Written by: Jen Cox - AdvDip NAT + WHM. @keeperandkin

If we were going to get right down to it, I’d be fairly confident in saying probiotics are the mum of the health world.  Think about it: your microbiome is responsible as all heck. Probiotics help you feel good, they try to ensure you get enough of the right nutrients from  whatever awful diet you subject yourself to, they help prevent illness and support as best they can when you’re sick.  Your microbiome multitasks like one boss-ass mother, carrying out thankless tasks under literally crap conditions.

These angels really do deserve their own Mother’s Day. I bet they’re tired. And as a member of the mum alumni I gotta say: same, girl. So, with Mother’s Day having just officially passed us by again, let’s not wait an entire year to celebrate her.  Instead, let’s throw some gratitude out to all the deeply pro-mum and generally pro-women stuff our microbiome does for us every day.  In fact, I’m gonna go right ahead and call her the Mum-crobiome for the purposes of this blog.

Here’s a few reasons why supplementing with probiotics to build a healthy Mum-crobiome is especially important for us ladies.

They’re on team vajayjay:

There are times my dear friends, when weeds may grow in the lady garden but your Mum-crobiome is here to help. Supplementing with probiotics will both support realignment and in some cases prevent icky experiences like urinary tract infections, thrush and bacterial vaginosis from sapping your feminine power. This study found probiotics made for more successful treatment of bacterial vaginosis.  This review found the presence of lactobacilli to be a common denominator in the fandango that has never had a UTI at all.  This review found nourishing your Mum-crobiome helped ALL aspect of hoo-ha health: from preventing urinary tract infections to disrupting the biofilms of both thrush and bacterial vaginosis.

Not to ignore the mature Republic of Labia, this study found prevention and treatment of both bacterial vaginosis and thrush to be especially linked to probiotic balance after menopause. Suffice to say the Mum-crobiome has your back (and front) covered.

They’re hereditary.

If you’ve built a human, or two (or more) your microbiome has officially gone peak Mum by essentially becoming one herself. She gifted that squishy little love of yours their very first set of probiotics. OG bacteria passed from mother to baby in the birthing process to initiates a probiotic colony which eventually forms your darling heart’s own Mum-crobiome. It’s the circle of life.

For more on why probiotics are key for your babe’s growing health, check out this other blog over here. To summarise though, this is some of the most valuable inheritance we have.

They’re body positive.

The Mum-crobiome is all for you feeling good about yourself. She’ll support positive body image by curbing stress and anxiety when you need it, saying ‘yes you feel great in that!’ Mum-crobiome also has the ability to manage leptin (our key hunger hormone) and support any weight loss journey you may have.  In fact, that weight loss factor is gender specific according to this study over here, which found dudes using the same probiotic plan did not achieve the same great weight loss results their female counterparts did with the exact same supplements. Damn Mum-crobiome, way to play favourites. We’ll allow it.

They’re hand in hand with hormones.

Speaking on the hormonal from, your Mum-crobiome is pretty heavily involved in the balance of estrogen too.  Suggestion that probiotics directly influence estrogen levels can be found here. Also, for estrogen based conditions such as endometriosis - according to this study right here – Mum-crobiome plays a role in how inflammation and auto-immunity become involved in your symptoms.

It goes the other way too. Research like this article found estrogen levels actually impact your Mum-crobiome too, which just adds fuel to the idea that your microbiome is a female to be honest. Because of this, nourishing your Mum-crobiome is especially important during change of life, so she may continue to parent you selflessly and efficiently like the absolute queen she is.

Long may she reign.