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During pregnancy, women undergo changes in the microbiome, the community of bacteria
who live inside and on the body and who play an important role in maintaining health and fighting disease.
Changes in the microbiome during pregnancy
Previous studies have shown that changes in the microbiome in pregnant women are partly responsible for their weight gain and essential inflammatory response.
A study published earlier this month also found an badociation between the microbiome in the poop of newborns and their risk of weight problems before 3 years.
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Researchers have now found evidence that intestinal bacteria seem to "detect" pregnancy and help the baby degrade the sugar in bad milk.
In a new study published in Cell Reports
On April 16, researchers discovered that progesterone, a hormone that plays a role in the menstrual cycle and the maintenance of the early stages of pregnancy, regulates the composition of bacteria during pregnancy to promote the development of the baby.
Bifidobacterium
Omry Koren, of Bar-Ilan University, and her colleagues studied the evolution of the bacteria during pregnancy and found significant changes in the composition of the bacteria during pregnancy, including an increase from the abundance of Bifidobacterium.
Bifidobacteria are crucial for babies because they metabolize healthy sugars found in bad milk that contribute to the growth of infants. These bacteria also have probiotic abilities. Previous studies have shown that premature labor can occur when Bifidobacterium does not increase during pregnancy.
Bifidobacterium Senses Progesterone
The researcher mimicked pregnancy in mice using progesterone and found an increase in Bifidobacterium levels in animals. They also found that the bacteria increased rapidly when progesterone was administered in vitro.
The results suggest that Bifidobacterium detects and responds to progesterone.
"We are demonstrating a dramatic change in the intestinal microbial composition of women and mice in late pregnancy, including an increase in the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium," the researchers wrote in their study.
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"By using pellets transplanted in vivo, we found that progesterone, the main pregnancy hormone, affects the microbial community."
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