Even an editor of the Review, who initially supported Profet's theory, now agrees with one of her strongest critics, Professor Strassmann, who published her criticism in the same publication. Order the article, or browse the Science News Web site . Vaginal Infections Can Cause Premature Births Pregnant women who regularly check the acidity of their vaginas can drastically lower the possibility of having a premature child. Harmful bacteria tend to grow well in alkaline environments , and a woman supplied with test strips supplied by her doctor, which Dr. Saling is issuing to interested women in Germany, can immediately test for and counter bacterial growth, with lactic acid, even between appointments with her physician. Premature children often suffer from life-long handicaps, including mental retardation.
Menstrual blood makes the vagina much more alkaline, allowing bacteria to grow more easily.
By the way, I've read recently that there are hundreds of unidentified types of bacteria in the vagina - something to think about. Last week I printed two readers' answers to my question as to what the word grot means, which appeared in a letter to me from an Australian woman under twenty years of age, which indicated to me that it might be slang . It is illegal to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author.