There are many reasons why a woman may struggle to conceive naturally. From a stressful lifestyle, obesity, a poor diet, and even conditions such as PCOS, there are many challenges facing women of conception age who want to become pregnant and start a family of their own.
Of course, if you are struggling to conceive, the first port of call should always be your doctor, to have tests to find out whether there is any specific medical reason for your difficulties. This could yield some information which can be righted and the problem may sort itself out naturally. If it doesn’t however, there are many natural remedies which might increase your chances of natural conception.
One of those remedies might be taking a daily probiotic supplement.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are actually live and active bacteria. That sounds quite worrisome, but these are actually positive and good bacteria which bring benefits to overall health and wellbeing.
The main benefit of taking a probiotic supplement, or through increasing your natural probiotic dietary intake, is overall gut health improvement, a boost to your immune system, and a few other beneficial effects, such as extra energy, a decrease in recurrent UTIs and thrush, and even improvement in skin condition, especially for those with allergies.
This all occurs because of a natural balance between the bad bacteria in your body and the good. We need both for smooth running of many systems, such as the digestive system and immune system in particular. When the bad overruns the good, illness can occur, especially inflammation, which can run riot throughout the body and affect health and wellbeing greatly.
How Might Probiotics Help With Conception?
There are a few reasons why taking a regular probiotic supplement, or increasing the amount of natural probiotic you get through your diet, may help to boost your fertility and overall chances of conception.
An Imbalance in Vaginal Bacteria
In some cases, there can be a bacterial imbalance in the vagina which could prevent conception from occurring, or at least make it more difficult overall. By taking a regular probiotic, this imbalance can be balanced out, and therefore solve the issue.
Chronic Inflammation
Having a high level of inflammation within the body can cause many different health problems, but one of them could be connected to fertility. A large amount of inflammation can affect menstrual cycles, and when there is irregularity of menstruation, problems with fertility occur. Several different probiotic strains have been found to be useful in reducing such inflammation, therefore allowing cycles to return to normal, and the chances of natural conception much higher.
Problems With Sperm Quality
Of course, conception is about two people, not just one! It may be that the male partner has issues with sperm quality or production. There is some suggestion that taking a probiotic, especially a type of lactobacillus, may help to improve sperm health, and therefore allow conception to be much more likely.
The Issue of Bacterial Vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common vaginal infections on the planet, and it can often be associated with no symptoms. When left untreated, BV can affect fertility. Taking a regular probiotic, especially lactobacilli, could help to reduce BV occurrences and therefore improve the chances of conception.
Which Probiotics Are Best For Improved Fertility?
There are countless different strains of probiotics, so it is important to find the right one for your specific problem. The main strains which have been found to be useful in helping with reproductive system issues are:
- L. rhamnosus
- L. reuteri
- L. plantarum
It is important to talk to your doctor about any issues pertaining to fertility before simply assuming that a probiotic supplement will sort the issue out. Having said that, probiotics overall are very beneficial for health and well-being, so taking one daily certainly won’t hurt matters and could even be useful for your fertility, if you choose the right strain and product for your needs. Your doctor will also be able to help you identify the right options for you.
Anyone who is considering taking a supplement of any kind should have a quick check in with their doctor regardless of what the issue is. Whilst we don’t have much in the way of known side effects relating to probiotics, we also don’t have conclusive evidence that there aren’t any. A chat should be enough to ascertain whether or not you have any contraindications.
How to Take a Probiotic Supplement
There are many supplements on the market, so it’s really about shopping around and finding the right option for your needs. You can find a helpful guide to the best probiotics for women here. Most supplements are either a capsule, a tablet, or a yogurt-style drink which you take daily. Be sure to shop around and look at prices and reviews. Remember, the supplement world is not regulated, so finding out the truth about a product before assuming it is beneficial is always the best way forward to health success.
There isn’t a huge amount known about possible side effects, as mentioned before, so it’s a good idea to monitor how you feel when you start taking the supplement. Many people experience a little bloating and excess gas at first, but this should pass after the first few days. This is simply your body getting used to the supplement, and shouldn’t be an ongoing problem. Remember, supplements are supposed to be beneficial and help with gut health, not make it worse! If you notice problems, it’s probably that you simply need to look at a new product to take.
Many products also vary in terms of how to take them, e.g. once per day, in the morning, after food, before food etc. It’s vital to read the label and understand the specifics before you begin. By doing this, you can be sure to get the best overall performance, and hopefully the major benefits coming your way.
Whilst there is no 100% guarantee that taking a regular probiotic will help you to conceive naturally, there are certainly encouraging signs that it can help.