A woman's body is a complex system of bones, muscle, tissue, organs, blood, hormones, and water. To keep everything in good working order requires some living organisms in the right doses. Those include yeasts and bacteria, some good, some bad.
Maintaining good microbes helps keep health-harming yeasts and bacteria in check. Sometimes, life disrupts this delicate balance, and women seek ways to put it back. Many turn to probiotics.
Probiotics are found in certain foods, such as sauerkraut, bananas, yogurt, leafy greens, soy, garlic, and artichokes. But it can be difficult to get what's necessary in a daily diet. So, there are probiotic supplements designed to make up for the difference.
Although there is still much more research needed on probiotics, there are substantial anecdotal indications that they may provide certain benefits. The lack of research findings means there are no FDA-approved probiotics on the market. However, women can talk to their doctors about using them safely to improve their health.
Some women will swear that probiotics help support their wellness routine. Here are a few ways they might.
They May Aid Gut Health
A woman's gut just may be the root of her wellness. A community of microbes live there. It may sound like aliens in science fiction, but that microbiota in the gut has a symbiotic relationship with its host.
Gut microbiota has been linked to the health of the central nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and digestive systems. It informs the immune system and controls nutrient metabolism and absorption. Your gut affects hormone production, mental health, and bowel movements.
Microbe production and balance change over the course of a woman's life. For example, as she ages, the gut lining thins, which can elicit an unwanted immune response. So, a healthy gut during her younger years doesn't guarantee it will maintain the necessary balance as she gets older.
Maintaining that microbiota balance is the idea behind supplemental probiotics for women. They are designed to help good microbes flourish, which helps tamp down production of bad ones.
They May Keep the Vagina in Top Form
A healthy vagina is home to many microorganisms and useful bacteria. Some of those bacteria are acidic. And moderate acidity, the vagina's ideal pH level, keeps harmful bacteria, fungi, and parasites at bay.
Lactobacillus is a predominant vaginal bacteria. It produces substances such as hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocin, which can help protect women against cervical cancer. Keeping a healthy amount of lactobacillus and other good vaginal bacteria is critical to health and wellness.
The key lies in the balance of microorganisms and bacteria, both good and bad. For example, women can host the fungus candida without suffering from yeast infections. But if it outnumbers good bacteria like lactobacillus, it will cause this uncomfortable condition.
Although the science may not have yet proven the effectiveness of using probiotics for vaginal health, many doctors prescribe it. Supplements may be oral or suppositories inserted into the vagina. They're both designed to rev up production of beneficial bacteria to promote vaginal balance.
They May Keep the Urinary Tract on the Right Track
Urinary tract infections are caused by harmful bacteria and are accompanied by painful symptoms. Those include frequent and burning urination, bladder tenderness, fever, nausea and vomiting, and back pain, to name a few. Left untreated, UTIs can cause kidney damage or potentially, failure of the organ.
UTIs are usually treated with a course of antibiotics. However, women who suffer from them often may become resistant to antibiotics. Moreover, many don't want to fill their bodies with antibiotics. Attempts to get ahead of UTIs may lie in using probiotics.
Again, the efficacy of using probiotics to protect against developing UTIs still requires much more research. However, some studies have indicated the use of probiotics may be beneficial, particularly to women with recurring infections. That's because probiotic supplements may increase production of good bacteria to overcome the UTI-causing bacteria.
Probiotics aren't a cure for UTI. Nor are they guaranteed to fend off infection in women who take them for prevention. Still, using them to keep the bacterial balance in check may help women in their quest for urinary tract wellness.
Proactive Wellness Support
Not all probiotics are the same, and more types packed into a single supplement don't increase the chance of success. Like choosing the right antibiotic to treat a certain infection, choosing the right probiotic ingredient is vital.
For example, one containing lactobacillus rhamnosus will replace the good bacteria needed to fend off yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. Lactobacillus acidophilus may help ease digestive issues.
Women may have more than one health issue being affected by dysfunctional microorganism and bacteria production. Finding a probiotic formula that contains the best combination of ingredients is a search worth pursuing.
Women should talk to their doctor about the issues they're experiencing and potential probiotic ingredients that may help. Doctors may make recommendations based on a probable diagnosis or perform blood or stool tests and cultures to determine the imbalance. There are also home tests women can self-administer then review recommendations based on the results.
Probiotics may not be an FDA-recommended treatment for women's wellness. But many women have found relief and better health using the right ones. That's a strong show of support.
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