Women’s health: the close relationship between vaginal and intestinal microbiota

That our state of health depends on the well-being of the intestine is now scientific evidence. Our second brain, or “Visceral brain”as it is defined, is in fact inhabited by a highly specialized ecosystem, increasingly studied by science: the intestinal microbiota which includes more than 5 thousand species of bacteria. The balance of him is synonymous with physical and psychological well-being just as any alteration of it subjects the intestine to stressful situations that affect the whole organism.

This is why knowing and taking care of the intestinal microbiota is increasingly important. To raise awareness of the centrality of the microbiota in human well-being, the portal was born Olobiotico.it. Presented at the launch of Entero4 of Uriach Italy and coordinated by a pool of experts, the site offers a 360-degree view of the microbiota health carealso shedding light on a fundamental and still little known aspect: that is the importance of gut microbiota for female health.

«Today it is increasingly important to know the microbiota, respect it and integrate it when factors such as wrong diet, disease, stress, aging and menopause lead to an impoverishment of its very rich biodiversity – explains Professor Alessandra Graziottin, President of the Graziottin Foundation, Director of the Center for Gynecology and Medical Sexology at the San Raffaele Resnati Hospital in Milan, one of the experts of Olobiotico.it – Indeed we are all the healthier the more diverse our microbiota is. This means that our health is impoverished, not only when the absolute number of microorganisms that make up the microbiota is reduced, but also when the number of strains present decreases because each of them performs a different task ».

It may seem strange but in fact they depend on the intestinal microbiota very important functions of the body with which it lives in symbiosis, in a continuous exchange: with our actions we can in fact help the microbiota to remain healthy as well as the gut microbiota itself is able to influence our behavior.

“The intestinal microbiota is the most relevant microbiota within our organism – explains Professor Graziottin – it is able, for example, to influence the way we eat, stimulating the craving for certain foods, but not only. It has been shown that the 90% of serotoninthe mood hormone, is not found in the head as we thought but in the visceral brain, that is our intestines. This explains why eating well makes us happy. At the same time we know that the intestine acts as a lightning rod to stress and negative emotions and it is by far the most important immune-competent organ in our body. It is a discovery made a few years ago that most of our immune defenses are organized by the intestine “.

Gut microbiota and female health

Another interesting aspect is how the intestinal microbiota of each individual is unique and dynamic at the same time, subject to external factors that can modify it such as capable of modulating itself in the different phases of a woman’s life. From early childhood to puberty, from pregnancy to the puerperium, up to menopause and aging, the intestinal microbiota of women – different from that of men – it changes playing an important role in women’s health as well.

«Today we know that a part of the intestinal microbiota, called precisely estrobolomais capable of producing and metabolizing estrogen – explains Professor Graziottin – or female hormones par excellence, which play a fundamental physiological role in maintaining women’s health. From here it is easy to understand that the microbiota has an enormous influence on the female universe by modulating estrogen levels: let’s talk about effects on weight, libido and even mood. An aspect that makes us understand how important it is, to live well, to know the microbiota and respect it ».

Intestinal microbiota and vaginal microbiota

And that’s not all: the importance of the intestinal microbiota for female health is also explained by hers ability to communicate with the vaginal microbiotaregulating crucial functions.