Probiotics and women’s health

Throughout life, a balanced microbiome is key to maintain women's health. Imbalances may be linked to certain health challenges which impact a woman’s wellbeing and quality of life at various stages of her life.

When the microbiome’s natural balance is disturbed, women can experience a wide range of health challenges that can affect the entire body and mental wellbeing, such as digestive issues, vaginal discomfort, and a compromised immune system. These challenges can be stressful and uncomfortable to talk about, affecting the quality of life of women worldwide.

At Chr. Hansen, we believe in the power of natural solutions. We enable every woman to nurture and care for her nature by offering natural, clinically documented probiotics to support health throughout life.

Early womanhood

In early womanhood, life offers a world of opportunities. But it can be a stressful time, when managing expectations, balancing study, career, and societal pressures, as well as lifestyle choices can have a major impact on a young woman’s health and wellbeing.

Stress hormones are known to disturb the natural balance of the microbiome^{1, 2}, which can lead to a wide range of health challenges for young women, including vaginal discomfort³, digestive issues^{4, 5}, and disruptions in the gut-brain axis⁶. These challenges may not only impact their physical health, but also their mental wellbeing and quality of life.

Pregnancy and motherhood

During pregnancy, a woman’s body goes through major physical, hormonal, and emotional changes. For mothers-to-be, this special time brings with it unique concerns about their health and wellbeing as their bodies change and their babies develop.

The changes that occur during pregnancy can impact the natural balance of the microbiome, which can lead to digestive discomfort, and a compromised immune system in the mother-to-be⁷.

The mother’s microbiome also plays a vital role in the development of her baby’s microbiome. Through birth and breastfeeding, the mother helps her baby establish and develop a healthy gut microbiota, which is important for the infant’s health⁸.

Mature women

For mature women, menopause represents a period of transition. As women age and go through this change in life, estrogen production decreases, and the abundance of certain bacteria in the gut and vagina declines^{9, 10}.

When the microbiome’s natural balance is disturbed during menopause, the majority of women experience a wide range of health challenges, such as gastrointestinal disorders¹¹, vaginal discomfort¹², urinary tract infections¹³, and a compromised immune system¹⁴. All these challenges can be frustrating and affect their quality of life and wellbeing¹⁵.

Probiotics are a safe and natural way for every woman to nurture her nature

We are committed to advancing women’s health now and in the future

All our probiotic strains are formulated to help protect and restore the body’s natural balance. And we don’t stop there. Our strains can be combined and it’s even possible to add other natural ingredients to create unique, targeted and tailor-made solutions.

The demand for quality products is expanding rapidly and there is plenty of opportunity for solutions using our clinically documented probiotics.

Want to learn more?

If you’d like to hear more about our premium probiotics or would like to explore opportunities to help every woman nurture her nature, please get in touch.

References
¹ Cresci et al. Nutr Clin Pract. 2015
² Turpin et al. Am J Epidemiol. 2021
³ Nansel et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006
⁴ Qin et al. World J Gastroenterol. 2014
⁵ Pellissier et al. Vitam Horm. 2017
⁶ Foster et al. Neurobiol Stress. 2017
⁷ Zakaria et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022
⁸ Mueller et al. Trends Mol Med. 2015
⁹ Peters et al. Int J Womens Health. 2022.
¹⁰ Muhleisen et al. Maturitas. 2016
¹¹ Triadafilopoulos et al. Women Health. 1998
¹² Alvisi S, et al. Medicina (Kaunas). 2019
¹³ Medina et al. Ther Adv Urol. 2019
¹⁴ Ghosh M, et al. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2014
¹⁵ Velasco-Téllez et al. Intech Open 2020.

This communication is only intended for business-to-business and health care professionals. This communication is not intended for consumers of final consumer goods. Nothing on this page is meant to be perceived as an approved claim.

Nurture her nature

With premium probiotic strains for every woman