The Vaginal Microbiota in Menopause

Farage, Miranda A.; Miller, Kenneth W.; Sobel, Jack D.

doi:10.1007/978-3-540-89656-2_84

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Because the risk of poor cardiovascular health, and therefore the likelihood that one will be taking statins, increases with age, slightly more than half of the study cohort was postmenopausal. There is evidence to support that decreased estrogen following menopause leads to a decrease in glycogen accumulation in vaginal epithelial cells, and that this, in turn, leads to lower numbers of vaginal lactobacilli[ 44 ]. In our study we found that, among women not taking statins, the number of EA women with vaginal CST I was significantly lower in the postmenopausal subset, in agreement with a prior study in which the majority of the cohort was Caucasian[ 45 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between statin use, the vaginal microbiome, and Gardnerella vaginalis vaginolysin-mediated cytotoxicity

Abdelmaksoud¹,

Girerd²,

Garcia³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundBacterial vaginosis (BV) is the leading dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome. The pathways leading towards the development of BV are not well understood. Gardnerella vaginalis is frequently associated with BV. G. vaginalis produces the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC), vaginolysin, which can lyse a variety of human cells and is thought to play a role in pathogenesis. Because membrane cholesterol is required for vaginolysin to function, and because HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) affect not only serum levels of cholesterol but membrane levels as well, we hypothesized that statins might affect the vaginal microbiome.MethodsTo investigate the relationship between use of the statins and the vaginal microbiome, we analyzed 16S rRNA gene taxonomic surveys performed on vaginal samples from 133 women who participated in the Vaginal Human Microbiome Project and who were taking statins at the time of sampling, 152 women who reported high cholesterol levels but were not taking statins, and 316 women who did not report high cholesterol. To examine the effect of statins on the cytolytic effect of vaginolysin, the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) produced by Gardnerella vaginalis, we assessed the effect of simvastatin pretreatment of VK2E6/E7 vaginal epithelial cells on vaginolysin-mediated cytotoxicity.ResultsThe mean proportion of G. vaginalis among women taking statins was significantly lower relative to women not using statins. Women using statins had higher mean proportions of Lactobacillus crispatus relative to women with normal cholesterol levels, and higher levels of Lactobacillus jensenii relative to women with high cholesterol but not taking statins. In vitro, vaginal epithelial cells pretreated with simvastatin were relatively resistant to vaginolysin and this effect was inhibited by cholesterol.ConclusionsIn this cross-sectional study, statin use was associated with reduced proportions of G. vaginalis and greater proportions of beneficial lactobacilli within the vaginal microbiome. The negative association between statin use and G. vaginalis may be related to inhibition of vaginolysin function.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between statin use, the vaginal microbiome, and Gardnerella vaginalis vaginolysin-mediated cytotoxicity

Abdelmaksoud¹,

Girerd²,

Garcia³

et al. 2017

PLoS ONE

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“…These findings led to recent research on the changing health and product needs of women as they age, e.g., incontinence. This research is described elsewhere ( Farage, Miller, Berardesca, & Maibach, 2007 ; Farage, Miller, Elsner, & Maibach, 2008 ; Farage & Miller, 2009 ; Farage, Osborn, & MacLean, 2009 ; Farage, Miller, Berardesca, & Maibach, 2010a ; Farage, 2010b ; Farage, Miller, Berardesca, Maibach, & Neuhaus, 2010 ; Farage, Miller, & Ledger, 2010 ; Farage, Miller, & Maibach, 2010a ; Farage, Miller, Sherman, & Tsevat, 2010 ; Farage, Miller, & Sobel, 2010 ; Farage & Miller, 2011 ; Farage, Miller, Ajayi, & Hutchins, 2012 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Feminine Care Clinical Research Program Transforms Women’s Lives

