ArticleMicrobial ecology in health and disease2013
Effects of feminine hygiene products on the vaginal mucosal biome.
Article in Microbial ecology in health and disease, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 89 citations in OpenAlex.
- Understanding Women's Vaginal Douching Behaviors and Practices for Consideration in the Development of a Potential Future Vaginal Microbicide Douche for HIV Prevention: A Systematic Review of the Literature.AIDS and behavior · 2021Pooled it
- Development of a Modified Intimate Wash From Yoniprakshalan Kwatha (YOSHA) With Comparative Antimicrobial and Quality Assessment: Protocol for an Experimental Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Intimate hygiene practices during pregnancy with demographic and preterm birth associations: a large cohort study.AJOG global reports · 2026Article
- Feminine hygiene products and black women's reproductive health: a review of health inequities, racialized marketing, and practice implications.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Review
- Effects of a comprehensive menstrual and sexual reproductive health intervention on RTI symptoms among adolescent girls in the Mwanza region: a mixed-methods analysis.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Bacterial Vaginosis Incidence Following a Single Hyperosmolal Vaginal Lubricant Exposure: A Comparison of Two Observational Cohorts.Sexually transmitted diseases · 2025Observational
- Assessment of the vaginal microbiota before and after use of hyperosmolal lubricant during transvaginal ultrasound.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2025Article
- Antimicrobial activity ofPeerJ · 2025Article
- Bridging the GAP: Probiotic Douches Redefining the Feminine Hygiene.Current pharmaceutical biotechnology · 2025Review
- The In Vivo Effect of Water-Based Lubricants on the Vaginal Microbiome of Women from Varying Age Groups: Exploratory Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Association of genital talc and douche use in early adolescence or adulthood with uterine fibroids diagnoses.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2023Article
- The microRNA Cargo of Human Vaginal Extracellular Vesicles Differentiates Parasitic and Pathobiont Infections from Colonization by Homeostatic Bacteria.Microorganisms · 2023Article
- The Vaginal Microbiome in Health and Disease-What Role Do Common Intimate Hygiene Practices Play?Microorganisms · 2023Review
- The effects of genital myiasis on the diversity of the vaginal microbiota in female Bactrian camels.BMC veterinary research · 2022Article
- The association between vaginal hygiene practices and spontaneous preterm birth: A case-control study.PloS one · 2022Article
- Impact of vaginal douching products on vaginal Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli and epithelial immune responses.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Vaginal cytokine profile and microbiota before and after lubricant use compared with condomless vaginal sex: a preliminary observational study.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Observational
- The vaginal microbiota in the course of bacterial vaginosis treatment.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2021Article
- Probiotics in Cosmetic and Personal Care Products: Trends and Challenges.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Consideration of Cultural Practices When Characterizing the Vaginal Microbiota Among African and African American Women.Biological research for nursing · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOver-the-counter (OTC) feminine hygiene products come with little warning about possible side effects. This study evaluates in-vitro their effects on Lactobacillus crispatus, which is dominant in the normal vaginal microbiota and helps maintain a healthy mucosal barrier essential for normal reproductive function and prevention of sexually transmitted infections and gynecologic cancer.
methodsA feminine moisturizer (Vagisil), personal lubricant, and douche were purchased OTC. A topical spermicide (nonoxynol-9) known to alter the vaginal immune barrier was used as a control. L. crispatus was incubated with each product for 2 and 24h and then seeded on agar for colony forming units (CFU). Human vaginal epithelial cells were exposed to products in the presence or absence of L. crispatus for 24h, followed by epithelium-associated CFU enumeration. Interleukin-8 was immunoassayed and ANOVA was used for statistical evaluation.
resultsNonoxynol-9 and Vagisil suppressed Lactobacillus growth at 2h and killed all bacteria at 24h. The lubricant decreased bacterial growth insignificantly at 2h but killed all at 24h. The douche did not have a significant effect. At full strength, all products suppressed epithelial viability and all, except the douche, suppressed epithelial-associated CFU. When applied at non-toxic dose in the absence of bacteria, the douche and moisturizer induced an increase of IL-8, suggesting a potential to initiate inflammatory reaction. In the presence of L. crispatus, the proinflammatory effects of the douche and moisturizer were countered, and IL-8 production was inhibited in the presence of the other products.
conclusionSome OTC vaginal products may be harmful to L. crispatus and alter the vaginal immune environment. Illustrated through these results, L. crispatus is essential in the preservation of the function of vaginal epithelial cells in the presence of some feminine hygiene products. More research should be invested toward these products before they are placed on the market.
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Registered trials
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