Let’s cut right to the chase: is keto crotch a thing? The easy answer: no.
What is keto crotch?
That’s easy: it’s nothing. It’s completely made up.
Beginning around March 2019, social media was abuzz with articles warning women not to try a keto diet, lest they face the dreaded “keto crotch.” Somehow, eliminating sugar and starch from one’s diet and eating quality proteins, healthy fats, dairy foods, and non-starchy vegetables, would cause a shift in vaginal pH or bacterial population, and this would result in increased vaginal discharge and an especially foul odor.
It’s interesting to note, though, that through all the resurgences in popularity of ultra-low-carb and ketogenic diets over the past fifty years—since the 1972 publication of the landmark book, Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution—there was never any mention of keto crotch until this sudden avalanche in 2019.
So either the many thousands of women worldwide who’d followed keto diets before then coincidentally never happened to experience keto crotch, or keto crotch simply doesn’t exist and it was fabricated to scare people away from trying what could be, for some, a life changing way to eat.
Something does smell fishy
Something foul is going on here but it has nothing to do with vaginal odor on a keto diet.
Considering how the articles about keto crotch seemed to explode simultaneously all over social media (when it had never been mentioned before, despite people having eaten this way for decades and far longer), most likely this was nothing more than a coordinated PR campaign intended to steer people away from adopting a keto diet.
Evelyne Bourdua-Roy, MD, wrote, “What amazes me is the fact that these articles about the keto crotch are all over the place, at the same time, going viral, and all are negative. It seems to me that it could possibly even be a concerted effort, cleverly orchestrated. But why?”
She astutely answered her own question:
“My personal belief is that someone out there isn’t liking how the low-carb and ketogenic diets are helping hundreds of thousands of people regain their health, stop certain medications, and achieve a healthy weight. And since science is backing low-carb and keto diets, dealing with this inconvenient situation might be best accomplished with a well-orchestrated viral campaign of fear, preying on women’s insecurities and biggest intimate concerns, setting up anxiety and doubt, to deter them from even trying the keto diet.”
Without getting into conspiracy theories, it’s hard to deny that there are entities with vested economic interests in people continuing to eat cheap commodity crops, like wheat, corn, and soy, and passionate yet misguided environmental activists would rejoice if millions of people decided to abandon eating animal foods.
What do doctors say?
Fear is a powerful strategy for making that happen. Dr. Ken Berry summed it up succinctly, calling the keto crotch media blitz “the latest scare tactic.”
Recalling many years of treating patients, Dr. Berry said, “I’ve had exactly zero complaints from women who are eating keto about any of these symptoms. Not a single woman has come to the clinic saying, ‘Since I started keto, I’ve got keto crotch!’ I haven’t heard that a single time.” (I highly recommend his video on keto crotch if you’d like to see a thorough demolishing of this made-up notion.)
Dr. Bourdua-Roy wrote, “This possibly misogynistic campaign of fear is causing harm. My advice is simple: don’t fall for this.”
And while too many mainstream publications spread this falsehood and fanned the clickbait flames, truth and logic managed to make rare appearances, such as an article in Women’s Health magazine that stated, “To make one thing super-clear first, there’s no research confirming that keto crotch is, in fact, a legit side effect of the keto diet.”
What keto really does
If anything, when a woman eliminates sugar and excess overall carbohydrates from her diet, she’s more likely to have improved genitourinary and reproductive health. Anecdotally, women report fewer yeast infections and bladder infections after adopting a keto diet. (Not surprising, when constant daily influxes of sugar are no longer feeding those organisms.)
And we know that keto is effective for improving hormonal balance in PCOS, which can result in normalization of ovulation and improved fertility. Beyond that, keto may also help with other issues many women are concerned about, such as weight loss, the appearance of their skin, and improved mood.
If you do notice a dramatic change in the odor, texture, or quantity of your vaginal discharge or you experience unusual itching or burning, see your doctor! Don’t assume it’s a side effect from keto when it’s possible you have something that requires medical attention, such as bacterial vaginosis.
Keto diets do have some side-effects
Keto crotch isn’t a real thing, but that doesn’t mean it’s always smooth sailing when someone adopts a keto diet. There are some unpleasant issues that can come up when someone’s new to eating this way or if they’re including things in their diet that are causing problems.
I covered “keto flu” in a past article and also explained why constipation and diarrhea might occur on keto and what to do about them. Some people experience fatigue or feel sluggish as their body adjusts to being without carbs, but there are easy ways to fix this.
Note that none of the issues that come up are from following a keto diet, per se. Most often these result from consuming things that are known to cause loose stools, like MCT oil and sugar alcohols, or experiencing fatigue or constipation as a result of not getting adequate sodium or magnesium.
Something that happens more rarely—but is still a documented phenomenon (unlike keto crotch)–is keto rash. (See here for a past article on keto rash.)
Bottom line
Haters gonna hate. If you’ve been having success on a keto diet (losing weight, or improving your health in other ways) then don’t let myths and lies steer you away. And if you’re not following a keto diet but you’re thinking about giving it a try, trust in the mountains of scientific evidence proving that this way of eating is effective for an astonishing array of issues, and see how it feels in your own body.
You deserve better than to be swayed by falsehoods propagated by entities that don’t have your best interests at heart.
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