Probiotics do not enhance unhealthy vaginal flora when administered vaginally in a daily capsule to patients for ten days before fertility therapy.
Highlights
- Pregnancy chances in IVF are affected by the bacteria which colonize the reproductive tract
- Administering vaginal Lactobacilli probiotics may not improve vaginal microbiome
- Pregnancy and live birth rates are higher among women whose vaginal microbiota is dominated by lactobacillus
Probiotics - Support System for the Gut
Probiotics are live microorganisms that resemble the “good bacteria” in our gut. Science is yet to fully explore the healing potential of probiotics; meanwhile some studies have ruled in their favor.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that resemble the “good bacteria” in our gut. Science is yet to fully explore the healing potential of probiotics; meanwhile some studies have ruled in their favor.
‘‘Good’ bacteria in probiotics are increasingly interested in treating women with an imbalance in vaginal microbiota.’
On this basis, the authors suggest that it may be worthwhile to postpone fertility treatment among patients with an ‘unfavorable’ vaginal microbiome until a normal balance is achieved. Principal investigator Ida Engberg Jepsen from The Fertility Clinic at Zealand University Hospital, Denmark, will present the findings today at the 38th Annual Meeting of ESHRE. She said that the ‘spontaneous’ improvement rate observed among patients may provide grounds for a change in approach towards IVF timing.
‘However, a spontaneous improvement rate over a period of one to three months may provide the basis for an alternative therapeutic approach. The strategy would involve postponing fertility treatment until spontaneous improvement occurs, but further research is needed. The specific vaginal probiotic tested in this study had no effect on the favourability of the vaginal microbiome before IVF. But probiotics in general should not yet be discounted.’
Vaginal Probiotics
Conversely, those with an imbalance – or dysbiosis – where the Lactobacillus concentration is too low may have a lesser chance of an embryo implanting in the uterus.
Quiz on Probiotics
Though probiotics have been a part of our diet since ancient times, their use as medicines has been relatively recent. Test your knowledge on probiotics by taking this quiz.
Though probiotics have been a part of our diet since ancient times, their use as medicines has been relatively recent. Test your knowledge on probiotics by taking this quiz.
The women were randomly assigned either to receive vaginal probiotic capsules (n=38) or a placebo (n=36). Samples were taken to determine the effect on the vaginal microbiome following the 10-day course of probiotics, and again in the subsequent menstrual cycle (on cycle day 21 to 25). Improvement in the vaginal microbiome was defined as a shift in receptivity profile from low to medium, low to high, and from medium to high.
Everything You Need to Know about Vaginal Health – Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
How much do you know about vaginal health care? Find out everything you need to know about the most common vaginal problems and how to have a healthy vagina.
How much do you know about vaginal health care? Find out everything you need to know about the most common vaginal problems and how to have a healthy vagina.
The authors advise that only two strains of Lactobacilli were contained in the probiotic samples. In addition, they say the broad categorization of the vaginal microbiome profile may not capture ‘more subtle changes’ that could affect fertility.
Vaginal Bleeding
Normal vaginal bleeding begins in the early teens and goes on till a woman’s mid-life. It is the bloody discharge from the uterus during menstruation.
Normal vaginal bleeding begins in the early teens and goes on till a woman’s mid-life. It is the bloody discharge from the uterus during menstruation.
Source-Eurekalert
