When I learn about something good, or try a product that I love, I just have to share it with everyone! That’s why I decided to write a post about probiotics because the love is REAL. Before this year I had only a vague idea of what they were and had never considered taking the, . Fast forward to present-day, I’ve been taking them for a while now and I can for sure notice several differences. This post will be about the benefits of taking probiotics for women, and the changes I’ve noticed.
FYI this post coming with a TMI warning!
About 10 months ago at my 6-week Postpartum check-up my doctor, while doing the normal physical exam, noticed firmness in my abdomen and asked me about constipation. To be honest, I was so wrapped up in being a mother to an infant & toddler all at once that I barely paid attention to the fact that post-delivery I wasn’t having the best time going to the bathroom. She suggested I take probiotics for women and recommended Ultimate Flora by Renew Life. I picked some up from Target and started to notice a difference in a few days.
What are Probiotics
There are many websites that can better explain to you what probiotics are. I’ll link my sources throughout the article so you can do your own research because I’m sure there are things I’ve missed. But basically, probiotics are the good germs in your gut that help to protect your body and keep you healthy. Like most of the vitamins and nutrients our bodies need, we can get them from foods but many of us don’t have the most nutritious diets. Thankfully we can take them in pill form and get the nutrition we are missing out on.
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Benefits
So I’m sure that telling you to start taking a pill full of bacteria isn’t very appealing. But that’s because I haven’t gotten to the good part yet! The benefits of taking probiotics are so numerous, especially for women, before during and after pregnancy, that you’ll forget any reservations you have!
Let’s start with gut health. Probiotics help with all issues in this area: diarrhea, constipation, IBS, bloating and more. I’ve even read that probiotics aid in weight loss! Another awesome benefit is that it improves your immune system! As the weather gets colder this will become more and more important as we try to avoid catching and passing on the cold & flu viruses. For most parents of children in daycare or school, this is reason enough to take them!
Women, in particular, have a bonus set of benefits from taking probiotics. These germs help to fight UTI’s, Bacterial vaginosis yeast infections and even issues like preterm labor and preclampsia. I’ve also read that probiotics can improve your mood and positively affect fertility!
My Experience with taking probiotics
So according to the internet they’re magic right? Well, I’ve actually seen some of these benefits so, yeah they kind of are! Taking probiotics has helped my digestive issues a lot. When I am taking them regularly, whether I’ve been eating well or not, I am able to use the bathroom without issue. A few weeks after the birth of my second daughter I got a pretty bad UTI. I’m not sure if it was from the catheter or just the wide array of ‘stuff’ going on ‘down there’ while healing up from my vaginal delivery, but it was my first one and it sucked. But taking the probiotics (along with antibiotics, and drinking tons of water & cranberry juice) helped it resolve quickly and it never came back! In fact, I feel as though I don’t have any problems with discharge, odor, infections or any issues with my lady parts now! I was never prone to BV or yeast infections but it’s till nice to know that I am protected against them! I love these little germs!
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I have even had 2 great expereinces with the immune system boost these provide. Everyone in my household has had a bit of a cold this past month, except for me! Usually one sniffle from my 3 year old after preschool is a forecast of a cold, swiftly headed my way. But thankfully I haven’t been sick at all. I have not made any other changes in my life so I’m giving all of the glory to my little bacteria friends!
Brand Recommendations for probiotics
If you don’t want to add another pill to your daily routine you can try eating more yogurt, kimchi, drink kombucha or any other food that naturally has probiotics. If you’re okay with pills I suggest heading to GNC or any major retailer and picking up some. I usually order mine from Amazon because of their same day delivery. Sometimes you can catch a good Prime Day deal and get these for half off. Right now, I am still using the Renew Life brand, and I’m taking the pills with 90 billion live cultures. These might be expensive to some, 1 bottle of 30 pills is about $30. If you take them daily that $1 a day but other brands offer prices that break down to $.55-$.80 per pill, so shop around. In the past I’ve taken the pills with 25 billion live cultures and these work just as good, but maybe a bit slower.
This post only skims the surface of the benefits of taking probiotics, I just wanted to share my expereince and what I’ve learned so far. Do your own research and speak to your doctor if need be, but I for sure have seen and improvement in my life since taking them. I won’t be stopping any time soon!
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