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Updated: Oct 23, 2025

Author Spotlight: Revolutionizing Research on Vaginal Microbiome Interactions Using a Vaginal Chip
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Author Spotlight: Revolutionizing Research on Vaginal Microbiome Interactions Using a Vaginal Chip

Published on: February 16, 2024

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The composition and stability of the vaginal microbiome of healthy women

Samar Megbal Alhabardi1, Sherif Edris1, Ahmed Bahieldin1

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association
|August 21, 2021
PubMed

Our knowledge of the composition of the vaginal environment in healthy women stands greatly improved. An imbalance in microbial communities is associated with a number of different diseases, disorders and other adverse health outcomes. Cultivation-independent studies have been published indicating that each woman has unique vaginal microbiota. The vaginal microbiome in pregnant women is more stable and associated with high level of Lactobacillus, particularly, Lactobacillus crispatus and low bacterial diversity. The current review was planned to provide a more complete picture of the abundance of various bacteria species in the vagina and how they impact women's reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes. This should provide a better understanding of what is considered a "healthy" or "unhealthy" vaginal microbiome and how the dysibiosis of the vagina affects the women. Additionally, it was planned to identify factors that influence the structure and / or composition of the microbial community.

Keywords:
aginal microbiome, VMB, Bacterial vaginosis, Community state types, CST, Lactobacillus, Preterm birth, Pregnancy.

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