Foods For A Healthy, Happy Vagina

You’ve heard that cranberries and cranberry juice can help ward off UTIs, and you may have even heard a rumor that eating pineapple can affect the way you taste below the belt. But those aren’t the only foods that have a huge impact on your vaginal health. Read on for more.

Women who eat an apple a day report better sexual function (which includes their sexual satisfaction, ability to orgasm, and ability to get aroused), compared to those who don’t, according to a recent study in the Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. You can thank phloridzin, a phytoestrogen found in apples.

The snack offers a double benefit for vaginal health. (1) The probiotics in yogurt bolster your healthy vaginal microflora, thereby helping prevent infections like UTIs, BV, and yeast infections; and (2) the extra dose of calcium in yogurt may help improve PMS symptoms, research shows. (Here’s more on The Power of Probiotics.)

Polyphenolic catechins—found in green tea—may kill the E. coli bacteria that cause UTIs, according to research in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. Plus, the caffeine in green tea may help ease PMS symptoms, Alyssa Dweck, M.D., OBGYN at the Mount Kisco Medical Group in New York, adds. (But don’t overdo it; too much green tea could lead to liver damage.)

What do all these foods have in common? They’re rich in fiber. “Fiber is a pre-biotic, so without enough, you won’t be nurturing the good bacteria in your bowel,” says Jennifer Gunter, M.D., director of the Center for Pelvic Pain and Vulvovaginal Disorders at Kaiser Permanente. “And the best way to keep your vagina healthy is to keep your colon healthy, as most bacteria comes from the colon.” She recommends aiming for 25 grams a day, about the amount found in a cup of cooked black beans (15g), a cup of cooked quinoa (5g), and a sweet potato (5g).

Three ounces of salmon contains about three-quarters of your daily value for vitamin D, plus a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids. “Both nutrients are important for general health,” says Dweck. They’ve also been linked to heart health, and Dweck says that any food that’s good for your heart is also good for your arousal, since better overall circulation also promotes better blood flow below the belt. (Remember when Shailene Woodley told you to give your vagina some vitamin D? Yeah, don’t do that.)

Back to the basics with this one. “Hydration is a way to keep the vaginal area moist and lubricated,” says Dweck. And the easier it is for you to get and stay wet, the more aroused you’ll be.

Women who eat two or more servings of fruit a day are 11 percent less likely to develop uterine fibroids, noncancerous masses that can cause pelvic pain and irregular bleeding, than those who had less than two servings a week, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Plus, they deliver a healthy dose of fiber.