Boric acid is a natural vaginal medication that is highly recommended to improve vaginal health, treat vaginal infections, and restore healthy vaginal pH levels. But does boric acid also make the vagina tighter?
What Is Boric Acid?
Boric acid is a natural substance made up of boron, oxygen, and hydrogen. Due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties, it is a common ingredient in cleaning supplies and insect sprays, but it is also found naturally in apples, bananas, almonds, peanuts, beer, and wine.
As a natural medicine, boric acid has been used for centuries to treat skin rashes and infections. Due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial effects, research has also confirmed that boric acid helps treat some common vaginal infections and restores vaginal health afterward.
Does Boric Acid Make Your Vagina Tighter?
Studies into the effectiveness of boric acid have been mainly focused on its antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties, as well as its ability to restore healthy pH levels. As of yet, no credible research has been undertaken to assess if boric acid can make the vagina feel tighter.
Vaginal Health: How is Boric Acid helpful?
Boric acid’s antifungal and antimicrobial properties can slow and stop the growth of harmful fungi, bacteria, parasites, and viruses. This makes it an effective natural medicine, when used in a vaginal capsule, against vaginal infections like bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and yeast infections.
It’s also beneficial for restoring a mildly acidic pH level in the vagina after infection. Healthy vaginal pH levels normally range from 3.8 - 4.5 to maintain a mildly acidic vaginal environment. Within this acidic environment, which is also known as the vaginal microbiome, friendly and harmful microorganisms are perfectly balanced to prevent vaginal infections.
When harmful microorganisms thrive over the friendly lactobacilli, however, pH levels become more alkaline, the vaginal microbiome is disrupted, and infections can easily set in. In addition to slowing the growth of harmful bacteria and microorganisms in the vagina, boric acid also helps restore acidic pH levels and rebalances the microbiome.
Thirdly, boric acid has been proven to relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of vaginal infections faster than traditional medicine. Symptoms like vaginal itching, burning, and inflammation, as well as unpleasant vaginal odor, increased vaginal discharge, and a burning feeling when urinating can be relieved within 48 hours with Boric Acid Vaginal Suppositories.
Boric Acid for Yeast Infections
Medical research has shown that boric acid can stop the growth of candida albicans, which is the fungus that causes vaginal yeast infections. A collection of 14 studies into the efficacy of boric acid in treating vaginal yeast infections showed 40% - 100% success rates with none of the participants experiencing recurring infections.
Another study into the efficacy of using boric acid for recurring vaginal yeast infections revealed that it was highly effective with little to no side effects.
Boric Acid for Trichomoniasis
Evidence from medical studies and lab tests reveals that boric acid vaginal suppositories can stop the growth of Trichomoniasis vaginalis, which is the parasite that causes the sexually transmitted infection known as trich or trichomoniasis. Intravaginal boric acid also helps to restore a healthy vaginal pH and relieve symptoms quickly.
Nitroimidazoles, which are the traditional antibiotics prescribed to treat trich, often cause side effects like constipation, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and a metallic taste in the mouth. To avoid these side effects, studies have shown that boric acid can be used solely to treat trichomoniasis.
Another study into the effectiveness of boric acid vaginal suppositories involved a woman who suffered from persistent trich for 30 months despite taking 9 courses of Nitroimidazoles. In this case study, boric acid used in conjunction with an alternative antibiotic known as Secnidazole successfully cured her trich infection in 14 days.
Boric Acid for Bacterial Vaginosis
Although bacterial vaginosis (BV) always requires antibiotic treatment, the infection is known to recur in 69% of women within 12 months. Several research studies into its recurrence, however, found that boric acid was a helpful and well-tolerated accompaniment to the antibiotics required to treat BV.
When boric acid is taken in conjunction with antibiotics, and continued for 6 months after the antibiotic is completed, 60% of women experiencing recurring BV infections were cured.
Conclusion
Boric acid is considered an effective and successful treatment for vaginal infections like bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and yeast infections, but it is not known to make your vagina tighter. Along with its ability to stop the overgrowth of harmful fungi, bacteria, and parasites in the vagina, boric acid also successfully restores healthy vaginal pH levels when they’ve been disrupted.
To learn more about boric acid and its beneficial effects on vaginal health, scroll up. This article also includes tips for treating a vagina that feels ‘loose’ or ‘tight’.
References
Verywell Health – Boric Acid Suppositories for Vaginal Health - https://www.verywellhealth.com/boric-acid-for-vaginal-health-4140477
Web MD – What is Vaginal pH Balance - https://www.webmd.com/women/what-is-vaginal-ph-balance
National Library of Medicine - Boric acid for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: the clinical evidence - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21774671/
Frontiers in Reproductive Health - Bacterial vaginosis: a review of approaches to treatment and prevention - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frph.2023.1100029/full
National Library of Medicine - Successful Treatment of Persistent 5-Nitroimidazole–Resistant Trichomoniasis With an Extended Course of Oral Secnidazole Plus Intravaginal Boric Acid - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10010696/
National Library of Medicine - The antimicrobial effect of boric acid on Trichomonas vaginalis- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25581807/