Tzeghai¹,

Ajayi²,

Miller³

et al. 2012

GJHS

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Feminine hygiene products and menstruation education have transformed the lives of women throughout the world. The P&G Feminine Care Clinical Innovation Research Program has played a key role by expanding scientific knowledge as well as developing technical insights and tools for the development of feminine hygiene products. The aim has been to meet the needs of women throughout their life stages, advancing their urogenital health beyond just menstruation, as well as helping to understand the role of sex hormones in various important health issues that women face. This review article highlights key contributions and research findings in female hygiene products, urogenital health research, and method development. The clinical research team focused on utilizing the results of clinical safety studies to advance the acceptance of feminine hygiene products world-wide. Key findings include that perception of skin sensitivity is not limited to the facial area, but is also relevant to the body and the genital area. Also, they shed light on the role of estrogen in autoimmune diseases as well as premenstrual syndrome. Efforts in the method development area focused on innovative tools that are reliable, predictive of clinical trial results and capable of measuring wear comfort, genital skin health, and the impact of product use on the consumer’s quality of life. A novel method, behind-the-knee (BTK) test, developed to model irritation under normal wear conditions, was the first to account for both chemical and mechanical sources of irritation. The method has been accepted by the FDA as a substitute in clinical trials in some cases, and by American Society for Testing and Materials as a global standard test method. Additional proprietary methods were developed to enhance visual grading of irritation using cross-polarized light, to measure the amount of lotion transferred from sanitary pads, and to evaluate the skin mildness. Finally, the Farage Quality of Life tool was created to measure consumer’s well-being. Based on the results of this extensive clinical research and the newly developed testing methods, the changing needs of women throughout their life stages are better met.

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“…[9][10][11] When a woman enters menopause, the level of estrogen will significantly reduce, while the level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) increases, and the vaginal pH environment changes from acidic to weakly acidic, which leads to the colonization of a large number of mixed bacteria. [12][13][14] Meanwhile, the estradiol-based hormone replacement therapy can maintain Lactobacillus dominance in post-menopausal women, supporting a link between estradiol and lactobacilli. 12,15 The levels of sex hormones in the reproductive endocrine system are closely related to female fertility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Fertility factors affect the vaginal microbiome in women of reproductive age

Bian²,

Zheng

et al. 2020

American J Rep Immunol

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Problem For women of reproductive age, achieving a successful pregnancy requires both the normal functioning of reproductive endocrine and the health of the reproductive tract environment. We aimed to study how these fertility factors, such as female age, baseline sexual hormone levels, tubal patency, and vaginal pH, affect the composition of vaginal microbiome. Method of study The 16S rRNA sequencing was carried on vaginal microbiome samples from 85 women of reproductive age without vaginal infections or reproductive endocrine diseases. The detailed correlations between fertility factors and vaginal microbiome were quantified by Spearman's rank tests. A linear discriminant analysis was carried out to explore the effects of fertility factors on the relative abundances of vaginal bacterial species. Results The vaginal pH, levels of basal E2, LH, and FSH all had significant effects on the distribution of vaginal microbiome. The relative abundances of vaginal bacterial species, including Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Prevotella intermedia, were significantly different due to the host's state of reproductive endocrine and tubal patency. It was worth noting that women with tubal obstruction, or prolonged menstrual cycle, or antral follicle count >15, or vaginal pH > 4.5 all had a higher abundance of Escherichia coli in vagina. Conclusion The fertility factors associated with the reproductive endocrine and the genital tract environment affected vaginal microbiome in women of reproductive age. The species Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Prevotella intermedia, etc could be used as biomarkers to reflect the pathological state of reproductive endocrine and genital tract.

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The Vaginal Microbiota in Menopause

Cited by 4 publications

References 70 publications

Association between statin use, the vaginal microbiome, and Gardnerella vaginalis vaginolysin-mediated cytotoxicity

Association between statin use, the vaginal microbiome, and Gardnerella vaginalis vaginolysin-mediated cytotoxicity

A Feminine Care Clinical Research Program Transforms Women’s Lives

Fertility factors affect the vaginal microbiome in women of reproductive age

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