Dr. Machelle Seibel

Menstruation and Our pH

Blood has a pH of 7.4, so during your period vaginal pH becomes elevated by menstrual fluids. Tampons contribute to the elevated pH as they retain the fluids that cause pH to increase. Many women who suffer from recurrent infections find that their period is often the event that sets them in motion. While women’s bodies can usually tolerate this time of pH elevation, a period can create an imbalance that can tip the scales against vaginal health. So, it is a vulnerable time for a woman’s health.

Dr Machelle Seibel comes on the show to discuss this imbalance and how it affects a womens health.

Dr. Machelle (Mache) Seibel is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Complicated Menopause Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He served four years as Editor-in-Chief of Sexuality, Reproduction, and Menopause ? a journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Seibel was a member of the Harvard Medical School faculty for almost 20 years where he served as the Director of Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School and Medical Director of the Faulkner Centre for Reproductive Medicine. He also served four years as Clinical Professor at BostonUniversity School of Medicine.

Melanie Cole, M.S.

3 / 10 / 2010