Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!Fennel for vaginal dryness
What the clinical trials say about using fennel to ease menopausal vaginal dryness, itching and painful sex - plus how it works and how to use it safely.
Does fingering hurt? What’s normal and how to make it comfortable
Does fingering hurt? It shouldn't. Here's why it sometimes does, and how to make it feel good with arousal, lube and an unhurried touch.
Baker’s yeast for yeast infections – is it helpful?
Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) reined in Candida and calmed inflammation in early lab and mouse studies of recurrent thrush.
How protective vaginal bacteria fight trichomoniasis
Can probiotics fight trichomoniasis? How protective vaginal bacteria resist trich - and why they support treatment, not replace it.
Diagnosed with BV but have no symptoms?
Why a positive BV test result with no symptoms may mean you are just fine. Let's clear up the confusion.
Your gut bacteria as an endocrine partner in oestrogen-driven cancers
A new review reframes the gut microbiome as an active endocrine partner in oestrogen-driven cancers, expanding the estrobolome concept.
Do ovaries do anything after menopause? They may ‘turn immune’
New research suggests ovaries are not dormant after menopause and may take on a surprising immune role.
The history of douching and ‘feminine hygiene’ marketing
How shame-based 'feminine hygiene' marketing turned douching into a habit, and why it harms the vagina it claims to clean.
How semen affects the vagina
Semen shifts your vaginal pH, carries partner bacteria and briefly dials down your immune defences – here's what that means for your microbiome and BV.
Aunt Vadge: suddenly getting TOO wet during sex – what’s wrong?
Suddenly too wet during sex and STI/BV tests are clear? The likely benign causes - cervical ectropion, a hormonal shift, or changed friction - and what to check.
Surgical menopause means more severe GSM symptoms
Surgical menopause is tied to worse vaginal dryness, painful sex, urinary symptoms and lower desire than natural menopause, a new study finds.
Ovarian hyperthecosis – the ‘bad kind’ of postmenopausal PCOS (PMOS)
The most common cause of high androgens after menopause, ovarian hyperthecosis causes unwanted hair, virilisation and hidden metabolic and uterine risks.
Polymenorrhea (more than one period within 21 days)
Periods arriving more than once every 21 days? Here are the hormonal and structural causes of polymenorrhea, and when frequent bleeding needs checking.
Oligoovulation: infrequent ovulation explained
Ovulating infrequently? Oligoovulation means cycles over 35 days or fewer than eight or nine periods a year – here's what drives it and why it matters.
Colovaginoplasty: bowel vaginoplasty explained
What a colovaginoplasty is, who it is for, how bowel (sigmoid) vaginoplasty works, its risks, and how to care for a neovagina afterwards.
Hysteroscopy: what it is and what to expect
A thin camera lets a doctor look right inside your uterus. Here's what a hysteroscopy is for, what it feels like, and what to expect afterwards.
When thrush won’t clear: treatment-resistant thrush explained
Rare non-albicans yeasts resist standard antifungals at acidic vaginal pH, helping explain recurrent, treatment-resistant thrush and why species ID matters.
Your genes help shape your vaginal microbiome
A major Nature Genetics study shows host genetics helps shape the vaginal microbiome – part of the 'why' of recurrent BV.
Most over-the-counter vaginal moisturisers contain contact allergens
A new analysis finds most OTC vaginal moisturisers contain contact allergens - here is why a 'soothing' product can worsen vulval irritation.
Aloe vera for BV and biofilms: what the evidence shows
Aloe vera shows real antibiofilm activity in the lab, but mostly at preventing biofilms, not destroying established ones. Here is what the evidence says.