Does the NuvaRing Contraceptive Harm the Vaginal Microbiome? Effective contraception is important, but so is a healthy vaginal microbiome. Ideally, our chosen contraceptive method ticks both boxes! This post reports some recent findings on the impact of the NuvaRing and the vaginal microbiome…with a postscript on vestibulodynia right at the end. What is the NuvaRing? [...]
Lichen Sclerosus and painful sex: how physio helps Lichen sclerosus can be a scary diagnosis. Sex has been painful for a while, but then you get this diagnosis and start Dr Googling. That then brings on a panic when you read all the stories of women who seem to still be struggling. What can you [...]
Normafibe No More - does this spell no more help for bowel troubles? Normafibe was a big help for some, but not any longer. Normafibe was a fibre supplement that had been around forever. (You could tell by the 70s-style label that had never been updated, but perhaps that’s a bit unkind. At least it [...]
Bladder urgency and imbalance of vaginal bacteria Could your bladder urgency be influenced by the balance of bacteria in the vagina? Bladder urgency can occur with or without leakage. If with leakage, it is known as urge incontinence. Urge incontinence may sound melodramatic, as though you are losing control of the entire contents of the [...]
Bladder urgency and imbalance of vaginal bacteria Could your bladder urgency be influenced by the balance of bacteria in the vagina? Bladder urgency can occur with or without leakage. If with leakage, it is known as urge incontinence. Urge incontinence may sound melodramatic, as though you are losing control of the entire contents of the [...]
Is pelvic floor weakness linked to the vaginal microbiome? I couldn’t help being magnetically pulled into the reported findings of this study: that postpartum vaginal microbiome imbalance was associated with weaker pelvic floor muscles. What?! A study that finds a connection between two of my apparently disparate clinical interests?! I just had to know more, [...]
Vaginal microbiome: does electrical stimulation help? A healthy vaginal microbiome is generally reflected by lots of Lactobacilli. Lactobacilli should hold the most real estate in the vaginal microbiome. Monopoly by Lactobacilli = healthy vagina! Well, buckle up, it's time for a dive into the research to find out if the vaginal microbiome can be improved [...]
The Urogenital Universe - Episode 1: Which vaginal estrogen product isn't as good for lactobacilli We all know how important estrogen is for vaginal and urogenital health. We have seen it help our patients with urge incontinence, stress incontinence due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency, painful intercourse and even prolapse. But what if an estrogen [...]
The Gut Digest - Episode 2: How to reduce constipation in your patients taking iron Do your patients stop taking their iron due to constipation? This can be a real frustration, and can even highjack their clinical outcome due to the importance of iron in physiological function. If they can’t take their iron, your [...]
The Gut Digest - Episode 1: Lactulose and Lactose Intolerance Gut problems…so common in our patients! Constipation, IBS, FODMAPs intolerance, lactose intolerance…and many of our patients have more than one of these problems! Lactose intolerance is relatively common in our patients that we are seeing for bowel problems. There is often concern about the [...]
