The development of probiotics for women’s health

Authors

Gregor Reid, Lawson Health Research Institute

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Journal

Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Volume

63

Issue

4

First Page

269

Last Page

277

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1139/cjm-2016-0733

Abstract

The idea you could use lactic acid bacteria to treat and prevent recurrence of vaginal infections was ridiculed in the early 1980s. Bacteria were the bad guys to be eradicated by current and emerging antibiotic classes. Thirty years later, probiotic administration of microbes is widespread worldwide, including for vaginal and bladder health in women, and the scientific basis and clinical efficacy data for this and multiple other applications prove the viability of this concept. The development of this approach, the creation of a definition for probiotics, and the expansion to other areas of women’s health form the basis of this review.