Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41352344›Full record

ArticleCell reports2025

The vaginal microbiota, symptoms, and local immune correlates in transmasculine individuals using sustained testosterone therapy.

Bern Monari, Hannah Wilcox, Priscilla Haywood, Pawel Gajer, Jorge Rojas-Vargas, David Zuanazzi, Lindsay Rutt, Ainslie Shouldice, Reeya Parmar, L Elaine Waetjen and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Bern MonariCenter for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Hannah WilcoxDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Priscilla HaywoodCenter for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Pawel GajerCenter for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jorge Rojas-VargasDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
David ZuanazziDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Lindsay RuttCenter for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Ainslie ShouldiceDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Reeya ParmarDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
L Elaine WaetjenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Yonah KrakowskyWomen's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Transition Related Surgery, Department of Surgery, Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Emery PotterWomen's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jessica L ProdgerDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada. Electronic address: jprodge@uwo.ca.
Jacques RavelCenter for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation, Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: jravel@som.umaryland.edu.

Funding

The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN): The Impact of Midlife and the Menopause Transition on Health and Functioning in Early Old AgeU19AG063720 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI SHERRI-ANN M BURNETT-BOWIE · 2020 to 2026
$61.3M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--COORDINATING CENTERU01AG012553 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI BROOKS, MARIA MORI · 1994 to 2019
$37.7M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--ENDOCRINE LABU01AG012495 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI MCCONNELL, DANIEL S · 1994 to 2018
$18.8M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--PITTSBURGHU01AG012546 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI MATTHEWS, KAREN · 1994 to 2019
$16.2M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--UCDAVISU01AG012554 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS · PI GOLD, ELLEN B. · 1994 to 2019
$14.5M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--UCLAU01AG012539 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI GREENDALE, GAIL A · 1994 to 2018
$13.7M
THE STUDY OF WOMEN'S HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION-MICHIGANU01NR004061 · NINR · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI HARLOW, SIOBAN D · 1994 to 2018
$12.9M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--CHICAGOU01AG012505 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI KRAVITZ, HOWARD M · 1994 to 2019
$11.9M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HU01AG012531 · NIA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI FINKELSTEIN, JOEL S · 1994 to 2019
$10.7M
Women's Health Across the Nation-New Jersey SiteU01AG012535 · NIA · UNIV OF MED/DENT OF NJ-NJ MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI DERBY, CAROL A. · 1994 to 2019
$9.2M
TransBiota: Genital microbiome, inflammation and HIV risk in trans men and womenR21AI157912 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · PI PRODGER, JESSICA LYNN, RAVEL, JACQUES · 2022 to 2023
$400k
NIAID NIH HHS R21 AI157912NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012495NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012505NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012531NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012535NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012539NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012546NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012553NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012554NIA NIH HHS U19 AG063720NINR NIH HHS U01 NR004061
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transmasculine individuals (assigned female at birth, masculine gender identity, TM) may use gender-affirming testosterone therapy, and some report adverse genital symptoms during treatment. In cis women, the vaginal microbiota is central to reproductive and sexual health. Lactobacillus-dominant communities are considered optimal, while diverse, Lactobacillus-depleted microbiota are non-optimal. Prior studies suggest Lactobacillus deficiency in TM vaginal microbiota, but associations with symptoms and immune markers remain unclear. We launched the TransBiota study to characterize the TM vaginal microbiota, soluble mediators of local inflammation, and self-reported symptoms over three weeks. Fewer than 10% of TM possess Lactobacillus-dominant microbiota, and most exhibit diverse, Lactobacillus-depleted microbiota. We identify 11 vaginal microbiota community state types (tmCSTs), with Lactobacillus-dominant tmCSTs unexpectedly linked to abnormal odor and elevated interleukin-1α. However, Lactobacillus dominance is not associated with other key symptoms, such as dyspareunia and vaginal dryness, underscoring that microbiome-symptom relationships in TM are more complex and warrant further research.

Indexed as

MicrobiotaTestosteroneTransgender PersonsVaginaAdultFemaleHumansLactobacillusMaleTestosterone16S rRNA geneamplicon sequencingCP: microbiologygender-affirming carelocal inflammationmicrobiomeprevotellatestosterone therapytransgendertransmasculinevaginal microbiota

Identifiers

PMID41352344
PMCPMC12828911

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.