Earlier this year, Kate Tolo went viral as the woman with a vagina in the ‘top one percent’.
The partner of biohacker Bryan Johnson, the 31-year-old is the co-founder of their longevity startup, Blueprint.
And as she uses the opportunity from her vaginal microbiome’s fame, Tolo is bringing her own at-home testing kit to market.
Tolo wants to educate more women about its key role in reproductive and vaginal health as it is ‘desperately understudied’ compared to the gut microbiome.
She tests hers every morning (along with over 1,900 other health markers) as she’s currently undergoing a $2.6 million experiment to become ‘the world’s most measured woman’.
Johnson has previously helped with raising awareness around conditions like endometriosis as they make waves in investigating the chronic illness.
Bryan and Kate. (Kate Tolo/Supplied)
The vaginal microbiome
Tolo explains that testing your vaginal microbiome can provide a ‘snapshot of the organisms present’ and help establish a baseline for observing changes.
“It is one piece of the broader picture of vaginal health, not a standalone diagnosis or a guarantee of reproductive outcomes,” the team add.
The vaginal microbiome is the community of bacteria (as well as some fungi and viruses) that live in the vagina.
It helps to protect against harmful microbes, is linked to reproductive outcomes, can influence susceptibility to infections, changes over time and imbalances can go unnoticed.
The vagina is frequently healthiest according to the Blueprint team when it is dominated by Lactobacillus bacteria. They add that in some cases, greater diversity can signal dysbiosis.
Vaginal dysbiosis has apparently been linked to higher rates of premature birth, increased susceptibility to STIs, lower clinical pregnancy rates during IVF and a higher risk of early pregnancy loss.
“I grew up in an environment where sex and vaginas weren’t topics of conversation,” Tolo adds.
“Even now, talking openly about these things takes effort. I want to help make them feel
less shameful and more understood.”
Kate is ‘becoming the world’s most measured woman because female health is desperately understudied’. (Kate Tolo/Supplied)
Testing the vaginal microbiome
The Immortals Vaginal Microbiome Test is an at-home vaginal swap test, priced at $159. It can identify 10,000+ bacteria and fungi in a sample as well as screening for four common STIs.
“Your vagina is an organ. It plays an important role in your health, but most women have never had a detailed look at their vaginal microbiome,” Tolo says.
Collection takes approximately five minutes and then people can send it back to the lab in the post. It appears this is currently for those in the US, with results usually arriving within four to nine business days.
These results are reviewed by a board-certified physician.
It’s important to point out that the test is not currently FDA-cleared or FDA-approved and results shouldn’t be used for clinical decisions without first consulting a healthcare provider.
The kit and more information is available here.
She is testing hers daily as part of her female health experiment. (Kate Tolo/Supplied)
Looking after the vaginal microbiome
Tolo measures her daily as part of her personal women’s health experiment but for consumers, it’s about establishing a baseline to track changes over time (with a rough guide of three months advised by Blueprint).
To take care of the vaginal microbiome, the team recommend avoiding douching and scented products and instead washing the vulva gently with water.
They also recommend eating a balanced, fibre-rich diet, getting adequate sleep, managing stress and practicing safer sex.
“You do not need to buy another product to be healthy. Most people can focus on sleep,
diet, and exercise, and get the majority of health benefits,” Tolo says.
Always seek a healthcare professional for medical advice – including for unusual odour, discharge, itching or pain.
There’s alternatives out there. (Kate Tolo/Supplied)
At home test kit
In the UK, you can buy an At-Home Vaginal Microbiome and STI Diagnostic Kit by Daye at Boots.
Priced at £149, the ‘diagnostic tampon’ collects a comprehensive sample which covers the entire vaginal canal.
It screens for lactobacilli, common BV-related anaerobic bacteria, candida, mycoplasma hominis, mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and trichomoniasis.
“Your sample is analysed by a UKAS-accredited, CQC-registered partner laboratory using PCR technology — the gold standard for pathogen detection — and results are delivered to a secure online portal within 2-3 days,” it reads.
You can find out more information and purchase here.
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