Why You Should Take Probiotics During Pregnancy

Probiotics and Pregnancy

Pregnant women often suffer from gut issues such as constipation, diarrhea, and nausea — it’s no wonder many mothers-to-be consider probiotics. But there is another important reason probiotics are a wise choice for expectant mothers: a healthy gut is critically important for both mom and baby, simply because healthy guts allow better nutrient adsorption for both mother and baby.

In fact, probiotics are not only safe for pregnant women, they provide many benefits for both pregnant and nursing women. Examples include reduced risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension, and depression.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are the good bacteria that occur naturally in our gut. Our guts are full of bacteria which may surprise some readers, but the collective colonies of probiotic bacteria living in our gastrointestinal tract is known as our gut microbiome. We all have unique gut microbiomes, and healthy guts contain only beneficial bacteria for the most part. However, when a microbiome gets out of balance from eating too much processed food and other poor dietary choices (such as consuming alcohol, taking antibiotics, and food poisoning), create an environment where the bad bacteria overwhelm the good bacteria. This compromises your gut function, and perhaps even makes you physically ill – and not necessarily just an upset stomach.

Probiotic supplements increase nutrient adsorption
for both mother and baby during pregnancy.

Importantly, there’s a symbiotic relationship between the bacteria in your gut that breaks down the food you eat into core nutrients, which are then absorbed and delivered to the rest of your body — improving your overall health. It’s impossible to attain full health if your gut doesn’t work at peak performance.

A range of factors including diet, environment, medications, age, stress, or sedentary lifestyles reduce the levels of good bacteria in your gut. However, a diet rich in probiotic foods, can help maintain a healthy gut, but when that’s not possible, taking a probiotic supplement can restore your gut health.

A strong, healthy gut is vital for both mom and baby throughout her pregnancy, because if the mother absorbs nutrients more efficiently, the baby will get them too.

Are Probiotic Supplements Beneficial During Pregnancy?

Probiotics help relieve many of the unpleasant symptoms typically related to pregnancy such as constipation, diarrhea, and even gestational diabetes. Probiotics also help resist hypertension during pregnancy.

Moreover, a weakened immune system is common during pregnancy, resulting in a higher risk of catching common illnesses like the flu or common cold. Getting sick is never fun, but getting sick while pregnant can be dangerous for the baby — making the health of your immune system a priority while pregnant. Given that the gut is closely connected with your immune system, it’s imperative to protect and maintain a healthy gut biome throughout your pregnancy.

Are Probiotics Safe During Pregnancy?

There seems to be no connection to any complications from taking probiotic supplements during pregnancy, and probiotics are generally considered safe. Regardless, we still recommend consulting with your doctor before taking probiotic supplements if you’re pregnant.

Should I Take Probiotic Supplements During Pregnancy?

You can actually maintain good gut health by eating a healthy diet, but that’s hard to do with our Western lifestyle. A healthy diet doesn’t include fast food, soft drinks, or processed foods. The evidence clearly indicates that Western Diets (heavy in processed and fast food) severely harm your gut by killing the good probiotic bacteria your gut needs to work as nature designed. Nevertheless, we get it, living in the digital age is hectic, and it’s often easier to order in or take-out fast food. Therefore, multi-species probiotic supplements like EndoMune Advanced Probiotics are an effective way to keep your gut healthy for many people, and especially during pregnancy.

Conclusion

New findings continue to support a large body of evidence, starting decades ago, that probiotics are safe and beneficial for pregnant women. The good bacteria that probiotic supplements deliver to your gut are a great line of defense against the damage that processed foods cause your gut microbiome. While probiotics supplements have helped many people with busy lifestyles sustain a healthy gut, we always recommend speaking with your healthcare provider before making any dietary changes during pregnancy.

Citations

Kukkonen K, Savilahti E, Haahtela T, Juntunen-Backman K, Korpela R, Poussa T, et al. Long-term safety and impact on infection rates of postnatal probiotic and prebiotic (synbiotic) treatment: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2008;122(1):8–12. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Baral, Matthew, “Probiotics and Pregnant Women,” Natural Medicines Journal, 2015: https://naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2010-04/probiotics-and-pregnant-women

Huurre A, Laitinen K, Rautava S, Korkeamäki M, Isolauri E. Impact of maternal atopy and probiotic supplementation during pregnancy on infant sensitization: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Clin Exp Allergy. 2008;38(8):1342–8. Epub 2008 May 8. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Luoto R, Laitinen K, Nermes M, Isolauri E. Impact of maternal probiotic-supplemented dietary counselling on pregnancy outcome and prenatal and postnatal growth: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Br J Nutr. 2010;103(12):1792–9. Epub 2010 Feb 4. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

https://bmcmicrobiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12866-020-01903-7
https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/cold-and-flu-during-pregnancy
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18595980/

Improve your gut health now.

Communicating
with your Physician

Before beginning a probiotic regimen, contact your physician to discuss any health concerns and if you are taking immunosuppressants or antifungals.