Seven Resources on an Integrative Approach to Infertility

The Brain-Gut-Vagina Axis and How It Impacts Women's Health

After learning about the brain-gut connection some ten years ago, Betsy Greenleaf, DO, FACOOG, FACOG, MBA, started to wonder how the concept could apply to her work as a urogynecologist specializing in pelvic medicine.

"I kept thinking about the gut-brain axis, and this light bulb went off, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, there's a connection to the vagina too,'" Dr. Greenleaf said. “I was starting to see that when women's gut microbiomes were off, they were getting more recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and vaginal dryness.”

When Dr. Greenleaf decided to dive deeper into the research, she unearthed a plethora of information linking the gut microbiome, the vagina microbiome, and a feedback loop to the brain which impacts women’s health concerns like fertility and sex drive.

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