What is the Best Probiotic
for Women?

Life can sometimes feel like a wild balancing act—balancing relationships, work, weekend fun, and mental and physical health… it’s a lot! So, not to overwhelm you, but billions of bacteria in your body also need help staying balanced. Luckily, that’s what probiotic supplements are for!

Maintaining healthy levels of bacteria in your body—especially in your vagina—is essential for your overall health and well-being. So, let’s dive in and talk about probiotics and how they can help! Read on to find out the difference between prebiotics and probiotics, the many benefits of vaginal probiotics, and how to find the best probiotic for women.

What are probiotics?

Your body is home to a number of microbiomes, which are, in turn, home to billions of microorganisms. To name a few, you have a microbiome in your gut, mouth, skin, and vagina. Keeping the bacteria levels healthy and balanced in these microbiomes is crucial to your overall health—and that’s where probiotics can help!

You might have heard of “good bacteria” and “bad bacteria.” Simply put, probiotics are the good bacteria! Probiotics are live microorganisms—also called microbes—that help maintain a healthy balance in your microbiomes. If you have a vagina, vaginal probiotics can help you avoid yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis (BV), sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and even certain fertility issues.

Eating foods that are rich in probiotics is a great way to give your body’s microbes a helping hand. Specifically, high-quality yogurts and fermented foods are great sources of beneficial bacteria. Probiotic-rich foods you can add to your diet include:

• Plain yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Kombucha
• Miso
• Unpasteurized pickled vegetables
• Dairy and non-dairy kefir

And if you’re looking to supercharge your probiotic intake, consider taking a probiotic supplement! The best probiotics for women contain a diverse range of important bacteria strains, a big number of colony-forming units (CFUs), and no unnecessary fillers or artificial ingredients. Wisp Equalizing Probiotics features 25 billion CFUs of nine strains of probiotics. We’ll get into the juicy benefits of probiotics for women in a minute!

Prebiotics vs probiotics

We covered that probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help keep your body’s systems working their best. But, what are prebiotics? Turns out, probiotics are hungry little guys and prebiotics are “food” for those good bacteria! In other words, prebiotics are types of fiber that help feed and support the growth of probiotics in your gut, vagina, and other parts of your body.

Prebiotics are typically found in high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. By eating these foods, you can make sure that your probiotics have the nourishment they need to thrive and continue delivering their wide-ranging health benefits.

There are plenty of prebiotic supplements available on the market, but common foods you might already eat are a great source of prebiotics. Foods that are high in prebiotic fiber include:

• Chicory root
• Garlic
• Onions
• Bananas
• Oats
• Apples
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Asparagus

Turns out, your gut and vaginal microbiomes have profound impacts on your overall health. Eating plenty of probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods helps to promote balance in your body’s bacteria, which keeps pesky infections from taking hold—plus so much more!

What are the benefits of probiotics?

Okay, we hinted a little bit about the benefits of probiotics, but it’s time to dig into the details. Because seriously, there are so many amazing benefits that probiotics offer—especially for women! That’s because vaginal probiotics—and other helpers like boric acid suppositories—can help you maintain the balance of your vaginal microbiome, which keeps harmful infections from taking hold. Let’s discuss.

Prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Did you know that 50 to 60 percent of women will get a UTI in their lifetime? Another annoying fact is that we get UTIs wayyyy more often than men—at a ratio of 8:1 (1). But! Probiotics are here! to! help!

The best probiotics for women will replenish the good bacteria levels in your vagina—keeping the infection-causing bacteria out. Namely, Lactobacilli bacteria strains naturally dominate your vaginal microbiome and can help reduce your risk of developing a UTI (1).

Support vaginal health

Alright, we just mentioned the bacteria Lactobacilli. Lactobacilli strains are found in all the best probiotics for women, especially in vaginal probiotics. This bacteria strain runs the show in a balanced vaginal microbiome—creating an environment that’s too acidic for bad, infection-causing bacteria to survive.

Vaginal probiotics can reduce your risk of yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis (BV), and urogenital infections. At least 30 to 50 percent of all women have had BV, and probiotics are a common treatment for the infection. In fact, studies show that prebiotics and probiotics for women can help optimize, maintain, and restore vaginal flora (2). Amazing.

Lower your risk of STIs

Okay, so, this one is a bit of a domino effect. Probiotics for women help keep your vagina full of good bacteria. Having enough good bacteria makes you less likely to develop infections, like BV. And, BV is known to increase your risk of getting STIs and pelvic inflammatory disease (3).

So! Keeping your microbiome full of Lactobacilli with the help of vaginal probiotics can help ward off STIs by reducing your likelihood of BV.

Avoid fertility complications

Like we mentioned above, BV is a super common infection that can cause a lot of harm. BV can directly influence female fertility by affecting the fallopian tubes—called tubal factor infertility—and it can cause preterm birth (4).

Besides that, BV increases your risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease and STIs—which harms your reproductive health overall. That’s why taking care of your microbiome with vaginal probiotics (and testing!) is such a powerful addition to your reproductive toolbox.

Enhance mental well-being

Did you know that there’s a link between your digestive tract and your brain? If you’ve ever gotten nervous and needed to run to the bathroom, you know what we’re talking about!

But, your gut can also affect your brain! Known as the gut-brain axis, your gut can influence your mood, brain function, and mental health (5). Probiotics for women often include bacteria strains that help support your mental health—via your gut.

Promote digestive health

One of the most well-known benefits of probiotics is their ability to support digestive health. Probiotics help maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, which can prevent and relieve various digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, and gastrointestinal issues. Plus, they can help prevent diarrhea—either from traveling or from antibiotic use. Phew!

Okay, we could go on and on about how the best probiotics for women can help you! Here’s a quick list of other probiotic benefits:

• Immune system support
• Reduce allergy symptoms
• Clear up skin problems
• Reduce inflammation
• Support weight management
• Lower cholesterol levels
• Promote oral health

Best probiotics for vaginal health

If all the benefits above didn’t convince you, we’ll say it again: probiotics are a powerful ally for your vaginal health! By adding probiotic-rich foods and high-quality supplements into your daily routine, you can help ensure a balanced microbiome that protects against infections and promotes overall health.

When choosing the best probiotics for women, look for products that contain diverse strains of beneficial bacteria, a high number of CFUs, and minimal artificial additives. We’ve done our best to support you—and all the amazing bacteria inside you—with Wisp Equalizing Probiotics and Boric Acid Suppositories.

Remember, maintaining a healthy balance of bacteria in your body is a continuous journey! So, whether you're aiming to prevent recurrent infections, support your digestive system, or boost your overall health, probiotics are a valuable tool in your wellness arsenal.