High
Over 95% lactobacilli
A health-promoting vaginal environment.
Understanding your vaginal microbiome
Your vaginal microbiome is a living community of bacteria and yeasts that changes through every stage of life. In balance, it quietly protects your intimate and urinary health. Understanding it is where Microbiome-led Care™ begins.
When in balance
A healthy vaginal microbiome works differently from the gut. Rather than thriving on diversity, it is dominated by a few Lactobacillus species, and that dominance is what protects it.¹
These lactobacilli make lactic acid, which keeps the vagina at an acidic pH of 3.7 to 4.5.² They release natural antimicrobial compounds called bacteriocins, and they cling to the vaginal wall, helping to keep potentially problematic bacteria at bay. Together, they help keep the vaginal tissue healthy and its protective mucosal layer intact.
Measuring balance
The Vaginal Microbiome Test measures how much of your vaginal microbiome is made up of lactobacilli, alongside 50+ species of bacteria and yeasts.
Medium
50 to 80% lactobacilli
Room for opportunistic microbes to start growing.
Low
Under 50% lactobacilli
Opportunistic microbes have taken up the space, and the microbiome is out of balance.
When the balance tips
Dysbiosis means lactobacilli have lost their usual dominance, and a more diverse mix of opportunistic bacteria and yeasts has taken hold. Everyday factors can tip the balance, including shifts in vaginal pH, microbes passed between partners, and medicines such as antibiotics and hormonal contraception.
It is especially common when oestrogen falls: after giving birth, through the menopause and during some cancer treatments. Lower oestrogen raises vaginal pH and reduces lactobacilli, making it easier for opportunistic microbes to settle.¹
Three patterns of imbalance
When lactobacilli lose their hold, what takes their place matters. Three patterns are especially common.¹ ³
- Lactobacilli
- Yeast
- Anaerobic bacteria
- Aerobic bacteria
- Healthy vaginal lining
- Inflamed lining
- Damaged lining
- Thin mucus layer
Vaginal thrush
High levels of yeast
A pro-inflammatory microbiome with a high load of opportunistic yeast is associated with vaginal thrush (vulvovaginal candidiasis).
Bacterial vaginosis
High levels of anaerobes
An imbalanced microbiome with a high load of anaerobic bacteria is associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV).
Aerobic vaginitis and UTI risk
High levels of aerobes
A pro-inflammatory microbiome with a high load of aerobic bacteria is associated with aerobic vaginitis and a higher risk of recurrent urinary tract infections.
Why it matters
These conditions are common and can affect everyday life. Three in four women will have thrush at least once, and around 6% have repeated episodes.⁴ Bacterial vaginosis affects around 29% of women of reproductive age,⁵ aerobic vaginitis 7 to 12%,³ and half of all women will have a urinary tract infection in their lifetime.⁶
Research also links an imbalanced vaginal microbiome with pelvic inflammatory disease,⁷ persistent HPV infection,⁸ endometriosis and endometritis,⁹ and poorer fertility and pregnancy outcomes, including implantation failure, miscarriage and preterm birth.¹⁰⁻¹⁴
Microbiome-led Care™
Microbiome-led Care™ is our approach to intimate health: understand the vaginal microbiome first, then support it, alongside your clinician.
Millions of women live with recurring vaginal and urinary symptoms without finding lasting relief. Women deserve better. Understanding what is happening in the microbiome means support can be targeted, not guesswork.
Understand
The Vaginal Microbiome Test is a screening test for 50+ species of bacteria and yeasts, for anyone with recurring symptoms or managing risk factors for HPV persistence, cervical cancer or endometriosis symptom progression. It gives clear results you can share with your healthcare provider.
Plan
Your results show whether yeast or bacteria are taking hold, and how much of your microbiome is still lactobacilli. That helps your clinician target any prescribing to what is actually there. Together, you can plan how to rebuild a protective, health-promoting environment, rather than treating each flare-up in isolation. A retest shows what has changed.
Support
Everyday choices matter, from microbiome-friendly lubricants to skipping washes and douching. Ultimate V adds targeted probiotic support: four strains of Lactobacillus naturally found in a healthy vagina. These strains are proven to reach the vaginal canal alive to rebalance the vaginal microbiome naturally. One capsule a day, taken by mouth.
How the test works
A short film on what the Vaginal Microbiome Test looks for, and how your results help you and your clinician decide what comes next.
References: 1. France M, et al. Nat Microbiol. 2022;7(3):367-378. 2. Ravel J, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108 Suppl 1:4680-4687. 3. Donders GGG, et al. Res Microbiol. 2017;168(9-10):845-858. 4. NICE CKS. Candida, female genital: prevalence. 5. Koumans EH, et al. Sex Transm Dis. 2007;34(11):864-869. 6. Foxman B. Am J Med. 2002;113 Suppl 1A:5S-13S. 7. van de Wijgert JHHM, Jespers V. Res Microbiol. 2017;168(9-10):859-864. 8. Brusselaers N, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2019;221(1):9-18.e8. 9. Zizolfi B, et al. Front Endocrinol. 2023;14:1140774. 10. Hong X, et al. BMC Med. 2022;20:246. 11. Ricci S, et al. PLoS One. 2018;13(11):e0207684. 12. Koedooder R, et al. Hum Reprod. 2019;34(6):1042-1054. 13. Grewal K, et al. BMC Med. 2022;20:38. 14. Brown RG, et al. BMC Med. 2018;16:9.
