Probiotics promote a healthy intestinal microflora, which is crucial in female health, but can probiotics affect your menstrual cycle?
Yes, probiotics can impact the menstrual cycle. Intestinal microbes help support microbial diversity, which plays a role in regulating hormonal balance and menstrual wellness.
Learn how maintaining a healthy microbiome with probiotics can help support hormonal balance and promote healthy menstrual cycles.
The connection between gut health and menstrual health
The composition of your intestinal microbiota can profoundly influence the regulation and metabolism of sex hormones involved in menstrual health, such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
Estrogen is a crucial hormone that regulates menstrual cycles, reproductive health, and bone metabolism.
The ovaries produce most of the body’s estrogen, which circulates through the bloodstream before eventually being inactivated and detoxified by the liver and released into the large intestines for excretion.
Certain gut bacteria influence hormonal balance by producing beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme that converts inactive estrogen into its active form, which is readily reabsorbed into the body.
Research published in Gut Microbes explored the relationship between gut bacteria and estrogen metabolism, suggesting that gut microbiota composition may influence how estrogen is processed in the body.1
Changes in normal estrogen levels can influence menstrual patterns, weight, and mood, emphasizing the importance of hormone balance for supporting overall health and well-being.
In addition, beneficial gut bacteria produce compounds that interact with the nervous system and may support mood balance and stress resilience throughout the menstrual cycle.
Watch the video below to learn how hormonal changes can affect female health.
Can probiotics affect your menstrual cycle positively?
Supporting a diverse gut microbiome with probiotics can benefit menstrual health by helping maintain hormonal balance. While hormonal changes are a natural part of the menstrual cycle, imbalances can contribute to both physical and emotional discomfort.
According to research published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, many women experience occasional changes in their menstrual cycles or period-related discomfort at some point in their lives.2
Evidence published in Frontiers in Microbiology highlights a two-way relationship between gut microbes and sex hormones. The gut microbiota helps regulate hormone activity, while hormonal shifts also influence the diversity of microbes in the gut.3
A healthy gut microbiome supports the metabolism of estrogen and other sex hormones, which may contribute to balanced hormonal patterns throughout the cycle.
Beyond supporting hormonal balance, promoting a diverse microbiome may also encourage digestive health and comfort during menstrual cycles, as many women experience digestive changes during their periods.
Additionally, research published in Gut Microbes suggests that certain Lactobacillus species, including Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), support gut barrier integrity and help maintain balanced immune responses during periods of low estrogen.4
Signs of poor gut health
Beneficial microbes in the gut play an essential role in digestive health, immune system function, mood, energy metabolism, and nutrient absorption.
Factors that can disrupt the balance of the microbiome include frequent antibiotic use, birth control pills, and a diet high in sugar, alcohol, and processed foods.
Lack of friendly bacteria can negatively impact how your body digests food, maintains energy levels, and supports overall wellness.
Here are common signs of poor gut health:
- Gas and bloating
- Changes in bowel habits
- Unexplained weight gain
- Poor nutrient absorption
- Low energy
- Mood changes
- Skin irritation
If you are concerned about your intestinal health or have developed symptoms indicative of microbial gut imbalances, it’s crucial to consult a healthcare provider for personalized guidance.
How to build a healthy microbiome
Building a healthy gut microbiome involves increasing microbial diversity by promoting the growth and proliferation of beneficial bacteria.
Here are three strategies to help you establish and maintain a healthy microbiome.
1. Fermented foods
Fermentation creates an optimal environment for beneficial bacteria to thrive, which explains why fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, pickles, and kefir are excellent natural sources of probiotics.
“Poor gut health can influence overall wellness in many ways,” explains Dr. Berg. “Consuming probiotic-rich foods is an effective strategy to populate your gut with good bacteria and promote microbial diversity.”
Regularly incorporating fermented foods into your diet is a simple way to support a diverse gut microbiome, which has been linked to better regulation of hormonal balance.
2. Prebiotics
Prebiotics are indigestible fibers that are fermented by gut microbes. This fermentation process releases large amounts of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which serve as the primary fuel source for beneficial bacteria.
Foods such as garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, flaxseed, and artichokes are rich in prebiotic fibers that promote the growth and proliferation of healthy bacteria.
3. Probiotic supplements
While prebiotic and probiotic foods play a crucial role in supporting a diverse microbiome, many people don’t consume enough fermented and fiber-rich foods to maintain optimal levels of good bacteria.
Probiotic supplements are widely available and can be found in the form of capsules, powders, or liquid formulations.
To get the most out of probiotics, it’s recommended to opt for a product that contains multiple well-researched bacterial strains, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, which are known to support gut health and microbial balance.
Selecting a supplement that provides around 60 billion colony-forming units (CFUs), which indicates the amount of viable microorganisms per serving, can help ensure you have adequate support for a healthy gut microbiota.
Other benefits of probiotics for women’s health
The female reproductive system is densely populated by microbes, and promoting bacterial diversity with probiotics has been associated with a healthy vaginal microbiome.
Beneficial bacteria help maintain an environment that may support hormonal health and promote a healthy vaginal and skin microbiota.
A balanced vaginal microbiome is essential for maintaining healthy pH levels, crucial for supporting the growth of beneficial microbes, which are a key factor for overall vaginal wellness.
In addition, maintaining beneficial bacteria on the skin’s surface plays an important role in overall skin wellness and may help support normal skin clarity and comfort.
Emerging evidence also suggests a connection between gut microbiota, metabolic function, and hormonal balance.
Research published in the Journal of Ovarian Research highlights that changes in the composition of the gut microbiome may influence how the body regulates insulin.5
Because insulin affects how the body manages energy and hormone activity, a balanced microbiome may support metabolic health and contribute to a more comfortable menstrual experience.
Key takeaways
Can probiotics affect your menstrual cycle? Yes, probiotics help support menstrual health by promoting microbial diversity, which helps maintain normal estrogen metabolism and hormonal balance.
Supporting microbial diversity with fermented foods and prebiotic fibers or probiotic supplements may also promote digestive comfort, vaginal health, balanced mood, and overall menstrual wellness.
FAQ
1. Can probiotics cause hormonal changes?
Yes, probiotics can help maintain a diverse gut microbiome, which has been found to play a role in regulating hormonal balance.
Certain beneficial gut microbes produce the enzyme beta-glucuronidase, which helps the body metabolize estrogen by influencing how much estrogen is reabsorbed within the intestinal tract.
2. Can probiotics affect your menstrual cycle?
Yes, probiotics can contribute to a healthy menstrual cycle by increasing microbial diversity in the gut. A diverse gut microbiome supports normal estrogen metabolism and helps maintain balanced hormone activity.
3. How do probiotics affect your menstrual cycle?
Probiotics support microbial diversity in the gut, which contributes to hormonal balance. This can help promote healthy menstrual cycles, support vaginal health, and is associated with menstrual comfort and emotional well-being throughout the cycle.
4. How can a poor microbiome throw off your menstrual cycle?
The gut microbiome can influence how the body regulates sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, which help maintain normal menstrual cycles.
5. What is the best type of probiotic for hormonal health?
Lactobacillus strains, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus GG, have been found to interact with the body’s natural pathways involved in estrogen metabolism.
6. What fermented foods are beneficial for hormonal balance?
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, natto, kombucha, kefir, and yogurt are excellent sources of probiotics strains such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which have been linked to better hormonal balance in women.
Sources
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10416750/ ↩︎
- https://www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual-syndrome ↩︎
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8506209/ ↩︎
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36941563/ ↩︎
- https://ovarianresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13048-020-00670-3 ↩︎
