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Thursday 12pm - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

http://www.intimateecology.com.au/

Intimate Ecology - Moira Bradfield, Gold Coast (2026)

11/02/2026

I am once again incredibly excited to team up with for a live practitioner webinar in 2026.

Join us for this advanced practitioner webinar series exploring the often under-examined but clinically pivotal role and influence of the microbiome (including gut, genitourinary, skin & oral) across the menopausal transition.

Two part webinar
March 18th
April 22nd
Live and on replay.

More info via Bio Link: learning outcomes, webinar info dates times, speaker bio and enrolment links.

06/02/2026

Your pain is real even if nothing is broken or damaged in your body.
Chronic pain, bladder pain, pelvic pain and vulvodynia can be driven by a sensitised nervous system and learned neural pain pathways in the brain. An example of this is phantom limb pain which many of us have heard of.
After infections, inflammation, trauma or repeated pain, the brain can stay stuck in protection mode continuing to send pain signals long after the tissue has healed.

This doesn’t mean you’re imagining it. It means your nervous system has learned pain.
And the good news? What’s learned can be unlearned.

This is where Pain Reprocessing Therapy comes in helping calm the nervous system, retrain pain pathways and reduce pain at the source rather than just chasing symptoms.

You’re not broken. Your body is trying to protect you. And there is a way forward.

Practitioner Danni offers Pain Reprocessing Therapy sessions to support you in managing your pain.
Link in Bio for bookings.

04/02/2026

If your in your 20s or 30s low estrogen may not be something on your radar when working with your genitourinary health.

Working with v&ginal health has consistently shown me that age is not always a predictor of estrogen levels. We have so many different reasons why vaginal and urinary health may be impacted by low estrogen tissue stimulus.

Common often overlooked influences I see clinically include:

Hormonal Contraceptives: even with an estrogen component they can leave your estrogen flat lined and low.

Breastfeeding hormones: the hormones you produce as part of your breastfeeding journey are antagonistic to estrogen. Even if you have your period back your estrogen levels may not be as high as they once were. This is part of a condition called Genitourinary Syndrome of Lactation (GSL).

Anovulatory cycles: even if you appear to be cycling you may not be ovulating. This generally results in less hormonal stimulation (it can be linked to a variety of causes and considerations some are included below)

Other presentations where estrogen may be lower and not supportive of vaginal health include:

• Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea
• Primary ovarian insufficiency
• Low energy availability / under-fueling
• Excessive exercise
• Rapid weight loss or very low body fat
• Chronic psychological stress
• Hyperprolactinemia
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Polycystic o***y syndrome
• Insulin resistance / metabolic stress
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Chronic illness or inflammation and or autoimmunity
• Post-ovarian surgery
• Chemotherapy or pelvic radiation
• Medications (SSRIs, antipsychotics, GnRH analogues)
• Post-pill hypothalamic suppression
• Sleep deprivation/ Circadian rhythm disruption

Lots to consider...
The main thing is you need to consider it. Just because your young doesn't mean you can't be experiencing the impact of lowered estrogen.
Need support?
Book with an Intimate Ecology online naturopath today. Link in BIO

31/01/2026

One of the things I consistently recommend for people in s3xual relationships (of any type) when working with v&ginal health is barrier methods.

Barrier methods not only protect you from STI they also reduce the challenges your microbiome can encounter from s3x. These include fluid sharing (saliva, ej&culate, v&ginal), which can disrupt v&ginal pH, introduce different microbes (bacteria and fungal) and re- share the very microbes you are trying to decrease or eliminate from your microbiome.

It doesn't matter if you are using other types of contraception, it doesn't matter if your partner doesn't have symptoms (or if they've had a standard swab and told nothing is wrong), you make more progress with targeted interventions if you take out fluid sharing s3x.

