“I’ve told so many friends who are trying to conceive: ask about this. Ask to get tested. Because it might be the thing no one’s looking for.”
Jess shares how her vaginal health was silently harming her fertility: from pregnancy loss to asymptomatic infections and one doctor who finally helped her connect the dots.
“I had no symptoms, but a vaginal infection was silently affecting my fertility.”
When you're trying to get pregnant and nothing’s happening, people talk about hormones. About stress. About timing. But almost no one talks about your vaginal microbiome, or how a hidden infection could be standing in the way of conception.
For one woman in Copenhagen, that missing piece of the puzzle made all the difference. This is Jess’s story.
“I’m 36 now. We have two kids. But before my first pregnancy, it took a long time. We tried. I miscarried. We tried again. And nothing was happening.”
At 24, Jess was treated for breast cancer and placed on anti-hormonal medication. It helped save her life, but made her cycles irregular. Later, doctors adjusted her thyroid levels with medication and told her things should improve. But they didn’t.
“I had two early miscarriages. Even after they fixed my thyroid, I just wasn’t getting pregnant.”
Because of her medical history, the hospital recommended artificial insemination to speed up the process.
“They wanted me to come off the anti-hormones temporarily, get pregnant, then go back on. But after the insemination, I still went six months without a positive test.”
Month after month, Jess hoped. Each negative test chipped away at her optimism. Frustrated and heartbroken, she began looking for answers herself.
“I started reading online, and I found something about how some bacteria might be linked to miscarriage. So I went to my doctor and asked: could this be a factor?”
That single question completely changed the course of Jess’ journey.
“My doctor actually picked up the phone and called The Serum Institute; they were doing research on this. And they said, yes, there is some evidence. They told my doctor to get me tested for a vaginal infection.”
At that point, Jess still wasn’t experiencing any symptoms.
“I thought I didn’t have anything. I had no itching, no odour, no discharge. Nothing. I was asymptomatic.”
But the results told a different story.
“They found out I had an infection after all.”
Jess was prescribed antibiotics; first local, then oral.
“The first treatment didn’t help. But the second course cleared it.”
And then everything changed.
“It was just a month or two later that I got pregnant with my son. After a year and a half of trying. It was like everything suddenly worked.”
When Jess and her partner tried again years later, she braced herself for the same struggle.
“But we got pregnant the first time. Straight away. That was my daughter.”
Jess believes the infection (undetected and untreated for over a year) was a major reason why she struggled the first time.
“I can’t say for sure, because I also had the thyroid thing. But I really believe the infection played a role. That’s what the researcher said too, - it could make the egg not stick, or cause a miscarriage.”
For Jess, that possibility was both shocking and validating. Something invisible had been holding her back, and no one had thought to look for it.
Jess’s story reflects what research is only just beginning to uncover: your vaginal health can affect your fertility, even without obvious symptoms. When your microbiome is healthy and full of protective bacteria called Lactobacilli, it provides a better environment for conception and healthy pregnancy.
One study found that 28% of women with infertility problems had a hidden vaginal infection, with far fewer protective bacteria than healthy women. In another study, only 9% of women with an imbalanced vaginal microbiome got pregnant through IVF, a figure that could help explain Jess’s fertility struggles.
Certain bacteria (like Gardnerella, Ureaplasma, and Prevotella) are also more common in women with repeated IVF failure. Meanwhile, a healthy microbiome dominated by Lactobacillus is linked to better chances of pregnancy during IVF.
A large 2025 study of nearly 2,000 pregnant women in Denmark compared vaginal microbiome among those who experienced pregnancy loss with those who went on to have a full-term birth. Most women in both groups had vaginal microbiomes dominated by Lactobacillus, but their analysis showed important differences:
The takeaway isn’t that vaginal bacteria cause infertility or pregnancy loss. It’s that vaginal health is more nuanced than symptoms alone. These imbalances are often silent, but they matter.
So why aren’t these infections caught earlier?
“Honestly, I think I was just lucky,” Jess reflects. “My doctor actually called a research institute. Most wouldn’t do that.”
And she’s right. Research on the vaginal microbiome is evolving rapidly, but it hasn’t yet filtered into everyday fertility care. Vaginal infections are still primarily diagnosed based on symptoms, which means those without symptoms are often missed entirely.
“I’ve told so many friends who are trying to conceive: ask about this. Ask to get tested. Because it might be the thing no one’s looking for.”
From Jess’s perspective, the solution is simple but powerful:
“Doctors should be more prepared. There should be more research, more awareness. It shouldn’t just be a coincidence that someone finds out they had this infection.”
At UVISA, we agree: vaginal health should be foundational, not forgotten. But real progress doesn’t start in a lab, it starts with stories like Jess’.
When women share their experiences, it breaks the silence and creates space for better research, training and solutions. Because no one should have to rely on hours of independent research, self-advocacy and pure luck to get the care they deserve.
At UVISA, we're committed to representing women who experience vaginal infections in a diverse and authentic way. If you feel comfortable sharing your story, we invite you to contribute through our open survey. Every voice helps shape a more honest understanding.
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