Fertility & Postpartum

Does a probiotic help with fertility?

Professor Willa Huston is a microbiologist at the University of Technology Sydney. Her research team is committed to understanding how STIs and the vaginal microbiome are involved in infertility and other adverse impacts on women’s reproductive and genital health.

"In the not too distant future you might be encouraged by your doctor to give some thought to your microbial friends in your vagina! Scientists have found that the microorganisms (or microbiome) in your vagina can be important for fertility and successful outcome of your pregnancy,” she said.

“Women undergoing fertility treatment who had vaginal microbiomes with mostly lactobacilli were more likely to have a successful positive pregnancy test. On the other hand, women without (or with less) lactobacilli but with more microorganisms that have be associated with unhealthy states, have been reported to be less likely to have a positive outcome of fertility treatment. This is likely also the case for women who are trying to get pregnant without assisted reproduction therapies.”

While the research is emerging and ongoing, in the next few years we will have a clearer understanding on probiotics particularly to support fertility.

Does a probiotic help postpartum vaginal health?

The research on the vaginal microbiome composition in pregnancy dramatically changes postpartum to become less Lactobacillus spp. dominant independent of ethnicity. Lactobacillus are the good, healthy bugs that help to maintain balance and healthy bacterial populations in the vagina.

With these changes, women may want to consider adding healthy vaginal Lactobacillus species into the vagina postpartum in the form of a postpartum probiotic.

What should you look for in a postpartum probiotic?

The best postpartum probiotics will have a combination of healthy strains found in the microbiomes of ‘healthy’ women. It’s important to note there is a great deal of diversity in healthy microbiomes however these strains have been found by scientists to be the most beneficial overall for vaginal health, regardless of life stage, including prenatal and postpartum, and ethnicity:

Lactobacillus species

The microorganisms that dominate a healthy vagina microbiome and are critical for maintenance of vaginal wellbeing are the Lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus species produce lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and other directly antimicrobial agents which have essential role in the balancing bacterial organisms and maintaining healthy vaginal microbiome. 

There are around 20 Lactobacillus species that have been detected in the vagina. Recent scientific research has shown that healthy vaginal microflora does not contain high numbers of many different Lactobacillus species. Rather, 1 or 2 Lactobacillus species are dominant (mainly L. crispatus and L. iners but also L. gasseri and L. jensenii), and other species are rare.

Lactobacillus crispatus

The most important of the Lactobacillus species is called Lactobacillus crispatus. In fact we like to call it ‘the queen'. It is the most beneficial healthy bacteria in vaginal microbiome of 65% of all women. If you get back a vaginal microbiome test, and see L. crispatus dominance in the results it will usually indicate that there is a balanced and healthy vaginal microbiome. L. crispatus creates very stable colonies. 

Lactobacillus gasseri

Lactobacillus gasseri is the ‘second in command’ good bug, entirely connected with the healthy and balanced vaginal microbiome. It is present in healthy vaginal microbiome in more than 40% of women. Although it does not create as stable colonies as L. crispatus, certain L. gasseri strains have the ability to release antimicrobial substances that interfere with the ability of bad bugs to survive in the vagina and form a biofilm (a protective layer some bad bugs can create around themselves).

If you’re looking for a vaginal probiotic to maintain a healthy microbiome before and after pregnancy consider one featuring these Lactobacillus species.