Can You Take Probiotics While Pregnant?
Published September 27, 2022
Pregnancy is one of the most exciting stages in a woman’s life. But it’s also when we are most vulnerable. Because of the plethora of changes the body goes through, there is a larger risk of developing health complications.
Unfortunately, taking medications can be complicated when you’re pregnant. Some medical treatments can be dangerous for your baby and may even cause miscarriage.
This is why many expecting mothers turn to alternative treatments like probiotics. But can you take probiotics while pregnant? To fully understand the implications of taking probiotics for pregnant individuals, let’s get to know what exactly probiotics are in the first place.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are living microorganisms that are often called the “beneficial bacteria” or “good bacteria” because of the health benefits we get from them.
You may not know it but our body hosts billions of living microorganisms in what we call our microbiome. These microorganisms can be both harmful and beneficial.
The probiotics’ main job is to keep a healthy balance of these microorganisms. In turn, this keeps the “‘bad bacteria” – the ones making you sick – from taking over your system.
Although they are mostly known for gut health, the health benefits of probiotics are wide and varied. From giving you healthy glowing skin to boosting your immune system, probiotics can benefit almost every part of your body.
Aside from being naturally present in our bodies, we can also get probiotic bacteria from the foods we eat. Probiotic supplements like Bionaze are also an option if you want faster results.
Are Probiotics Safe During Pregnancy?
Yes. Not only are probiotics safe for pregnant women, but it’s also recommended for expecting mothers to take probiotics. And we’ve got the science to back it up.
Pregnant or not, probiotics are generally considered safe. According to clinical data, probiotic supplements are rarely systemically absorbed when used by healthy individuals. This makes them less likely to be transferred into the breast milk and thus are less likely to have any direct effect on pregnancy and lactation. They are also unlikely to cause any harm to the fetus since they are unlikely to reach the fetal circulation pathway.
A study conducted on pregnant women in their third trimester shows that there were no adverse effects related to probiotics. Another similar study reported no increased risk of malformations for pregnant women who were taking probiotics. A systematic review of various control trials published in 2009 also concluded that probiotics cause:
- no increase in the risk of miscarriage
- no significant difference in the C-section incidence rate
- no significant difference in the child’s birth weight or gestational age
The Benefits of Probiotics For Pregnant Women
There’s an old saying that a pregnant woman always has one foot in the grave. This is because of the many complications that we can get during pregnancy. These include heartburn and acidity, constipation, miscarriages, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes.
What’s even worse and scarier, is the risk of having preeclampsia which can result in death.
Fortunately, probiotics can help you reduce these unwanted and preventable complications.
Here are some other examples of how taking probiotics during pregnancy can benefit women:
Reduced Heartburn and Acid Reflux
For starters, heartburn and acid reflux are two different things but are somehow related. Acid reflux is a disease that causes heartburn.
Contrary to its name, heartburn isn’t connected with the heart. It’s just a burning sensation in your chest similar to a heart attack.
During pregnancy, the hormones called progesterone are usually high. This leads to the relaxation of your muscle tissues like the valve between your stomach and esophagus.
When the valve is relaxed due to high progesterone, it will be unable to stop the acid reflux from your stomach. Thus the heartburn.
In general, this can be addressed with antacids. But for some reason, doctors don’t prescribe antacids for pregnant women. That’s why the best alternative for this is probiotics. Studies have shown that taking antacids with probiotics is more effective in relieving heartburn.
Healthy Gastrointestinal Tract
There are a lot of gastrointestinal problems that can occur during pregnancy. Examples of these are constipation, nausea and vomiting, and gallstone formation.
Changes in hormone levels during pregnancy can cause your digestive system to go haywire. Probiotics keep your gut flora healthy which, in turn, can help prevent gastrointestinal problems. Foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and yogurt are excellent sources of probiotics.
Though you might need to avoid yogurt if you have gallstone problems. Dairy products are known to trigger gallbladder pain. But all in all, probiotics help in keeping your stomach and intestines healthy.
Lower Risk of Vaginal Infection
Vaginal infections are common during pregnancy. Changes in hormones can increase the risk of developing bacterial vaginosis. This can be irritating since it can be itchy and have an unpleasant odor.
Probiotics can prevent those unwanted infections since it helps in fighting off those “bad bacteria” in our body.
Lesser Risk of Miscarriage
Infections are the leading cause of miscarriage. As mentioned, vaginal infections are often seen in pregnant women. Preventing infections through probiotics can also help lower the risk of pregnancy loss.
Prevents Gestational Diabetes
Prevention of gestational diabetes is important for expecting mothers. This disease can greatly affect you and your developing baby.
If diabetes occurs during your pregnancy, your baby can grow larger than normal. Problems might arise with this such as injuries to the baby since delivering a large baby can be hard.
There are only a few studies about the relativity of probiotics and gestational diabetes. But most of it shows that probiotics help in reducing your risk of acquiring gestational diabetes.
Reduced Risk of Preterm Birth and Preeclampsia
Of all the pregnancy complications, preterm birth and preeclampsia are the complications you don’t want to get.
Preterm birth is one of the many things that your doctor wants to avoid. Premature babies are much more susceptible to health problems because they aren’t yet fully developed.
Aside from preterm birth, preeclampsia also needs to be prevented because it often results in death.
The usual symptoms of preeclampsia are high blood pressure, the presence of protein in the urine, and sometimes organ damage.
One study shows that probiotics help in lowering your chances of preterm birth and preeclampsia.
In fact, researchers said that recommending probiotics would be a “promising public health measure” to reduce these pregnancy complications.
Prevents Eczema in Babies
As mentioned, probiotics can be good for your skin too. But in the case of pregnant women, probiotics are proven to prevent infant eczema.
A study in 2009 showed that giving lactobacillus acidophilus together with other probiotic strains can help reduce the incidence of eczema by up to 22% by the time the child reaches a year old.
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About The Author
Christian Cruz is an experienced blogger with a deep passion for health and wellness. He descends from a long line of educators and is committed to uncovering the facts when it comes to nutrition and health. Over the years, Chris has tackled all sorts of topics in his writing. As a result, millions of people worldwide have read and benefited from his content.
