When Bifidobacterium breve, widely available in probiotic drinks, is present in the gut of pregnant females it boosts the placenta’s production of pregnancy hormones to reduce the likelihood of complications like preeclampsia and miscarriage.
Research led by PDN has found the first clear evidence that the ‘good’ gut bacteria Bifidobacterium breve in pregnant mothers regulates the placenta’s production of hormones critical for a healthy pregnancy.
In a study in mice, the researchers compared the placentas of mice with no gut bacteria to those of mice with Bifidobacterium breve in their gut during pregnancy.
Pregnant mice without Bifidobacterium breve in their gut had a higher rate of complications including fetal growth restriction and fetal low blood sugar, and increased fetal loss.
This gut bacteria seems to play a crucial role in prompting the placenta to produce pregnancy hormones that allow the mother’s body to support the pregnancy.
This is the first time scientists have found a link between the gut microbiome and the placenta.
The researchers say this paves the way for testing the mother’s gut microbiome to identify pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia or miscarriage early - and then manipulating it with probiotics to improve the chances of a healthy baby.
The research is published today in the Journal of Translational Medicine.
“Our results open up an entirely new way to assess the health of a pregnant mother and her developing fetus by looking at the mother’s gut microbiome,” said Dr Jorge Lopez Tello, first author of the report, who carried out the work while at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience.
He added: “Everybody ignores the placenta - after nine months of pregnancy it just gets thrown in the bin. But now we understand more about how it works, in the future pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, miscarriage and stillbirth might be prevented simply by adjusting the mother’s gut microbes to improve the function of the placenta.”
The placenta is a crucial organ during pregnancy that connects mother to fetus, and provides the nutrients, oxygen and hormones essential for healthy development of the baby.
Read the story in full at www.cam.ac.uk/resaerch/news/good-gut-bacteria-boost-placenta-for-healthier-pregnancy
Article: University of Cambridge