Stages of a Woman’s Life and the Microbiome

by Lara Rodin RNCP / ROHP, DSHomMed, FCHM

April 6, 2023

What stage in a woman’s life is the microbiome critically important to women’s health?

Is it:

A. Child-bearing years

B. Career Focus Years

C. Peri-menopause / Menopausal Years

Answer:  All of the above!

March 8th we celebrated International Women’s Day.

This got me thinking about which point in a women’s life is the health of her microbiome – or her gut health – the most important?

Is it during the years she is bearing children or the years she is focusing on her career? And yes, I realize these often overlap.

What about later in life during the peri-menopause or menopausal years?

When I realized what the answer was it surprised me. So, I wanted to break this down for you.

Let’s take a moment and look at each time in a woman’s life.

First, the child bearing years, when typically a woman is in her late twenties to early/mid thirties.  Does a woman’s microbiome have anything to do with starting a healthy family?

The answer is absolutely YES. Why? Because a woman passes on her microbiome to her child during the birthing process.

Did you know the intestines of a healthy newborn infant can be considered to be sterile and that it inherits its microbiome from its mother during childbirth process? Here is how it works: as the baby passes through the vaginal canal it picks up bacteria from its mother’s microbiome. This bacteria then begin to colonize the baby’s gastrointestinal tract.

So what happens if woman doesn’t have a healthy microbiome? What will she pass on to her child?

Studies have shown that if a child doesn’t have the right type of bacteria in their microbiome, they will have an increased risk of gastrointestinal conditions1, increased risk of allergy2 and increased risk of weight management difficulties3 later in life.

Even the type of birth affects the child’s microbiome, since a baby’s first flora is acquired from the environment into which it is born. If a woman has a C-section, the baby isn’t exposed to the vaginal bacteria at all and will instead be colonized by skin bacteria and the hospital environment flora, which isn’t the correct type necessary to developing a healthy gut microbiome.

A 2010 study showed vaginally delivered infants had bacteria that resembled their own mother’s vaginal microbiota (with Lactobacillus and Prevotella being the dominant species). In contrast, C-section infants acquired bacteria similar to those found on the skin surface (with Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium and Propionibacterium species dominant).4

Thankfully, mothers can now opt to do a vaginal microbial transfer for their C-section newborns by using their vaginal secretions prior to birth and inoculating the baby’s mouth, face and body after delivery.

What about the years spent focusing on career?

The thirties and forties are typically a highly stressful time in a woman’s life, as she is often juggling career and family.

Is maintaining a healthy microbiome important in this stage of life?

100%!

Because we now know that stress can actually negatively affect the health of a woman’s microbiome.

Scientists have discovered a bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiota and the brain, which they call the Microbiota-Gut-Brain (MGB) axis. Most people just refer to this now as the Gut Brain Axis (knowing it includes the role of the microbiome).

When we are stressed, our brains (specifically the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis) release stress hormones like cortisol that can alter gut flora and affect intestinal health.5 As an example, one study showed that healthy students that were undergoing stress had fewer lactobacilli present in their stools as compared to periods of less stress.6

However, the good news is that we also know a healthy microbiome can help offset the effects of stress and help maintain a healthy mood. We know this from studies that use probiotics as a proxy for a healthy microbiome.

One study in a group of healthy adults showed that supplementation with a specific combination of probiotics (Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum) resulted in less depression and anxiety and a decrease of cortisol (our stress hormone) over time.7

Other studies show probiotics can affect neurotransmitters. For example, tryptophan is necessary for the production of serotonin. Serotonin is the one that we think of as our “happy” neurotransmitter.

A 2008 study showed a strain of Bifidobacteria can increase plasma tryptophan levels and since tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin this is great news!  It went on to say this bifidobacteria strain can alter serotonin and dopamine turnover in areas of the brain associated with depression and anxiety.8

In fact, scientists are now actively researching and developing “psychobiotics” which are supplements that contain certain strains of probiotics that when ingested may produce health benefits in those suffering from mood disorders.

So, we now know a healthy microbiome is also  important for a healthy mood and maintaining mental health in stressful times. But what about the peri-menopausal and menopausal years?

Typically, at this point in a woman’s life, she has had her family and her career is established, so does a healthy gut matter at this age?

And the answer is, absolutely it matters!

