10 Reasons Why Women’s Vaginal Flora Needs Probiotics

Worldwide, recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis affects about 138 million women annually, and three out of four women will have an imbalance with a Candida albicans prominent microflora at some point in their life. However, unlike the majority of things in our lives that are beyond our control, the prevention and support of vaginal health is not one of them.

How about a convenient, orally administered probiotic shown to support women’s intimate health?

Here are 10 reasons why women’s vaginal flora needs probiotics:

  1. Rely on a natural solution. Probiotics are natural and efficient complementary ingredients to address genito-urinary issues, including vaginal flora balance.
  2. Rest assured by the science. Probiotics have a full array of mechanistic and clinical evidence of efficacy on a wide spectrum of benefits, from helping to maintain proper vaginal balance, including via oral intake, to being used for recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (for use other than food/dietary supplements).
  3. Replenish your vaginal flora with beneficial vaginal bacteria. Probiotics can promote vaginal health, even during times of occasional bacterial imbalance. Lactobacilli can help rebalance the vaginal microflora and promote vaginal comfort during times of occasional vaginal imbalance.
  4. Give these bugs a fair fight. Probiotics promote vaginal diversity associated with a healthy vaginal microbiota. In vitro studies showed probiotics can adhere to and interfere with albicans, hence demonstrating vaginal colonization and persistence following oral intake.
  5. Experience vaginal harmony. In combination or not with conventional treatments for candidiasis (anti-fungal) women taking some specific probiotic strains see and feel an improvement in candidiasis with a decrease in symptoms including less swelling, redness, burning or itching that can be caused by an overgrowth of opportunistic bad bacteria (for other use than food/dietary supplements).
  6. Prevent it. Probiotics can help reduce the risk of recurrence of candidiasis. There is clinical evidence that probiotics help promote continued vaginal health in Vulvovaginal Candidiasis and in recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis as adjunctive treatment with triazole or alone (for other use than food/dietary supplements).
  7.  Get the balance right. Probiotics restore and promote vaginal flora diversity associated with a healthy vaginal microbiota by normalizing pH. Probiotics can provide an environment through producing lactic acid and reducing pH that promotes a healthy flora diversity, allowing your natural microflora to thrive.
  8. An easy pill to swallow. Probiotics taken orally will pass through the gut, colonize the intestine, and will be excreted in faeces. Anatomically, the anus and vagina are very close, so naturally bacteria will pass over and arrive in vagina to colonize it. This natural phenomenon occurs with “bad” bacteria from the gut flora relocating to the vagina, but also with “good” bacteria like probiotics using the same route. Gut-to-vagina passage was confirmed by clinical studies, where specific probiotics were found in the vagina after oral intake. It was also demonstrated that probiotics were not only found in vagina after oral intake but persisted in the vaginal flora after a 15-day wash-out period.
  9. Reap some extra benefits. Acting upon the gut or vaginal microbiota, specific probiotics can help each individual woman at every stage of her life, from puberty to menopause. The benefits of probiotics to support women’s health are increasingly recognised, mainly due to their positive consequences on feminine health as well as on digestive health, occasional stress, or natural defenses.
  10. Mix and match. The probiotic supplement you take for your intimate health can also include essential vitamins, such as folate, minerals, such as calcium, and plant extracts such as ashwagandha… You’ve got yourself covered!

WARNING! Not all strains are created equal and the benefits mentioned are strain specific. Look out for L. plantarum ROSELLA. L. plantarum P17630 (Proge P17630®), licensed from PROGE FARM®, Italy. https://lallemand-health-solutions.com/en/women-health/l-plantarum-rosella/

References

  • Women’s health and beauty supplements, Grand View Research, 2020. Probiotics and women’s health 2018, Lumina Intelligence. Probiotic 2020: Health Benefits Analysis, Lumina Intelligence.
  • FMCG Gurus: Probiotics Survey, 2018. FMCG Gurus: Personalized Nutrition Survey, 2020. FMCG Gurus: Nutritional Supplements Survey, 2020
  • Rosati, Diletta, et al. ‘‘Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis: An Immunological Perspective.’’ Microorganisms 8.2 (2020): 144.
  • Denning, David W., et al. ‘‘Global burden of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review.’’ The Lancet Infectious Diseases 18.11 (2018): e339-e347. Overview of characteristics and scientific evidence on the strain and on Plantagyn® (vaginal capsules) 2014 http://ceceditore.com/lactobacillus-plantarum-p17630/
  • Dho G, Marchese A, Debbia E. Microbial characteristics of Lactobacillus plantarum P17630 contained in vaginal suppositories. Giornale Italiano di Microbiologia Medica Odontoiatrica e Clinica (Italian
  • Journal of Medical Microbiology and Clinical Dentistry) 2003; 7: 102-108.
  • Bonetti, A., Morelli, L., Campominosi, E., Ganora, E. and Sforza, F. (2003) Adherence of Lactobacillus plantarum P 17630 in Soft-Gel Capsule Formulation versus Doderlein’s Bacillus in Tablet Formulation to Vaginal Epithelial Cells. Minerva Ginecologica, 55, 279-287.
  • Culici, M. & Sasso, M. & Braga, P.C. (2004). L’Adesione del Lactobacillus plantarum P17630 alle cellule vaginali inibisce l’adesività della Candida albicans. Med Odontoiatrica Clin. 8. 34-41.
  • Montella, Rosa & Malfa, Patrizia & Giuliano, Anna & Brustia, Giuseppe & Coïsson, Jean & Arlorio, M.. (2013). Vaginal adhesion of Lactobacillus plantarum P17630 after probiotic food supplement oral administration: a preliminary in vivo study. Nutrafoods. 12. 10.1007/s13749-013-0030-x & Nutracos 2014
  • Simona Nava, Gian Paolo Garone, David Colombo, Luigi Mongelli (2002). Considerazioni sull’impiego del Lactobacillus plantarum P17630 nella patologia vaginale su base infettivo-infiammatoria.
  • Rivista di ostetricia ginecologia pratica e medicina perinatale, Vol 17, n°1, pp 14-19
  • Carriero, Carmine & Lezzi, V. & Mancini, T. & Selvaggi, Luigi. (2007). Vaginal capsules of Lactobacillus Plantarum P17630 for prevention of relapse of candida vulvovaginitis: an Italian multicentre observational study. Int J Probiotics. 2. 155-162.
  • Seta, F & Parazzini, Fabio & Leo, R & Banco, R & Maso, G & de santo, Davide & Sartore, A & Stabile, Guglielmo & Inglese, S & Tonon, M. & Restaino, Stefano. (2014). Lactobacillus plantarum P17630 for preventing Candida vaginitis recurrence: A retrospective comparative study. European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology. 182C. 136-139.
  • Cianci A , Cicinelli E, Colacurci N, Leo VD, Paoletti A, et al. (2016) Observational Prospective Clinical Study on Lactobacillus plantarum in Women with Bacterial Vaginosis/Vaginitis. J Womens Health, Issues Care 5:1. doi:10.4172/2325-9795.1000220
  • Vladareanu, D. Mihu, M. Mitran, C. Mehedintu, A. Boiangiu, M. Manolache, S. Vladareanu (2018). New evidence on oral L. plantarum P17630 product in women with history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC): a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study; Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci Vol. 22 – N. 1, pp 262-267