DID YOU

KNOW?

Probioticsarelive

microorganisms,and

differentprobiotics

mayhavedifferent

effects.

products the TGA explain there are

no health concerns regarding their

safety. For more information, you can

visit tga.gov.au.

Can oral probiotics

actually get “down

there”?

Professor Hold explains that taking oral

probiotics can result in a transferral of

pathogens from the rectum to the vagina

but believes that an oral probiotic is not

theonlyanswerforvaginalhealth.

“Consumingaprobioticcanhelp

becausebugsthatgointhroughthe

mouthcangoaroundthebody.They

canmoveoutoftheintestinaltract,

theycantranslocate,butifyouwant

toinfluenceyourreproductivehealth

therehastobeabetterandmore

accuratewaythanpoppingaprobiotic

capsule,”shesays.

Beyond oralprobiotics

ProfessorReidexplainsthathisresearch

consideredtwoapproachestodelivering

probioticsforvaginalhealth:aprobiotic

suppositoryusingtheGR-1andRC-14

strainsdelivereddirectlyintothevaginaor

oralprobioticsupplements.

Theadvantageofasuppositoryisthat

thelactobacillicanbedelivereddirectly

totheproblemareawheretheycan

targetpathogensmorequickly.

ProfessorReidexplains

thedevelopmentofa

suppository,while

preferableforsome

women,wouldhave

requiredconsiderable

fundingandabout

10 yearsofresearch.

Unfortunately,he

says,industryhasbeen

unwillingtoinvestin

thetimeandmoneyfor

thisdevelopment.

Transferringthe

vaginal microbes

Arecentstudyhasgoneonestep

furtherbylookingatthepossibilityof

vaginalmicrobiotatransplants(VMT),

whichinvolvesthetransferralofvaginal

microbesfromhealthywomentothose

whohavesufferedrepeatedinfections

andwheretheirmicrobiomeisskewed.

“Thisisreallyinitsinfancy.It’salmost

likeusinglocalprobiotics.Sorather

thanconsumingthesemicrobesorally

incapsuleformat,weareintroducing

thematthelocationwherethey’re

neededtobe,”saysProfessorHold.

However,ProfessorReidwasnot

impressedwiththestudy,whichfailed

tostatewhatwasinthedonormaterial.

HearguesthatVMTisnotcommercially

readyandhastoomanyfactorsaffecting

itspotentialsuccessasatreatment.

Although studies have

shown no negative effects

of using probiotics during

pregnancy, there do

not appear to be any

benefits either

probiotic claimin t mprov
agina
hea

PHOTOGRAPHY

GETTY IMAGES

This includes the important questionof

whose vaginal microbes should be used,

when in the menstrual cycle the donor

swabs are taken, the influence

of semen if the donor is

sexually active and how

dense the material from

the donor sample is

needed to outcompete

the organisms in

the recipient.

“It surprised methe

paper was acceptedas

it was more hype than

realistic application.”

What about probiotics

and pregnant women?

A study published early this year

looking at the use of a probiotic

containing the GR-1 and RC-14 strains

twice daily for 12 weeks by pregnant

women showed no adverse effects.

Although studies have shown no

negative effects using probiotics during

pregnancy, there do not appear to be

any benefits either.

In a nutshell

Women’s probiotics claim to be of

benefit to vaginal health. However,

despite proven results with some strains

such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus

GR-1 and Lactobacillus Reuteri RC-14,

other strains do not have the evidence

to support their use and the general

consensus is that further research

is needed.

be informed