Lactation Challenges

Mammary dysbiosis and discomfort is a common postpartum complaint affecting up to 33% of women.1 Women who have received antibiotics in the last trimester and peripartum have a 25-fold increased risk.1

The efficacy of conventional approaches is disputed,3 and they can also disrupt the health and function of the microbiome. One study demonstrated that the fecal microbiota returned to 88% of baseline 30 days after cessation of conventional therapy.4

Infant Immune Health Depends on a Healthy Microbiome

It was previously thought the gestating fetus was residing in a sterile environment, but newer research suggests that an infant’s microbiome begins developing during gestation through exchange of microbes with the mother.5

Breastfeeding introduces another route of colonization, as mother's milk contains probiotic properties.7,8

Benefits of Probiotic Supplementation

Probiotic supplementation has been shown to support the developing infant microbiome and successful lactation.

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  1. Bergman H, Rodriguez J, Salminen S, et al. Probiotics in human milk and probiotic supplementation in infant nutrition: a workshop report. Br J Nutr. 2014 112: 1119–1128.
  2. Dixon JM, Khan LR. Treatment of breast infection. BMJ. 2011 Feb 11;342:d396.
  3. Jahanfar S, Ng CJ, Teng CL. Antibiotics for mastitis in breastfeeding women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Feb 28;(2):CD005458.
  4. De La Cochetière MF, Durand T, Lepage P, et al. Resilience of the dominant human fecal microbiota upon short-course antibiotic challenge. J Clin Microbiol. 2005 Nov; 43(11):5588-92.
  5. Kuperman A, Koren O. Antibiotic use during pregnancy: how bad is it? BMC Med. 2016; 14: 91.
  6. Dominguez-Bello MG, Blaser MJ, Ley RE, Knight R. Development of the human gastrointestinal microbiota and insights from high-throughput sequencing. Gastroenterology. 2011 May; 140(6):1713-9.
  7. Hunt KM, Foster JA, Forney LJ, et al. Characterization of the diversity and temporal stability of bacterial communities in human milk. PLoS One. 2011; 6(6):e21313.
  8. Martín R, Heilig GH, Zoetendal EG, Smidt H, Rodríguez JM. Diversity of the Lactobacillus group in breast milk and vagina of healthy women and potential role in the colonization of the infant gut. J Appl Microbiol. 2007 Dec; 103(6):2638-44.
  9. Coppa GV, Bruni S, Morelli L, Soldi S, Gabrielli O. The first prebiotics in humans: human milk oligosaccharides. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2004 Jul; 38(6 Suppl):S80-3.
  10. Mueller N, Bakacs E, Coambellick J, et al. The infant microbiome development: mom matters. Trends Mol Med. 2015 Feb; 21(2):109-117. 
  11. Palmer C, Bik EM, DiGiulio DB, Relman DA, Brown PO. Development of the human infant intestinal microbiota. PLoS Biol. 2007 Jul; 5(7):e177. 
  12. Maldonado-Lobón JA, Díaz-López MA, Carpet R, et al. Lactobacillus fermentum CECT 5716 Reduces Staphylococcus Load in the Breastmilk of Lactating Mothers Suffering Breast Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Breastfeed Med. 2015 Nov;10(9):425-32.
  13. Arroyo R, Martín V, Maldonado A, et al. Treatment of infectious mastitis during lactation: antibiotics versus oral administration of Lactobacilli isolated from breast milk. Clin Infect Dis. 2010 Jun 15;50(12):1551-8.