Probiotics are ‘friendly’ or ‘good’ bacteria that improve digestion and the absorption of minerals and vitamins. Given the strong connection between the gut and brain function, and the gut’s help in metabolizing estrogen, current research shows that a daily probiotic may also help manage some perimenopause symptoms.
Hot flashes, brain fog, weight gain, low moods, poor sleep, reduced cardiovascular health, and loss of bone density could potentially ease with a daily probiotic, though more research is needed.
This article explains how probiotics help balance the gut microbiome and possibly relieve menopause symptoms. It also outlines which probiotics are best for menopause, why prebiotics are important, and our top probiotic recommendation for symptom relief.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live and beneficial bacteria from the same or similar genus to the ‘good’ bacteria which naturally exist in the gut microbiome. Although bacteria are habitually associated with infections, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria live in the body. The ‘good’ ones are vital for gut health and keeping various body systems working efficiently.
What Is the Gut Microbiome?
Although many may believe the gut’s only role is to digest food, the gut microbiome influences almost all body systems. Located within the GI tract, the gut microbiome is a delicately balanced environment consisting of trillions of microbes including ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
When balanced, the gut microbiome creates the perfect environment for digestion, metabolism, and the assimilation of nutrients to keep the body working efficiently. The gut microbiome is also known to communicate with the brain via the gut-brain axis, through which it impacts the immune system, central nervous system, heart, skin, moods, and sleep.
How the Gut Microbiome Can Change During Perimenopause
When estrogen and progesterone production begin to decline during perimenopause a myriad of symptoms can occur in response. Irregular menstruation, hot flashes, altered moods, interrupted sleep, and dry skin are often obvious.
Brain fog, lowered heart health, and a loss of bone density and muscle mass are less obvious, but also known symptoms of low estrogen.
Fluctuating hormones during perimenopause can also alter the diversity of bacteria in the gut microbiome. In some, if this imbalance remains unaddressed, the immune system can weaken and certain perimenopause symptoms might worsen.
Therefore, a daily probiotic may be recommended during perimenopause and post-menopause to help ease symptoms, boost metabolism, and keep the immune system strong.
Why a Healthy Gut Microbiome is Important During Menopause?
The estrobolome, which exists within the gut microbiome, metabolizes estrogen and helps in its enterohepatic circulation - the process of recycling estrogen through the liver to maintain more stable estrogen levels.
Although estrogen production will continue to fluctuate throughout perimenopause, ensuring the gut microbiome is balanced helps estrogen to circulate and the connection between the gut and the brain to regulate. This may ease perimenopause symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, hot flashes, poor sleep, and weight gain.
The vagina also has a microbiome, which medical experts believe can be influenced by bacterial changes in the gut and vice versa, particularly when hormone fluctuations occur during perimenopause.
Closely linked to the vaginal microbiome is the vaginal pH, which reflects the acidity levels in the vagina. A healthy vaginal pH is mildly acidic, ideally within a range of 3.8 to 4.5 to keep infections at bay.
If the vaginal pH is altered by an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, fungi, or viruses, vaginal infections like yeast infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and bacterial vaginosis (BV) can more easily and more frequently develop. Low estrogen levels during menopause also result in decreased friendly bacteria known as lactobacilli, which can further contribute to the recurrence of vaginal infections.
Maintaining a balance of healthy and harmful microbes in the gut microbiome is therefore vitally important for vaginal health during perimenopause and menopause.
Gut microbiome imbalances can also influence bone health during perimenopause and post-menopause due to calcium and vitamin D absorption, a vital process for strong bones and preventing the onset of osteoporosis.
Lastly, probiotics are recommended for their antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties to boost heart health and lower cholesterol amid declining estrogen levels.
How Do Probiotics Work?
Probiotics balance the gut microbiome and optimize digestion to prevent bloating, constipation, diarrhea, excessive flatulence, and weight gain. They also assist in mineral and vitamin absorption to boost bone, brain, heart, skin, and vaginal health. And they prevent the overproduction of harmful bacteria or parasites that can develop into an infection.
Probiotics are also known to bind to harmful viruses and convert plant-based foods into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which aid in managing the immune system and reduce chronic inflammation that could lead to more serious conditions.
What Are the Best Probiotics for Menopause (Backed by Science)?
Although all probiotics are helpful, research has concluded that different probiotic genera are more beneficial for certain symptoms than others. Each probiotic strain below has been proven effective for enhancing female health and easing perimenopause and postmenopause symptoms.
Ideally, the best probiotic supplement for menopause would include all 4 of the following strains.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) proven to boost the immune system’s response to infections by inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria and promoting the development of beneficial gut bacteria.
During perimenopause and post-menopause, when many women are more susceptible to vaginal infections, lactobacillus acidophilus is known to prevent UTIs.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus is also a LAB and has been proven to improve digestion, protect the gut lining, and ease irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
During perimenopause and post-menopause studies have shown that lactobacillus rhamnosus can improve the gut-brain axis connection. When combined with lactobacillus reuteri, lactobacillus rhamnosus also helps prevent yeast infections, UTIs, and BV.
