Guide
Urinary Microbiome in Women: Vaginal Flora and Lactobacillus Basics
The urinary microbiome in women is the small community of bacteria found in the bladder and urine, next door to the far better-studied vaginal microbiome. In one study of 396 women, four of five vaginal community types were led by a Lactobacillus species. No source we cite shows that a probiotic capsule changes the bacteria in the bladder.
Written by the FemiCore label benchUpdated
Definitions
What is the urinary microbiome in women?
The urinary microbiome is the set of bacteria that live in the bladder and urine of healthy people. For a long time urine was taught to be sterile. Newer lab methods have found small bacterial communities there.
The field is young. None of the health sources we rely on describes a "normal" bladder microbiome or a test for one, so treat any product that promises to "balance" it with care.
A few terms help:
- Microbiome: the bacteria (and other microbes) living in one part of the body.
- Lactobacillus: a group of rod-shaped bacteria that make lactic acid.
- Probiotic: live microbes taken for a hoped-for health effect.
Next door
How is the vaginal microbiome different from the urinary one?
The vaginal microbiome is much better mapped than the urinary one. A study of 396 women without symptoms sorted their vaginal bacteria into five community types (Ravel et al. 2011, vaginal microbiome).
Four types were led by a single Lactobacillus species. The fifth held a mix of bacteria with few lactobacilli, and it was more common in Black and Hispanic women. The authors note that this mixed type is not automatically abnormal.
| Community type | Led by | In FemiCore? |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Lactobacillus crispatus | Yes, strain LCr86 (strain 1 of 5) |
| Type 2 | Lactobacillus gasseri | Yes, strain LG08 (strain 4 of 5) |
| Type 3 | Lactobacillus iners | No |
| Type 4 | A mix, few lactobacilli | Not applicable |
| Type 5 | Lactobacillus jensenii | No |
The two areas sit close together. Mayo Clinic notes that lower estrogen after menopause changes vaginal bacteria, which is one reason UTI risk rises then (Mayo Clinic, UTI). More in menopause and the bladder.
The genus
What does Lactobacillus do, and which ones are in FemiCore?
Lactobacillus bacteria make lactic acid, and in many women one species leads the vaginal community. FemiCore lists five Lactobacillus strains in a 50 mg blend, after its four herbs.
Two of the five, crispatus and gasseri, are species that led vaginal community types in the study above. That shared name is the whole link. It does not show that swallowing them reaches the vagina or the bladder.
The clearest result for L. crispatus came from a vaginal product, not a capsule. One strain applied vaginally after treatment for bacterial vaginosis cut its return to about 30% of women, against about 45% on placebo (Cohen et al. 2020, Lactin-V trial).
Herbal 1/4Mimosa pudica≤ 350 mg
Herbal 2/4Cranberry≤ 175 mg
Herbal 3/4Bearberry≤ 116.7 mg
Herbal 4/4Berberine≤ 87.5 mg
Strain 1/5L. crispatus LCr86≤ 50 mg
Strain 2/5L. acidophilus LA88≤ 25 mg
Strain 3/5L. plantarum N13≤ 16.7 mg
Strain 4/5L. gasseri LG08≤ 12.5 mg
Strain 5/5L. casei LC16≤ 10 mg
Vendor petri-dish illustrations from the sales page, one per label line; not photos of the capsule contents. Weights are label-order ceilings.
Strain codes
What do probiotic strain codes like LCr86 mean?
A strain code is the tag after the species name that marks one specific culture, like a batch name for a living line. In "Lactobacillus crispatus LCr86", Lactobacillus is the genus, crispatus the species and LCr86 the strain.
The code matters because effects belong to strains, not to species in general (NCCIH, Probiotics). NIH says probiotic advice has to be strain-specific (NIH ODS, Probiotics). A study of one crispatus strain says little about another.
GenusLactobacillus
Speciescrispatus
Strain codeLCr86
A probiotic's effect belongs to the strain, the code after the species name, not to the species in general (NCCIH, Probiotics) (NIH ODS, Probiotics). Two strains of one species can behave differently, so research on "L. crispatus" in general does not transfer to LCr86.
| Strain on the label | Place | Most per capsule | Strain-level research we found | Caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lactobacillus crispatus LCr86 | 1 of 5 | at most 50 mg | One registered trial gave 10 billion CFU a day orally (vaginal outcome) | Ask first if your immune system is weakened. |
| Lactobacillus acidophilus LA88 | 2 of 5 | at most 25 mg | No published trial found for this strain code | Ask first if your immune system is weakened. |
| Lactobacillus plantarum N13 | 3 of 5 | at most 16.7 mg | No published trial found for this strain code | Ask first if your immune system is weakened. |
| Lactobacillus gasseri LG08 | 4 of 5 | at most 12.5 mg | No published trial found for this strain code | Ask first if your immune system is weakened. |
| Lactobacillus casei LC16 | 5 of 5 | at most 10 mg | No published trial found for this strain code | Ask first if your immune system is weakened. |
Searched October 2026. LCr86 has one completed placebo trial (80 women, 10 billion CFU a day by mouth, 8 weeks, vaginal Nugent score) with no results posted (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06830122, LCr86). "Lactobacillus" species were renamed in 2020 (for example L. casei is now Lacticaseibacillus casei); labels often keep the old names.
