What is Considered Normal for Vaginal pH?

Our reproductive system is built to create and sustain different pH levels throughout the cycle. The vagina is naturally acidic during much of a woman’s monthly cycle which is helpful for killing harmful bacteria and preventing infection. This acidic state comes from healthy bacteria which produces acid to keep the vaginal ecosystem at a tightly controlled acidic environment (pH ~4.5). Women are born with these healthy bacteria which are given to them by their mothers.

Acidic environments, however, cause big problems for sperm. Sperm needs an alkaline environment to be able to survive more than a couple of hours and swim to fertilize the egg. The woman’s body generally takes care of adjusting the pH to a sperm-friendly level (pH ~7) by releasing fertile cervical mucus (which has this same exact pH of ~7) during ovulation. The rising estrogen levels during ovulation cause large shifts in the quantity and pH of cervical mucus to create the fertile cervical mucus which actually forms molecular pathways for the sperm to swim through to reach the egg!

This normal monthly fluctuation in vaginal pH from the acidic non-ovulating pH to the higher fertile pH are usually managed by a woman’s body without a problem. However, returning the vagina to a healthy low pH after ovulation can become more challenging for TTCers. The increased exposure to semen (~7 pH) during baby-making, not to mention the stress of trying to conceive, creates extra work for the vagina’s self-cleaning and balancing mechanisms. Add to this other outside factors that disrupt hormonal balance (PCOS, fertility medications, toxins, smoking, and weight changes), and all of a sudden it is much harder for the vaginal ecosystem to bounce back. It is very important to support your body’s return to a healthy acidic pH level between fertile windows so you can move forward on your journey to conception and a healthy pregnancy.