Vaginal infections account for about half of visits to the gynecologist.
In particular, there must be Lactobaccillus that produce hydrogen peroxide as well as lactic acid. The hydrogen peroxide is bacteriocidal to many harmful bacteria and the lactic acid helps to maintain an acid environment unfriendly to the growth of other bacteria. Many things can upset this balance including regular douching, spermicides, antibiotics and very frequent sexual intercourse. When the balance is upset, women can have problems with urinary tract infections as well as vaginal ones. There are many kinds of bacteria, yeast and protozoa which can cause vaginal infections.