In menopause, as hormone levels decline, so do the protective effect of estrogen (specifically estradiol) on the immune system.9 This is why menopause is often a time of increased inflammation in a woman’s body. In fact, controlling inflammation is a key function of estrogen, so as its levels decline through peri-menopause and into menopause, inflammation in the woman’s body can increase.

This is due to estrogen’s effects on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as Il 1, IL6 and TNFalpha.10

This makes sense when you think of it for a moment, issues like arthritis and other inflammation-based problems typically start later in a woman’s life as estrogen levels decline.

The important connection here is that dysbiosis ALSO promotes inflammation in the body.

Dysbiosis is when there is an imbalance in the ratio of bad (or pathogenic) bacteria to good bacteria in the gut. This situation can arise from a number of circumstances, antibiotic use being the number one cause.

This is an issue because the  balance of favourable and unfavourable bacteria in the gut determines the extend to which pro-inflammatory molecules (such as NFkB) are made.11

So if you have dysbiosis creating inflammation going into menopause, which is already a time of greater inflammation due to low estrogen levels, then this could create a high inflammation state in the body which could mean more menopausal symptoms and a less comfortable transition.

In other words, if you have dysbiosis heading into menopause you might find you have more symptoms than other women with a healthy microbiome.

The good news is that friendly bacteria can inhibit this inflammation pathway. Yet another reason to care for your microbiome!

So, if we recap the stages of a woman’s life and how her microbiome affects each, we find:

The health of the microbiome during childbearing years is incredibly important as the baby inherits their mother’s microbiome during the birthing process.

A healthy gut is very important during the stressful family/career years, as stress can damage the microflora but a healthy microbiome can actually help offset the effects of stress on a woman’s body and mind.

Transition to menopause? The health of the microbiome is extremely important in menopause as dysbiosis can increase inflammation in the body at a time of heightened inflammation that can occur with declining estrogen levels.

This is why I created the Inside Out Microbiome Makeover for women.  While it was originally created specifically for women with IBS,  its also perfect for any woman, at any time, who wants to create lasting health from the inside out.

Stay turned for more details about the launch date.

Live Well,

Lara

DISCLAIMER

The content provided by Lara Rodin in the Inside Out Microbiome Makeover and / or Live Well With Lara website, social media and other public communications, is for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any health condition or disease. It may not be suitable for your individual needs. You agree to use the content at your own discretion and risk.  

Please consult with your personal healthcare provider before following any of the information or suggestions contained in the Inside Out Microbiome Makeover and /or Live Well With Lara website, social media and other public communications, including changes to your diet, exercise, medications, supplements, or other health and lifestyle practices.

References:

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2. Pistiner M, Gold DR, Abdulkerim H, Hoffman E, Celedón JC. Birth by cesarean section, allergic rhinitis, and allergic sensitization among children with a parental history of atopy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Aug;122(2):274-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2008.05.007. Epub 2008 Jun 20. PMID: 18571710; PMCID: PMC4762591.

3. Marko Kalliomäki, Maria Carmen Collado, Seppo Salminen, Erika Isolauri, Early differences in fecal microbiota composition in children may predict overweight, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 87, Issue 3, March 2008, Pages 534–538, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/87.3.534

4. Dominguez-Bello MG, Costello EK, Contreras M, Magris M, Hidalgo G, Fierer N, Knight R. Delivery mode shapes the acquisition and structure of the initial microbiota across multiple body habitats in newborns. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Jun 29;107(26):11971-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1002601107. Epub 2010 Jun 21. PMID: 20566857; PMCID: PMC2900693.

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7. Messaoudi M, Lalonde R, Violle N, Javelot H, Desor D, Nejdi A, Bisson JF, Rougeot C, Pichelin M, Cazaubiel M, Cazaubiel JM. Assessment of psychotropic-like properties of a probiotic formulation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in rats and human subjects. Br J Nutr. 2011 Mar;105(5):755-64. doi: 10.1017/S0007114510004319. Epub 2010 Oct 26. PMID: 20974015.

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10. Saltiki, Katerina & Alevizaki, Maria. (2006). Coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women; the role of endogenous estrogens and their receptors. Hormones (Athens, Greece). 6. 9-24.

11. Epithelial-cell recognition of commensal bacteria and maintenance of immune homeostasis in the gut. Nat Rev Immunol. 2008 June; 8(6): 411-20. Artis D.

12. Epithelial-cell recognition of commensal bacteria and maintenance of immune homeostasis in the gut. Nat Rev Immunol. 2008 June; 8(6): 411-20. Artis D.