Vaginal pH: What It Can and Cannot Tell You

Vaginal pH rarely makes headlines, but it's one of the most informative — and most misunderstood — signals in reproductive health.

The basics

A healthy vaginal environment is typically acidic, around pH 3.8–4.5, maintained by lactobacilli. That acidity is protective: it discourages less friendly bacteria.

How it moves through the cycle

pH isn't static. It tends to rise slightly and temporarily around menstruation, and shifts near ovulation as estrogen and cervical fluid change. These movements are normal — the pattern matters more than any single reading.

What Femora measures — and how to think about it

Femora reads pH continuously from the fabric layer to surface trends: your baseline, your cyclical rhythm, and departures from both. What it does not do is diagnose. Persistent unusual odor, itching, or discomfort deserve a clinician, not a chart.

The goal is simple: make a previously invisible variable visible, so "something feels off" becomes "here's what changed, and when."