Aside from gut health, the vaginal microbiome also requires an ideal balance for better functionality. Hence, the best probiotics for vaginal health are a must-have. These handy supplements contain live bacteria, which benefits your body tremendously.
Remember, our bodies need to carry vast quantities of good bacteria. The whole body needs probiotics, from our mouths to our stomachs and to our vaginas.
Several factors can disrupt vaginal health, like birth control pills, spermicides and antibiotics. As a result, the vaginal microbiome imbalance causes discomfort, itching, discharge, and unpleasant odors. Ultimately, probiotics help limit vaginal infections like yeast, fungi, and urinary tract infections.
Nonetheless, the benefits of probiotics for women are several, making them a trend that’s here to stay. Read to the end.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms you can take from natural foods or buy as supplements. Also, probiotics increase the number of beneficial microorganisms already living in the body.
Several whole foods contain good bacteria, while others have added live and active cultures. Such foods include yogurt, kombucha, soft cheese, and soy-based products.
But if you can’t access enough natural foods with probiotics, the best alternative is pills and multivitamins. Generally, you can gradually introduce probiotic foods into your diet and see how your body reacts.
What Are The Benefits of Probiotics for Women?
Vaginal Health and Fertility
Based on studies, a particular strain of probiotics is highly beneficial against vaginal infections. This strain is preferred in oral probiotics for yeast infections.
Vaginal infections are problematic because they cause inflammation and even pregnancy complications. Achieving a healthy vaginal biome is crucial for a successful pregnancy and the baby’s health. Besides, a baby’s first gastrointestinal microbes are transferred from mum during birth.
Overall Gut Health
Over the years, dietary habits change as the body’s ability to digest and absorb some foods diminishes. Imbalanced hormones, diet changes, and stress can cause digestive issues, making it hard to process other foods.
Fortunately, good bacteria enables proper food digestion. The benefits of consuming probiotics as a supplement include adding good bacteria that help with easy digestion without adding more foods to your diet.
The probiotics feed your body with what’s missing and necessary to make changes to the poor reaction of your digestive tract to particular foods. Generally, probiotics reduce the symptoms of digestive disorders.
Poor gut health shows itself in several ways, like constipation, bloating, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Even worse, severe conditions like Irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease can also indicate poor gut health.
Consistently taking probiotics will enhance the frequency of bowel movements and soften the stool to reduce the strain while defecating. Besides, regular bowel movements prevent the body from feeling added stress.
Fermented foods like yogurt, kombucha, and kimchi can assist the microbiome in enhancing its function and avoiding the occurrence of disease-causing bacteria in the intestines, as well as support the growth of beneficial bacteria- Lactobacilli.
However, you should know that probiotics’ benefits are transient, meaning there’ll be no benefits if you stop consuming them.
Immunity
Boosting the body’s immunity is one of the ways probiotics benefit your body and ensure it functions properly.
The positive effects of consuming probiotics include eliminating harmful bacteria, maintaining proper gut health, and preventing infections. They also enhance the immune system.
With all the daily germs, bacteria, environmental pollutants, and viruses the body encounter daily, it would help to add beneficial bacteria for better health.
Skin
The skin is likely to get irritations and infections because of the body’s microbiome’s negative impact on gut health.
The skin acts as the body’s first immune barrier from the severity of the world. It combines its roles with the mucous membranes and gut wall to prevent harmful microorganisms from entering our bodies.
According to research, probiotic supplementation can reduce the severity of eczema in kids and adults, especially those who react after taking milk and dairy products. Having adequate good bacteria in the body reduces the intensity of eczema flare-ups and controls the skin condition.
Generally, probiotics support the overall healthy state of microorganisms in the body, and a good variety of these inhabitants can prevent microorganisms from causing any skin irritation or worsening skin conditions.
Mood
There are different causes of mood change in women, like menopause, pregnancy, and monthly cycle, because of the change in hormonal activity.
Experts claim that a healthy gut microbiome improves good mental health, but an imbalanced microbiome is likely to cause mood problems, hence the need for high-quality probiotics.
This is true because gut bacteria imitate the hormones released by our bodies, communicating with the brain via the vagus nerve to monitor the mood. This process is called the gut-brain axis.
Sleep
Several factors cause poor sleep quality and duration, like menopause. Researchers say that the microorganisms that flourish with sleep deprivation can also lead to significant disruptions of daily routines. When you don’t sleep well enough, performing your duties as required is challenging.
A varied gut microbiome from probiotics can limit the overgrowth of these poor-sleep microorganisms by causing effective competition.
How Long Does It Take To See Probiotics Work?
Don’t expect instant changes after taking probiotics. However, you may feel gassy and bloated at first, showing the product is effective.
Then, with time, you’ll notice positive effects like how well your body digests food, reduced vaginal infections, better sleep, and clearer skin. Take note of the type of probiotic that is working well for you.
But note that consistency is vital if you want to see changes, because the body takes time to respond and adjust to anything new. While taking probiotics, drink plenty of water and eat a healthy diet to ensure your gut health is excellent. If you don’t notice any change in a few weeks, consult your doctor before switching to another probiotic strain.
Probiotics come in many forms. You can take supplement pills in the morning or before bedtime, powder to blend with your smoothie, or eat more foods with probiotics. Choose which works for you and maintain it. Still, you can try different probiotics for various issues in the body.
Parting Shot
Generally, the best female probiotics vary depending on an individual’s health goals. In short, different bacteria do different things; for instance, the Bifidobacterium probiotics strain helps with gut health, while Lactobacillus enhances good vaginal health.
As with any supplement, always consult a doctor before consuming any probiotics, especially if you have underlying health issues or are taking medication. Also, remember that probiotics are not a cure for underlying illnesses. So, you should see a doctor if symptoms persist.