Lactobacillus plantarum helps to improve digestion and relieve constipation, IBS, and excessive flatulence. During perimenopause and post-menopause lactobacillus plantarum supports a healthy vaginal microbiome, prevents vaginal infections like yeast infections and BV, and reduces vaginal itching or irritation.
Early research suggests it may also boost cardiovascular health and help lower cholesterol, however, more robust research is required.
Lactobacillus reuteri helps to maintain a healthy gut microbiome, a balanced vaginal environment and boosts the immune system.
During perimenopause and post-menopause this type of probiotic is known to prevent BV and may lower the risk of osteoporosis. When taken with lactobacillus rhamnosus, it stops UTIs and yeast infections from developing. You can learn more about Flora Bloom Feminine Probiotic.
What’s the Difference Between Probiotics and Prebiotics?
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that boost the body’s overall health when ingested. Prebiotics are special fibers and sugars found in plant-based foods that feed probiotics. Ingesting probiotics and prebiotics together will ensure that probiotics survive long enough to take effect where needed.
Just like probiotics are abundant in fermented foods and drinks like kimchi, kefir, kombucha, miso, tempeh, sauerkraut, and yogurt, prebiotics are found in plant-based foods like almonds, asparagus, berries, chia & flax seeds, leafy greens, and tomatoes.
However, different prebiotics feed different probiotic strains so it’s not always easy to regulate an effective intake of both through food alone. For this reason, the best results are typically found in a probiotic supplement that also contains prebiotics to feed it.
What is the Recommended Daily Dose of Probiotics During Perimenopause?
Probiotic strength is measured in colony-forming units (CFUs) with most probiotic brands ranging from 10 billion to 50 billion CFUs. Probiotics containing fewer than 10 billion CFUs may not provide benefits, however, a probiotic containing 50 billion CFUs does not necessarily guarantee relief either.
Research shows that up to 99% of commercially-produced probiotics can die before reaching the digestive tract or vaginal canal if not fed by prebiotics. A probiotic capsule that takes longer than 5 minutes to dissolve in the gut has also been highlighted as more beneficial.
Therefore, a dose of probiotics containing 10 billion or 50 million CFUs is irrelevant. What’s vital is that the probiotic supplement includes prebiotics to feed the live bacteria. Or probiotics are ingested with adequate prebiotic foods known to fuel them.
It’s also more effective to ingest probiotics within delayed-release capsules to give the bacteria more time to reach their destination and work their magic.
Whether you take one daily probiotic with food, or two, depends on the product instructions and advice from your healthcare provider.
Our Top Recommendation for Probiotics During Menopause
Based on the most effective probiotic strains for relieving perimenopause and post-menopause symptoms, the research criteria that produce the best results, and long-term client feedback, our top recommendation for probiotics during menopause is Flora Bloom Feminine Probiotic from Intimate Rose.
It is proven to maintain a balanced gut microbiome. It contains all 4 probiotic strains to aid in digestion, manage weight gain, maintain a healthy vaginal pH, and prevent vaginal infections like BV, UTIs, and yeast infections.
Although research is ongoing, the strains included in Flora Bloom Feminine Probiotic may also boost brain health, skin hydration, and bone strength, while easing menopause symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, mild depression, and hot flashes.
Conclusion
Maintaining a healthy gut during perimenopause has been proven to improve digestion, bloating, and weight gain and may ease some menopause symptoms. The good news is, this can be achieved by incorporating a probiotic supplement into your daily routine.
A balanced gut microbiome strengthens communication between the gut-brain axis, optimizes nutrient absorption from food, and helps prevent vaginal infections that can be more prevalent during menopause.
If you’re considering taking a probiotic to ease perimenopause or post-menopause symptoms, ensure you’re taking the best probiotic strains for menopause to feel the best results.
References
Healthline – How Does the Gut Microbiome impact Your Overall Health - https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gut-microbiome-and-health
Research Gate – Enterohepatic Circulation of Estrogen - https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Enterohepatic-recirculation-of-estrogens-by-the-gut-microbiome-Estrogens-in-the-systemic_fig1_362589904
Web MD – What Are Probiotics? - https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-are-probiotics
National Library of Medicine - Probiotics in the Prevention and Treatment of Postmenopausal Vaginal Infections - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5770522/
National Library of Medicine - Role of Gut Microbiota, Probiotics and Prebiotics in the Cardiovascular Diseases - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7926819/
National Library of Medicine - The Effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus YT1 (MENOLACTO) on Improving Menopausal Symptoms - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7408745/
Science Direct - Beneficial effects of Lactobacillus plantarum on glycemia and homocysteine levels in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900713005558
National Library of Medicine - Effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus acidophilus on bacterial vaginal pathogens - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5806794/
National Library of Medicine -Effects of Multispecies Probiotic Supplementation on Serum Bone Turnover Markers in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10857023/