With the 2025 confirmation that BV associated microbes are passed between s3xual partners and that treating a male partner reduces BV recurrence we need to consider that BV bacteria are not the only microbial species that are shared. We currently know STI microbes, Ureaplasma species, Mycoplasma species and aerobic microbes are also shared. Clinically, I have seen time and time again co-occurrence of fungal species in partnered microbiomes (we just don't have microbiome study confirmation yet).

It doesn't mean barrier methods for ever, but it does mean that allowing soace fot restoration and stabilisation is required to get on top of v&ginal health. This is one factor in a sea of many i.e. you can experience these issues for a range of reasons and you can also experience them and not be s3xually active.

I am also not saying never to unprotected s3x Unprotected s3xual interaction is one of the final re-introductions when supporting your microbiome to see how you have stabilised (partner treatment is also considered).

We know enough to suggest we should be cautious of who we interact with without a barrier. After all we dont walk around with certificates that feature gold stars for microbiome health.

Need support, connect today for online appointments.

28/01/2026

GSM is a chronic, estrogen-deficiency condition affecting the v***a, v&gina, bladder and s3xual function. It’s common, progressive, and very treatable (when we actually name it). It can also feel overwhelming, hopeless and isolating.

Symptoms can include some or all of the below:

Vulvov&ginal
• Dryness and discharge
• Burning, itching, irritation
• Thinning, fragility, tearing
• Loss of elasticity & lubrication
• Increased infections

Urinary
• Urgency & frequency
• Pain with urination
• Recurrent UTIs
• Stress or urge incontinence

S3xual health
• Pain with s3x
• Bleeding after s3x
• Reduced arousal & lubrication
• Painful or reduced org&sm

Not something to suffer through in silence.

In many cases hormonal therapy, v&ginal or systemic can be helpful. Did you know that Naturopathic and holistic support can aid in optimising microbiomes, reducing symptoms and improving quality of life. We work with GSM often with and without hormones to find help that works for you.

Connect to an Intimate Ecology practitioner for consultation. Link in Bio

20/01/2026

Desquamative Inflammatory V&ginitis (DIV) is a relatively rare inflammatory condition affecting the vaginal tissue. Research is still evolving, however it is suggested DIV occurs when a trigger causes a shift of the v&ginal ecosystem that results in an inflammatory response, producing and increasing the presence of WBC and epithelial cell turnover.

The result of persistent inflammation can create painful, unwanted symptoms.

Research is still evolving, but to date it currently suggests it may be more common in caucasian or perimenopausal individuals and may increase in thise with autoimmune issues. Whilst there are no published articles yet to explicitly link BV or AV with DIV, there are suggestions of potential v&ginal microbial imbalance contributing. DIV shares similar symptoms and utilises the same medical treatment, highlighting the importance of understanding the health of an individual’s v&ginal microbiome in providing support and treatment.

Need support?
Connect with an Intimate Ecology practitioner for 1:1 online naturopathic support.
Link in Bio

20/01/2026

Being stuck in the repetitive cycle of recurrent thrush month after month can make it feel like its impossible to step out and break the pattern.

Many people try good indicated interventions but still dont find relief. This can often be because recurrent thrush /RVVC is actually a complex issue with multiple driving factors that influence recurrence. So just intervening with diet or probiotics may help a little but not enough to be symptom free.

This is where a holisitic approach may help. Assessing and considering all the know driving factors implicated in relapse and addressing those factors with consistent transformation care over time can help to mice you from thrush and fed up to forgetting it was ever an issue.

Need suport? Our naturopaths xan work with you 1:1 via online consultation to identify what your factors are.

Book via the links in Bio.

If you are a practitioner struggling to get traction in RVVC cases, Vagiversity starts Feb 20th (6 months of mentoring and education) or we have short course webinars on thrush in the online school. Links in Bio

12/01/2026

Clearing a v&ginal infection doesn’t always mean symptoms disappear straight away. This can be disheartening but is something you can work through with support.

In some cases pain lingers because the body is still recovering. Inflammation in the tissue can remain after the initial infection has resolved, keeping nerves irritated and sensitive.

