What Makes a Woman's Gut Microbiome So Unique
Your gut microbiome is completely unique to you. It’s shaped by your diet, environment, age, medication - and even your gender! The microbiome refers to the trillions of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses and fungi, all housed in your body and helping to support optimal health.1
While research is still ongoing, there is increasing evidence that sex hormones like estrogen and androgens can influence the gut microbiome.1 What’s more, common health problems like urinary tract infections and vaginal infections can also be influenced by the health of your microbiome.2
Ladies - here’s what you need to know.
3 key facts about the woman’s microbiome
1. Vaginas have their own microbiome.
Your vagina is an ecosystem in itself, home to more than 200 different bacterial species that are shaped by your genes, environment, ethnicity and more.3 These bacteria help to keep your vagina healthy and functioning normally - they’re our friends!
Your vaginal microbiome can also be shaped by lifestyle factors like your diet, age and use of antibiotics.4 Problems like stress and disease can negatively impact your vaginal microbiome. 5 For example, stress in pregnant women has a negative impact on vaginal immune activity and changes the composition of the vaginal microbiome, including reducing the number of Lactobacillus present.5
2. UTIs can be caused by microbiome imbalances.
Your urinary tract also has its own microbiome. Research has found more than 100 species of microbes in the human urinary tract, including bacteria, fungi and viruses.6
The urinary tract is the most common place for bacterial infection in adults. UTIs can be caused by a variety of different bacteria and fungi - and unfortunately antibiotic resistance is common.7 UTIs disproportionately affect women, with as many as 50% of women suffering from a UTI in their lifetime.8 UTIs are common among sexually active young people but the risk of UTIs actually increases with age, with postmenopausal and elderly women most at risk.8
This means solutions to target UTIs in women - like specially formulated probiotics - are really important to protect the urinary tract microbiome and keep infections at bay.
3. Your diet matters
Your diet has a big impact on your microbiome - from your gut to your vagina and beyond! For example, research found that diet has a key role to play in the composition of the vaginal microbiome. Lower intake of some essential nutrients, including vitamins A, C and E, could contribute to increased risk of bacterial vaginosis and Candida colonization (aka yeast infections).3 Animal studies have also suggested a gender-specific relationship between diet and microbiota, where the same foods lead to increases of different bacteria in men and women.1
How to look after your unique microbiome
To keep your health as a woman in tip top condition, it’s important to look after your microbiome. That’s why we created advanced gut health probiotic women's daily 50 billion. Our research-based formula is aligned with a woman's design and made to work in harmony with your body, no matter your lifestyle, diet or age. With 15 diverse bacterial strains, our 50 billion CFU probiotic has been created to support the digestive system and gut flora in women, including:
· L. acidophilus, which has been shown to prevent and reduce symptoms of bacterial vaginosis9
· L. fermentum, which can help reduce pathogenic colonization of the vaginal microbiome10
This formula is built to strengthen gut flora and support a woman’s unique gut microbiome. Simply take 1 capsule a day and know that your body is being looked after. We’ve got you girl!
Date Modified: January 31st, 2025
REFERENCES
1. Yoon K, Kim N. Roles of Sex Hormones and Gender in the Gut Microbiota. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2021;27(3):314-325. doi:10.5056/jnm20208
2. Brubaker L, Wolfe AJ. The female urinary microbiota, urinary health and common urinary disorders. Ann Transl Med. 2017;5(2):34. doi:10.21037/atm.2016.11.62
3. Auriemma RS, Scairati R, del Vecchio G, et al. The vaginal microbiome: a long urogenital colonization throughout woman life. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021;11. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2021.686167
4. Holdcroft AM, Ireland DJ, Payne MS. The vaginal microbiome in health and disease—what role do common intimate hygiene practices play? Microorganisms. 2023;11(2):298. doi:10.3390/microorganisms11020298
5. Kim N. Sex difference of gut microbiota. In: Kim N, ed. Sex/Gender-Specific Medicine in the Gastrointestinal Diseases. Springer Nature; 2022:363-377. doi:10.1007/978-981-19-0120-1_22
6. Neugent ML, Hulyalkar NV, Nguyen VH, Zimmern PE, De Nisco NJ. Advances in understanding the human urinary microbiome and its potential role in urinary tract infection. mBio. 2020;11(2):10.1128/mbio.00218-20. doi:10.1128/mbio.00218-20
7. Flores-Mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ. Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2015;13(5):269-284. doi:10.1038/nrmicro3432
8. Al-Badr A, Al-Shaikh G. Recurrent urinary tract infections management in women. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2013;13(3):359-367.
9. Russo R, Karadja E, De Seta F. Evidence-based mixture containing Lactobacillus strains and lactoferrin to prevent recurrent bacterial vaginosis: a double blind, placebo controlled, randomised clinical trial. Benef Microbes. 2019;10(1):19-26. doi:10.3920/BM2018.0075
10. Reid G, Charbonneau D, Erb J, et al. Oral use of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 significantly alters vaginal flora: randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 64 healthy women. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2003;35(2):131-134. doi:10.1016/S0928-8244(02)00465-0
