The battle for proper women’s supplements

There has always been a gap in the market for products targeted towards women's health and wellness. This has enabled a rising popularity in supplements like probiotics and pH balancing tablets.

For women, having a balanced pH is important as if the body's acidity is disturbed it can lead to issues like yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis - probiotics can be a good way to help manage this. However some companies will use women’s anxiety against them, and sell expensive, unnecessary supplements.

Just because probiotics can help, doesn't mean they are necessary! There are plenty of natural ways to ensure good vaginal health, which most people probably do without thinking.

Natural remedies:

Staying hydrated - The optimal amount of water to drink is 2 liters- which seems like a lot, but you get a lot of hydration from the food you eat and if you get a water bottle with times on it, it becomes a lot more manageable to track.

Reduce sugar intake - Excess alcohol, juice and even fruits could be affecting the acidity of your pH so being mindful of that can help.

Natural probiotics - Taking pills and gummies isn’t always the answer. Probiotics can be found in yogurt, pickles, miso soup, sourdough and much more.

Through celebrity wellness brands like Kourtney Kardashians ‘Lemme’ or viral tiktok brands like ‘She Thrive’, there is a misleading narrative being spread that women need to be using pH balancing tablets to be healthy.

In the advertisement of these products, it suggests smelling good is a sign of good health, specifically like pineapples. This could lead to many women and girls feeling insecure about themselves for not smelling like a tropical fruit.

Many of the products going viral on social media have many replicas which may have harmful ingredients inside.

The excessive amount of these harmful adverts seems to be another way to diminish women down to simply being of service to men as the main line of argument is, if you take these tablets you will smell/taste good for your partner which is an absurd marketing strategy.

Of course if women are struggling with pH issues they should seek out ways to help relieve their discomfort, but for most women this is not something to be worried about. and if they are it definitely shouldn't be to please a man. Head to the NHS website for some more (and less biased) information about women’s gynaecological health, and always contact a doctor if you have any concerns.

Edited by Marianne Hamilton