The v&ginal and v^lvar skin barrier may also be disrupted from the infection itself, itching or repeated treatments.

The nervous system can also become sensitised to pain/discomfort signals. This means the brain and nerves continue to send pain signals even though the original threat (or in this case infection) is no longer present. This doesn’t mean the infection is still there or that the pain is imagined, it means healing now needs to focus on calming inflammation, restoring tissue health and retraining pain and nervous system pathways, not just on the microbiome itself. Lots to consider.

Need support? Practitioner Danni specialises in supporting pain through both her naturopathic appointments and standalone Pain Reprocessing Appointments.

Make a booking today. Link in Bio

09/01/2026

Everyday we talk to our clients about their symptoms in detail.
Symptoms like discharge, odour, menstrual blood, inflammation, dryness, digestion and mood provide clues about the "why"
They indicate hormonal change, specific bacteria and fungi, tissue health, metabolic health and impacts on overall system functioning. They let us know about the internal environment and transitional stages.

When we listen properly the body tells a bigger story.

Today is the final day to enrol in Vagiversity. A 6 month holistic genitourinary microbiome education program for practitioners to learn more about the "why" when it comes to v&ginal and bladder health.
Link in Bio

Looking for personalised support? Appointments available with Intimate Ecology practitioners.

09/01/2026

First week back after the holidays and Jessie-Anne has had a full week.

Need support? You can book with Jessie-Anne for support in genitourinary and sexual health.

Link in BIO or DM for support to book.

07/01/2026

Have you had a swab or result come back with these words?
No action needed. Heavy growth of normal g3nital flora.

It's easy to understand how these words would mean everything is ok, and sometimes they do. But what happens when this is the result that comes back when you have discharge, odour and obvious symptoms of something not being right v&ginally? The ambiguous nature of these words can be misleading, especially since many laboratories no longer report a Gram Stain alongside culture and microscopy results.

In our clinic we make a habit of testing the v&ginal microbiome in particular when people have unexplained symptoms and unclear diagnoses. When you have the benefit of comprehensive microbiome testing and Gram Stain it becomes apparent how many times "no action needed" is incorrect.

Common scenarios that this type of result could represent include:

*Overgrowth of lactobacillus
*Heavy growth of Group B strep, Enterococcus or E.coli or other aerobic bacteria
*Growth of Bifidobacterium species

And whilst all of these bacteria can be present in a healthy microbiome they are also documented to be able to drive symptoms in people.

Frustrating isnt it?
Its one of the reasons:
*I am suspicious of "normal results" without seeing them
*I want to see your results (and all past results) to see if there are clues and patterns over time
*If you have a gram stain reported I am happy as it can provide a snapshot of what the normal is made up of
*I suggest microbiome testing as an imprtant step to understand what is going on.
*I will utilise pH tracking to shed light on monthly patterns

Need help? Intimate Ecology practitioners are available for online naturopathic consultation

Practitioner? Vagiversity open for enrolment for Feb 2026 intake.

Links in Bio

06/01/2026

Dr Moira Bradfield Strydom (Naturopath, PhD) discusses Biofilm busters and degraders, and why focussing on these as the primary intervention in v&ginal health issues may not get you the lasting change needed to support, modify and modulate the v&ginal microbiome. Sometimes, you need to think broader and support holisitic patterns.

Excuse the animal noises (cats and dogs!), noisy co-workers 🐕 🐈

Looking for support with your genitourinary health? Book an appointment with an Intimate Ecology practitioner today. Global online care. Link in Bio

Practitioner looking to learn more about how to work with the v&ginal microbiome? Vagiversity is open for enrolment for Feb start. Early bird closing Jan 8th, 2026. Link in Bio

DM for information about services.

Intimate Ecology - Moira Bradfield

11/02/2026

06/02/2026

04/02/2026

31/01/2026

28/01/2026

20/01/2026

20/01/2026

12/01/2026

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

07/01/2026

06/01/2026

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