Probiotics For Women

Women’s health is neglected and underfunded – it's a fact^[i]. Our bodies, needs and our response to medications are, in many cases, wildly diverse from men’s, yet it seems that little headway is being made into closing the gender gap in medical treatment.

It’s not really much of a surprise then that women will so often independently seek out information specific to them. Or that we happily turn to readily available over-the-counter solutions to common problems and sound out peers and podcasts for alternative health solutions.

Increasingly, women are discovering the power of probiotics for effective health support for female-specific needs. And when you dig into the research their faith in supplementation makes sense.

Female Gut Health: The Facts

A balanced, healthy gut is vital for everyone but it's particularly important for women’s health. Research shows that the gut microbiota plays a significant role in sex-specific wellness^[ii].

Gut health and your menstrual cycle

There are two major hormones at play when it comes to your monthly menstrual cycle:

Oestrogen (or estrogen) is responsible for preparing the lining of your womb for pregnancy
Progesterone maintains the womb lining and preps the body for pregnancy

These two hormones do great things, but they also contribute to those awful cyclical symptoms that have us all hugging a hot water bottle and reaching for that family-sized bag of Malteasers.

Perhaps surprisingly, the gut is directly linked to oestrogen production, playing a central role in the body’s levels of this all important hormone^[iii]. Based on this, scientists also surmise that there is therefore a strong link between gut health and oestrogen-influenced diseases such as breast cancer, endometriosis and PCOS^[iv]. Gut health, experts say, may even affect fertility^[v].

Recent research suggests that when in dysbiosis certain gut bacteria can reactivate inactive oestrogen in the body^[vi], meaning you’re dealing with more of this hormone than you need. The result? Irregular or heavy periods and more of those uncomfortable period side-effects like bloating, mood swings, cramps and breast pain.

Gut health and the menopause

Just as the gut is involved in menstrual symptoms via the oestrobolome (the gut bacteria that influences oestrogen) so is it involved in how your body deals with the menopause. In addition to the gut’s influence on menstrual symptoms as detailed above, menopause and perimenopause can have a profound, and unpleasant, effect on the gut. This is due to the change in the gut microbiome that comes with menopause, a period during which we see microbial diversity reduced^[vii]. This may result in IBS-like symptoms. The menopausal change in the microbiome may also have a knock-on effect on the mood due to the well-known gut-brain axis.

IBS and women’s health

Significantly more women experience IBS compared to men^[viii], with those in midlife especially affected^[ix]. IBS symptoms may include some or all of the following:

Diarrhoea
Constipation
Bloating
Abdominal discomfort

It’s thought that women are more likely to experience IBS, firstly because of their smaller frames, meaning more intestinal twists and turns, and due to hormones. It also seems to be that the female body’s close-packed uterus and bladder reduce intestinal motility. And as if that weren’t enough we also experience slower digestion than men.

Probiotics and the Vaginal Microbiome

The gut isn’t the only place good bacteria calls home. The vaginal microbiome informs vaginal health and comfort.

What is the vaginal microbiome?

Just like your gut’s famed microbiome, the vaginal microbiome is made up of billions of bacteria, with ‘good’ lactobacilli strains fortunately outweighing ‘bad’ bacteria in healthy women^[x]. Maintaining this bacterial balance is imperative for vaginal health. In addition to creating a physical barrier that effectively protects against invasions of harmful bacteria, it also produces a natural antibiotic that works to minimise inflammation and keep unwanted bacteria from multiplying^[xi].

What happens when the vaginal microbiome is unhealthy?

