Amarachi Okeh
A Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Adetunji Adeniji, has cautioned women against taking probiotic supplements without prescription, noting that they are not always necessary or beneficial for vaginal health as widely assumed.
According to Adeniji, what women need to consistently ensure good vaginal health is proper hygiene practice and not probiotics.
Adeniji, who is also a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons, stated further that women should also reconsider taking probiotic supplements as daily medication, noting that like other drugs, probiotics may not be beneficial when taken in excess.
Explaining how probiotics work for vaginal health, the professor said, “In women generally, we know that there is a bacteria called lactobacillus and it is present in the vagina.
“Lactobacillus is a good bacteria that neutralize other harmful bacteria in the vagina.
“It is supposed to be beneficial but when a woman douches repeatedly and she takes antibiotics, those practices sometimes kill those beneficial bacteria and then allow other bacteria that are injurious to grow.
“So, what some women usually do is to ingest supplements that have lactobacillus and when they grow, they grow in millions and overpower the injurious bacteria growing in the vaginal.
“It is even like competition, if you have two organisms competing for one source of nutrient, the one with the largest number will survive and the one with the smallest number will die off. That is what women use probiotics for.
“It is just to grow beneficial bacteria to overcome the non-beneficial bacteria.
“You won’t find probiotics in a conventional hospital pharmacy but they could be available in retail pharmacies,” he said.
The professor, however, warned that like other medications, caution should be exercised when taking probiotics because they can be taken in excess.
Adeniji, however, noted that probiotics are food supplements that can also be gotten from natural foods like yoghurts.
Also, according to a paper published online by mycleveland.com, probiotic supplements should be taken with caution because there is a risk of infection.
Probiotics, the paper said, are mostly recommended for people undergoing chemotherapy, critically ill patients, and people who recently had surgery.
It also warned that taking probiotics come with certain risks which include developing infections and resistance to antibiotics as well as harmful byproducts from probiotic supplements.
