A new study in China shows that condoms are good for the vagina! Not only do they prevent unwanted pregnancies or the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, but it appears that condoms help the good bacteria in the vagina flourish.
Lactobacillus is a group of bacteria responsible for the natural flora of the vagina. The microbes producee lactic and hydrogen peroxide help the vagina maintain an average pH of 4.5, which is why it’s important to use soap or feminine cleansing products with the right pH level. This bacteria is what blocks other harmful bacteria from colonizing in your vagina and causing infections.
Researchers at the Beijing Friendship Hospital, 164 health, married women in China between 18 and 45 years old who weren’t using hormonal birth control were recruited for their study.
Among the participants, 72 were using condoms, 57 were using an intrauterine device (IUD), and 35 were using the so-called rhythm method, in which a couple abstains from sex on the days pregnancy is mostly likely to occur. The researchers found that the population of lactobacillus was significantly higher in the condom group.
According to the study, sexual activity can disturb the balance of the vagina’s ecosystem, most especially when semen start ‘sailing’ in. Semen has a pH of 7.0 to 8.0.
The results conclude that condoms do help the vagina maintain its natural acidic defenses. However, researchers warned that condoms may not be the way method for preventing unwanted pregnancies. Condoms have a failure rate of 15 percent with “average use”. [Source]
Read the full research report here.