The balance between so-called good and bad bacteria is a delicate one. The positive(?) news, however, is that when it comes to the vaginal microbiome, unlike the gut, imbalances make themselves known quickly. Dysbiosis in the vagina can show itself as:

Condition	Symptoms
Yeast Infections	Itching Vulval soreness Thick white discharge Burning with urination Painful sex
Bacterial Vaginosis	Increased watery discharge Strong smell, especially after sex Itching/burning (rare)
Cytolytic Vaginosis	Increased white discharge (may be watery or thick) Itching/burning Pain with urination Painful sex
Aerobic Vaginosis	Sticky yellow/green discharge Swelling around vaginal opening Unpleasant smell Stinging/burning Painful sex

An unhealthy vaginal microbiome is also associated with infertility issues^[xii], sexually transmitted diseases^[xiii] and, potentially, certain cancers^[xiv]. Dysbiosis has also been linked with complications in pregnancy^[xv], pelvic inflammatory disease^[xvi] and toxic shock syndrome^[xvii].

How can I support my vaginal microbiome?

Happily, though delicate the vaginal microbiome is incredibly easy to care for. This is not least because the vagina is (despite what the health and beauty industry would have you believe) self-cleaning^[xviii]. There are several easy ways you can nurture the microbiome down below, including:

Avoid harsh, fragranced soaps: chemical-laden products can disrupt the natural vaginal balance^[xix]
Minimise antibiotics: antibiotics can kill off good bacteria along with the bad^[xx]
Dodge unprotected sex: research shows that condom-free sex changes the make-up of the biome^[xxi]
Quit smoking: chemicals in cigarettes reduce the prevalence of good vaginal bacteria^[xxii]
Opt for a cup: blood changes the pH of the vagina and feeds bacterium associated with dysbiosis^[xxiii]. A menstrual cup catches blood higher in the vaginal canal than tampons, minimising contact^[xxiv]

Probiotic Benefits for Women

Designed specifically for women, Precision Biotics’ women’s health range of probiotic supplements are formulated to support both vaginal and gut health.

Here are just a few potential benefits of supplementing with a high-quality probiotic...

Probiotics could balance the oestrous cycle

We now know that the gut involves itself in the production of oestrogen. We also know that throughout our menstrual cycle our oestrogen levels will fluctuate, and that when the gut is in dysbiosis so our menstrual symptoms can be impacted.

With this in mind probiotics can only be a sensible choice for people who menstruate and those in menopause or perimenopause. Supporting bacterial balance in the gut, probiotics, in turn, could also help to provide balance in the oestrous cycle. Which could mean fewer harsh cyclical symptoms in addition to improved digestive health.

Probiotics may help prevent bone loss after menopause

Research shows that menopause is associated with reduced gut diversity^[xxv]. With this in mind, a good probiotic can help maintain steady gut health even as the ’pause does its worst. No bad thing when you’ve already hot flushes and night sweats to contend with.

One of the most significant effects of menopause on female health is reduced bone strength, putting post-menopausal women at risk of osteoporosis^[xxvi]. However, there’s help at hand and it’s probiotic-shaped. Emerging studies say that there’s a tight link between gut and bone health and that probiotic supplementation can promote bone growth and mineralisation^[xxvii]. Specifically, scientists think that probiotics could provide therapeutic support in osteoporosis caused by oestrogen deficiency^[xxviii].

Probiotics support the vaginal microbiome

Probiotics play an important role in keeping the vaginal microbiome healthy^[xxix]. And though currently limited, evidence that supplementation can help in maintaining it research is promising.

Whether or not targeted probiotics do aid in vaginal health, one thing is certain. There is a link between gut health and reproductive health due to the gut’s influence on hormones, inflammation and disease. Which means that there’s really no downside to probiotic supplementation when it comes to female health.

Sources:

[i] https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/204316/medical-misogyny-is-leaving-women-in-unnecessary-pain-and-undiagnosed-for-years/

[ii] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10731147/

[iii] https://kresserinstitute.com/gut-hormone-connection-gut-microbes-influence-estrogen-levels/

[iv] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28778332/

[v] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28778332/

[vi] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31636122/

[vii] https://www.dovepress.com/spotlight-on-the-gut-microbiome-in-menopause-current-insights-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWH

[viii] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2693852/

[ix] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8166071/#:~:text=Abstract,gastrointestinal%20symptoms%20for%20midlife%20women.

[x] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6743080/

[xi] https://www.evvy.com/blog/vaginal-microbiome