The Vaginal Microbiome in Health and Disease—What Role Do Common Intimate Hygiene Practices Play?

Holdcroft, Alexandra M.; Ireland, Demelza J.; Payne, Matthew S.

doi:10.3390/microorganisms11020298

Cited by 32 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 146 publications

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“…The high incidence of PID among the participants (73%) is noteworthy, as it suggests a potential association between vaginal douching and the development of PID. Vaginal douching involves the rinsing or cleaning of the vaginal area with various substances, which may disrupt the natural balance of bacteria and increase the risk of infections such as PID 19,35 . The findings underscore the importance of caution and informed decision‐making when considering vaginal douching practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Vaginal douching involves the rinsing or cleaning of the vaginal area with various substances, which may disrupt the natural balance of bacteria and increase the risk of infections such as PID. 19,35 The findings underscore the importance of caution and informed decisionmaking when considering vaginal douching practices.…”

Section: Knowledge and Perception Of Vaginal Douchingmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Bacterial vaginosis is a common vaginal infection characterized by an imbalance in the vaginal flora. Douching can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, leading to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and increasing the risk of Bacterial vaginosis 19 . In addition to Bacterial vaginosis, a smaller percentage of participants (5%) reported contracting Gonococcal infection, which is a sexually transmitted infection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vaginal douching and health risks among young women

Wireko,

Ofosu,

Agyemang

et al. 2024

Health Science Reports

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ObjectiveVaginal douching is practiced by women for various reasons. Studies have shown that this practice can upset the normal vaginal flora, increasing susceptibility to certain sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). This study aimed to assess the health risks associated with this practice among women aged 15–54 years in a densely populated community in Kumasi, the second capital city of Ghana.MethodsA cross‐sectional survey was conducted to gather data on the prevalence of vaginal douching among young women and their beliefs, motivations, and knowledge about the practice. A structured questionnaire was used in recruiting participants. One‐hundred and fifteen structured questionnaires were administered to women aged between 15 and 54 after their consent was sought.ResultsThe study established that more than half of the participants (69.6%) engaged in douching with a midpoint of 19.5. The study indicated no significant difference between the age of participants and douching (p < 0.93). However, there was an indication of a significant association between educational status, marital status, and perception in relation to douching (p < 0.003, 0.0015, and 0.00, respectively), which also influenced the frequency of douching and contraction of STIs.ConclusionMost women in the study community recruited, regardless of their educational and marital status, believed that douching is necessary and considered part of feminine hygiene practices. Practicing douching may lead to most health complications including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility which must be given serious attention by researchers, health personnel, and various women's groups.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Knowledge and Perception Of Vaginal Douchingmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vaginal douching and health risks among young women

Wireko,

Ofosu,

Agyemang

et al. 2024

Health Science Reports

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“…In a previous study, approximately 40% of women with UTI self-reported that they had UTI signs after menstruation [ 4 ]. Contaminated vaginal discharges and/or the changed vaginal microbiome during the menstruation period may underlie these findings [ 14 , 15 ]. If these theories are correct, the post-toilet habit of wiping the bottom from behind is better to be performed both for vaginal hygiene practice during the menstruation period and anal hygiene practice after defecation to prevent UTI events.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Toilet Wiping Style Is Associated With the Risk of Urinary Tract Infection in Women

Akaishi

2024

Cureus

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Introduction: Urinary tract infection (UTI) has a lifetime incidence of ≥50% in women. A wide variety of clinical, physiological, and lifestyle risk factors for UTI have been identified, but the exact relationship between post-toilet anal and perineal hygiene practices, especially the wiping direction with toilet paper, and UTI risks has not been investigated yet. Therefore, this study cross-sectionally investigated the posttoilet wiping habit and lifetime UTI events in the general population.Methods: Individuals who visited two hospitals in Japan between April 2020 and March 2023 were initially recruited. Self-reported questionnaires regarding post-toilet wiping habits and past UTI events were collected, and their relationship was investigated in males and females. Subgroup analyses by age were further performed to estimate the impact of age on the relationship.Results: A total of 294 individuals (141 males and 153 females) agreed to participate and answered the question of post-toilet wiping direction. The number of individuals with post-toilet wiping with the arm from the front between the legs was 32 (23%) in males and 68 (44%) in females. The lifetime UTI events were more frequent in females than in males (p<0.0001). The impact of post-toilet wiping with the arm from the front between the legs on UTI events, adjusting for the age and history of diabetes mellitus, was not statistically significant both in males and females (p≥0.10 for both). Meanwhile, when the relationship was evaluated by different age groups, wiping habits from the front and UTI were significantly associated with each other in middle-aged women aged 40-59, whereas they were not in younger and older age groups.Conclusion: Approximately 40-50% of women performed post-toilet wiping with the arm from the front between the legs. This post-toilet wiping habit was suggested to be a potential risk of UTI in women, especially in middle-aged subgroups, and may be better to be changed to wiping from behind.

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“…Smaller proportion of females have a vaginal microbiota that is not dominated by lactobacilli, but is instead composed of a balanced population of obligate and facultative anaerobes, mostly characterized by genera Gardnerella , Atopobium and Prevotella . Due to the low presence of lactobacilli, this type of vaginal microbiota profile is associated with a higher risk of infections and adverse health outcomes [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. The observed protective function of the vaginal microbiota characterized by low diversity and domination by Lactobacillus spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Viewpoint on Female Urogenital Microbiome—The Cause or the Consequence?

et al. 2023

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An increasing amount of evidence implies that native microbiota is a constituent part of a healthy urinary tract (UT), making it an ecosystem on its own. What is still not clear is whether the origin of the urinary microbial community is the indirect consequence of the more abundant gut microbiota or a more distinct separation exists between these two systems. Another area of uncertainty is the existence of a link between the shifts in UT microbial composition and both the onset and persistence of cystitis symptoms. Cystitis is one of the most common reasons for antimicrobial drugs prescriptions in primary and secondary care and an important contributor to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Despite this fact, we still have trouble distinguishing whether the primary cause of the majority of cystitis cases is a single pathogen overgrowth or a systemic disorder affecting the entire urinary microbiota. There is an increasing trend in studies monitoring changes and dynamics of UT microbiota, but this field of research is still in its infancy. Using NGS and bioinformatics, it is possible to obtain microbiota taxonomic profiles directly from urine samples, which can provide a window into microbial diversity (or the lack of) underlying each patient’s cystitis symptoms. However, while microbiota refers to the living collection of microorganisms, an interchangeably used term microbiome referring to the genetic material of the microbiota is more often used in conjunction with sequencing data. It is this vast amount of sequences, which are truly “Big Data”, that allow us to create models that describe interactions between different species contributing to an UT ecosystem, when coupled with machine-learning techniques. Although in a simplified predator—prey form these multi-species interaction models have the potential to further validate or disprove current beliefs; whether it is the presence or the absence of particular key players in a UT microbial ecosystem, the exact cause or consequence of the otherwise unknown etiology in the majority of cystitis cases. These insights might prove to be vital in our ongoing struggle against pathogen resistance and offer us new and promising clinical markers.

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The Vaginal Microbiome in Health and Disease—What Role Do Common Intimate Hygiene Practices Play?

Cited by 32 publications

References 146 publications

Vaginal douching and health risks among young women

Vaginal douching and health risks among young women

Post-Toilet Wiping Style Is Associated With the Risk of Urinary Tract Infection in Women

Current Viewpoint on Female Urogenital Microbiome—The Cause or the Consequence?

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