ArticlePloS one2011
Vaginal microbiome and epithelial gene array in post-menopausal women with moderate to severe dryness.
Article in PloS one, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 6 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 91 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Development of an Ex-vivo High-throughput Screening Assay for the Vaginal Microbiota of Post-menopausal Women
Host Response to Pessaries in Microbial Communities of the Postmenopausal
The Effects of Vaginal Estrogen and a Nonhormonal Alternative on the Vaginal and Urinary Microbiome in Women With Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The Impact of HIV on Accelerated Aging in the Female Genital Tract: a Pilot Trial of Topical Estradiol to Improve the Vaginal Microbiome and Symptoms of Vaginal Atrophy in Menopausal Women With HIV
Defining the Vaginal Microbiome and the Vaginal pH of Menopausal Women With and Without Genitourinary Syndrome and With and Without Hormone Replacement Therapy
Vaginal Estradiol Versus Moisturizer to Improve Postmenopausal Vaginal Aging Symptoms, Dysbiosis and Markers of Latency Reversal in Menopausal Women Living With HIV
Who cites it
91 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 181 citations in OpenAlex.
- Feminine Intimate Hygiene: A Review of Healthy and Unhealthy Habits in Women.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Pooled it
- Vaginal bacteria and cervical cancer: a bibliometric analysis of trends and themes.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- 2021 recommendations of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology for the gynecological and obstetric care of patients with Sjogren's syndrome.Advances in rheumatology (London, England) · 2021Pooled it
- Guideline
- The Clinical Role of LASER for Vulvar and Vaginal Treatments in Gynecology and Female Urology: An ICS/ISSVD Best Practice Consensus Document.Journal of lower genital tract disease · 2019Pooled it
- The vaginal microbiota: what have we learned after a decade of molecular characterization?PloS one · 2014Pooled it
- Clinical and vaginal microbiota effects of oral Lactobacillus crispatus M247 combined with vaginal laser therapy in menopausal women with atrophic vulvovaginitis: a prospective, randomized and controlled study.Lasers in medical science · 2026Trial
- Impact of Vaginal Estradiol on the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause, Vaginal Microbiome and Mucosal Immune Mediators in Women With HIV.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Trial
- Vaginal microbiota stability over 18 months in young student women in France.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2024Trial
- Associations of vaginal microbiota with the onset, severity, and type of symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause in women.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Trial
- Association between postmenopausal vulvovaginal discomfort, vaginal microbiota, and mucosal inflammation.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2021Trial
- Use of contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate is associated with impaired cervicovaginal mucosal integrity.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2018Trial
- Associations between improvement in genitourinary symptoms of menopause and changes in the vaginal ecosystem.Menopause (New York, N.Y.) · 2018Trial
- Vaginal microbiota and genitourinary menopausal symptoms: a cross-sectional analysis.Menopause (New York, N.Y.) · 2017Trial
- Trial
- Genitourinary microbiota in older women: a persistent knowledge gap that limits clinical and research progress.Infection and immunity · 2026Review
- Review
- The role of the microbiome in gynecological cancers: implications for diagnosis and treatment.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Microbial community structure and source contribution to the early neovaginal microbiota following penile inversion vaginoplasty.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Causal Effects of Circulating Inflammatory Proteins on Postmenopausal Atrophic Vaginitis in European Populations: A Mendelian Randomization Study with Transcriptomic Validation.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
31 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
After menopause, many women experience vaginal dryness and atrophy of tissue, often attributed to the loss of estrogen. An understudied aspect of vaginal health in women who experience dryness due to atrophy is the role of the resident microbes. It is known that the microbiota has an important role in healthy vaginal homeostasis, including maintaining the pH balance and excluding pathogens. The objectives of this study were twofold: first to identify the microbiome of post-menopausal women with and without vaginal dryness and symptoms of atrophy; and secondly to examine any differences in epithelial gene expression associated with atrophy. The vaginal microbiome of 32 post-menopausal women was profiled using Illumina sequencing of the V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Sixteen subjects were selected for follow-up sampling every two weeks for 10 weeks. In addition, 10 epithelial RNA samples (6 healthy and 4 experiencing vaginal dryness) were acquired for gene expression analysis by Affymetrix Human Gene array. The microbiota abundance profiles were relatively stable over 10 weeks compared to previously published data on premenopausal women. There was an inverse correlation between Lactobacillus ratio and dryness and an increased bacterial diversity in women experiencing moderate to severe vaginal dryness. In healthy participants, Lactobacillus iners and L. crispatus were generally the most abundant, countering the long-held view that lactobacilli are absent or depleted in menopause. Vaginal dryness and atrophy were associated with down-regulation of human genes involved in maintenance of epithelial structure and barrier function, while those associated with inflammation were up-regulated consistent with the adverse clinical presentation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.