Keto Diet Side Effects: What is Keto Crotch?

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The keto diet has skyrocketed in popularity. Some people who adopt a ketogenic diet do it to lose weight. Others use it to help control a medical condition, like diabetes, but it’s important to do this under the care of a healthcare provider.

Many people have success with weight loss and blood sugar control on a keto diet, although it’s not without its side effects. One frustrating side effect that some people develop while on a keto diet is keto crutch. What is this condition and what can you do about it?

What is Keto Crotch?

Ketogenic diets are low in carbohydrates and high in fat. When you adopt a high fat, low carbohydrate diet, your body switches to burning mostly fat as fuel. In the setting of carbohydrate restriction and meals high in fat, your liver produces more ketone bodies, an alternative source of fuel.  

 

The ketone bodies your body makes while on a keto diet can alter the acid-base balance (pH) of your vaginal tract and cause the pH to become more basic. When the pH of the vaginal tract becomes more basic, it changes the bacterial composition of the vaginal tract. Bacteria called lactobacilli that help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the vagina drop in number. This creates an environment that favors the growth of bacteria that produce vaginal discharge and odor.

 

What symptoms can you expect? If you have keto crotch, you might experience foul-smelling vaginal discharge, increased discharge, and itching. It’s not a dangerous condition, but can be unpleasant – and then there are the social implications. Some women on the keto diet also report a rash in their crotch area. There’s an inflammatory condition called prurigo pigmentosa, which can be brought on by the keto diet.

Managing Keto Crotch

If you develop a vaginal odor, itching, and burning, don’t assume it’s a keto crotch. The symptoms of keto crotch mimic vaginal infections and sexually transmitted diseases, conditions that are more common. See your physician for a definitive diagnosis.

 

Is there a way to prevent keto crotch? Since experts believe a high-fat diet causes keto crunch, it’s a hard condition to prevent, since high fat is the nature of the ketogenic diet. On the plus side, the symptoms often lessen once your body adapts to a ketogenic diet.

 

 

There’s always a period when you start a new diet that your body undergoes an adaptation process. It’s the same with the keto diet. You might be familiar with other side effects of eating a high-fat keto diet. Some people develop flu-like symptoms in the first few weeks on the eating plan. Their body then adapts to the dietary change, and the symptoms subside. The same happens with keto crotch.

It’s not a permanent condition. If you return to eating a diet that contains less fat, keto crotch should subside. It may take a few weeks for the pH of your vaginal area to become less basic. Some things you can do to control the symptoms include wearing loose cotton underwear to keep the area from getting damp.

 

It’s unclear whether taking probiotics or eating probiotic-rich foods, like yogurt, is effective. However, consuming fermented foods, like yogurt, rich in lactobacillus, may help normalize the pH of the vagina, and that may improve the symptoms.

 

If the symptoms persist, your doctor might treat you for bacterial vaginosis. It’s a vaginal condition caused by the overgrowth of certain bacteria, and the symptoms are similar to keto crotch. Some experts believe keto crotch may be bacterial vaginosis. The treatment is with a certain type of antibiotic delivered in the form of a pill, cream, or vaginal suppository.

Is Keto Crotch Real?

Some experts even question whether keto crotch is real. There’s scant science to support its existence, although it’s not a stretch to say that the diet you eat can affect the pH of your vagina and its odor. Whether keto crotch is real or not, the symptoms often improve after a few weeks on the diet. It’s something you shouldn’t have to deal with longer-term, even if you stick with a ketogenic diet. It also doesn’t affect everyone who adopts a keto diet. It’s relatively uncommon.

The Bottom Line

Think of a keto crunch as another side effect of a keto diet, and one that’s not that common. Even if you’re unfortunate enough to deal with it, it should get better on its own. Don’t make assumptions though. Keto crotch could be a bacterial or yeast infection instead. So, get a proper diagnosis from a health care professional. 

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