Strain profiles: L. crispatus LCr86 and the other four FemiCore strains.
CFU
What does CFU mean on a probiotic label?
CFU means colony-forming units: a count of live microbes that can grow into a colony on a lab plate. It is the usual way to state a probiotic dose.
NIH advises looking for a CFU count that is promised at the end of shelf life, not at the date of making. It also warns that a weight in milligrams includes dead cells (NIH ODS, Probiotics).
The label gives 50 mg for five strains and no CFU. Label order caps strain 1 at 50 mg and strain 5 at 10 mg. The one LCr86 trial dosed 10 billion CFU a day (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06830122, LCr86). Without a CFU figure from the maker, milligrams cannot be turned into that kind of count.
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See packsAntibiotics
How do antibiotics affect the urinary and vaginal microbiome?
Antibiotics can disturb the body's normal bacteria, which is one reason CDC asks that they be used only when needed (CDC, About UTIs). Overuse also breeds resistant germs: more than 2.8 million resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year (CDC, Antimicrobial Resistance).
That is no reason to skip an antibiotic for a confirmed UTI. An untreated bladder infection can spread to the kidneys.
Can a probiotic stand in? NICE calls the evidence for lactobacillus in recurrent UTI inconclusive (NICE NG112, recurrent UTI). Keep taking prescribed medicine, antibiotics included, for the full course you were given. See cranberry and UTIs for what the research does show.
Vaginal pH
Does vaginal pH matter for bladder health?
None of the sources we cite links vaginal pH to bladder health, so we cannot say that it does. Ask a gynecology clinician if pH is your concern.
The one FemiCore-related trial measured something else: the Nugent score, a lab rating of vaginal bacteria read from a stained swab (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06830122, LCr86). A pH strip from a pharmacy is a different test. Neither is a bladder test.
Safety
Are probiotics safe for women?
For most healthy women, probiotics are low-risk. NIH notes that serious infections from them have occurred mostly in people who were severely ill or had weak immune systems (NIH ODS, Probiotics).
Weak immunity
Chemotherapy, a transplant or a serious illness raises the risk. Ask before taking any live culture.
What is really inside
Some probiotic products have held organisms not on the label (NCCIH, Probiotics).
Infant warning
FDA's 2023 warning was about preterm babies in hospital, not adult women (FDA 2023, probiotics in preterm infants).
What a label can show
What can a probiotic label show, and what can't it?
A probiotic label can show the genus, species and strain, and a CFU count if the maker prints one. It cannot show that the cells are alive in your bottle or that they reach the bladder.
FemiCore's label shows full strain names and a total weight. It leaves out the CFU count and any study of the capsule. The claims vs evidence check weighs its "Microbiome Balance" claim against that record.
FAQ
Questions about the urinary and vaginal microbiome
What does CFU mean in probiotics?
CFU stands for colony-forming units, the number of live microbes that can grow on a lab plate. A good label states the CFU count guaranteed at the end of shelf life (NIH ODS, Probiotics). FemiCore prints a 50 mg weight instead, with no CFU count.
Why do probiotic strains have letter and number codes?
The code names one specific strain, because two strains of the same species can act differently (NCCIH, Probiotics). LCr86, LA88, N13, LG08 and LC16 on FemiCore's label are such codes. Research on one code does not apply to the others.
Does an oral probiotic change vaginal pH?
The sources we cite do not show that. The LCr86 trial measured a vaginal Nugent score, not pH, and posted no results (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06830122, LCr86). If pH or discharge worries you, a gynecology clinician can test and explain what you see.
Is a vaginal microbiome without much Lactobacillus abnormal?
Not always. In a study of 396 women without symptoms, one of five community types had few lactobacilli, and it was more common in Black and Hispanic women (Ravel et al. 2011, vaginal microbiome). The authors say that profile is not automatically abnormal.
Should I take a probiotic with antibiotics for a UTI?
Ask the clinician who prescribed the antibiotic. NICE rates lactobacillus evidence for recurrent UTI as inconclusive (NICE NG112, recurrent UTI). Whatever you decide, finish the antibiotic course as directed, because a partly treated infection can come back or spread.
Who should avoid probiotic supplements?
People with weak immune systems or serious illness should ask a doctor first, since most serious probiotic infections occurred in those groups (NIH ODS, Probiotics). Hospitalized preterm infants are covered by a separate FDA warning (FDA 2023, probiotics in preterm infants).
Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, FTC, EMA and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . See our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a U.S. stocking partner for FemiCore, not by the manufacturer or the label's distributor. We are paid when you buy through our order links.
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