimes accompanied by nausea and morning sickness. The one thing we tend to overlook is our vaginal health. Pregnancy disrupts the normal goings on in every part of your body so how to fix my ph balance while pregnant may become a question you didn’t see coming.

Practice good hygiene by wiping front to back.
Ensure you eat a well-balanced diet to include some healthy bacteria.

Vaginal Ph levels are not something many women consider. Maintaining a balanced Ph will help keep infections at bay but how can I balance my ph during pregnancy? It is more of a prevention matter rather than treatment. You need to acknowledge that your lady parts are just as sensitive and responsible for your pregnancy health as any other organ.

Vaginal Health During Pregnancy

Over the forty weeks of pregnancy your body is pulled and pushed in many directions. Hormones flood your system meaning changes in your body are apparent. Your immunity to germs is at an all time low whilst your body is putting all its efforts into creating the life inside you.

Keeping a cold or virus at bay seems like common sense as good hand hygiene and avoiding sick individuals helps but what about your vagina? How can you keep her healthy? She is an important part of your pregnancy and the gatekeeper to your baby’s exit path.

Upsetting the Ph levels in your vagina is naturally the typical response from your extra hormones but how to fix my ph balance while pregnant is what we aim to uncover and help you help your vag throughout your pregnancy.

A Normal Vaginal Ph – What Should It Be?

The Ph scale is a chemical score of how acidic or alkaline something is, (if you didn’t listen in chemistry class now’s the time to kick yourself) the thought of your vagina being acidic may make you want to squeeze your legs and wince but naturally, you expect your vag to have a Ph of 3.8 to 4.5. On a scale of 1 to 14, 1 being highly acidic, 7 being basic (neutral) and 14 being extremely alkaline, you can see that it boasts the middle ground.

An acidic or basic vagina can determine how healthy your lady part is. You naturally need a slightly acidic environment to help create a barrier over germs that can creep up and in. The acid can kill any unwanted germs that can cause infections. If your Ph levels become higher then you are at risk of developing Bacterial Vaginosis.

Unhealthy bacteria that enters your vagina thrives in an alkaline environment so it’s important to fix your Ph levels if the scale is tipped in any way.

Why Am I Off Balance?

You’re not welcoming your Ph levels to be off so there has to be a reason why the scales tip.

Not to pin all the body change blame on hormones but they are the main culprit for a change in your vaginal health. We know that pregnancy can increase the amount of discharge you have as well so it’s important to keep an eye on any irritating symptoms or foul smells.

The other reason can point in your direction. With your discharge being more prominent it’s natural to feel less clean downstairs than normal. With the concern of becoming a bit smelly, you may feel it necessary to wash more often.

Don’t do this! Washing can worsen the Ph levels and you may end up stripping your vagina of the natural goodness it still has. If you are concerned about the amount of discharge you are losing then opt to wear a pad or panty liner this is a perfect way of keeping you feel fresh without the need for overly frequent washing.

Medications can also affect your Ph levels. Antibiotics, in particular, can alter your vaginal health whilst they work to kill off the bad bacteria in your body they can also rid your body of the good acidic producing bacteria too.

Symptoms of an Imbalanced Ph

During my pregnancy, I can’t say if I even noticed a change in my Ph levels and you may be the same so let’s dig into the symptoms to look out for.

Foul smell from your discharge.
Discolored discharge – pregnancy discharge will be odorless and typically white in color.
Irritating itching.
Pain or burning during urination.

If you have any of these symptoms be sure to contact your doctor as the chances are an infection may already be lurking. Leaving an infection untreated can cause further complications for you and your pregnancy.

Common infections that can be seen in pregnancy are Yeast Infections, Bacterial Vaginosis, and also Trichomoniasis.

All three of these infections are responsible for the symptoms already mentioned but can be treated easily with your doctor confirming what you’re fighting and then prescribing the best antibiotics.

How To Fix Your Ph Balance While Pregnant

How to fix pH balance during pregnancy cannot be remedied at home. If you know your ph levels are off then it’s likely that you already have one or more of the above symptoms.

Your doctor will be able to take a swab from your vagina to examine exactly what infection is disturbing your vagina and prescribe the best pregnancy safe medication.

Meanwhile, we know that there are ways to maintain and promote a healthy vag. Below we have gathered some useful techniques to prevent a BV infection, after all adding to your list of symptoms is not what you ordered in this pregnancy.

Maintaining Healthy Ph In Pregnancy

From research, we know that pregnancy leaves you vulnerable to certain infections.

These being:

Bacterial Vaginosis

This is an overgrowth of bad bacteria. It is always best to catch this infection early as there are links to BV and premature labor. You may find that you have no symptoms in which case your doctor will decide the best action to take.

If you have symptoms then topical ointments and medication can soon get you feeling the relief you crave.

Trichomoniasis

You can only develop Trich if you know someone you have had intercourse with is infected. Just like BV, if left untreated it increases the risk of rupturing your membranes which in turn increases the risks of preterm labor.

Getting treated as soon as you are made aware you could be at risk is important. Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics but you may need more than one screening to ensure the infection has been eradicated.

So, how can I balance my ph during pregnancy to help prevent these infections from occurring?

Safe sex

Trichomoniasis is typically transferred from an infected partner. So if you are having intercourse with various people during your pregnancy always practice safe sex.

Using a condom or femidom is the best way to ensure that you don’t contract the infection and it can also act as a barrier as semen is known to disrupt your natural balance.

Probiotics

Products that contain natural healthy bacteria can help boost your vaginal health. You can find many foods with added probiotics already in like yogurt drinks, olives, cheese, and cabbage. Just be sure that any foods or supplements taken are done so after advice from your doctor.

Keeping up with appointments

Ensure that you have a regular presence in your antenatal appointments. It is a staple for your OBGYN to test your urine for any bacteria, even if you feel well you will still need to provide a sample.

Missing appointments happen but be sure to rebook you never know something could be lurking without giving you symptoms.

Don’t be a douchebag!

Douching as we have identified can also strip your vagina of its good bacteria. Douching adds to the risk of infection even if you feel fresher for a little while.

The looser the better

Think of your clothing, tight fitting fancy pants or underwear can increase moisture in between your legs and there’s no better for bacteria to breed than in dark warm moist places.

I’m not saying commando is best (whatever floats your boat) but wearing loose cotton underwear will help regulate your temperature that allows your vagina to breathe.

Seek Support

If you notice any change be it in your vagina or otherwise your doctor will be available to provide you with the answers you need.

If any symptoms present themselves such as itching or foul discharge ensure you get examined. Don’t put it down to another pregnancy symptom. Get checked over, get answers, and get relief.

Wrapping Up

How to fix Ph balance while pregnant doesn’t have to rule your life. Sometimes you can do everything possible but still, end up with an infection. The main thing to take away is that prevention is always better than treatment.

Practice good hygiene by wiping front to back and ensuring you eat a well-balanced diet to include some healthy bacteria.

Overall there’s nothing else you can do to promote your vagina to withhold a healthy Ph. Your hormones are hard at work meaning the building blocks of your little person are underway.

Help yourself by understanding what is normal for you and your vagina.