Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Modeling Healthy and Dysbiotic Vaginal Microenvironments in a Human Vagina-on-a-Chip
Published on: February 16, 2024
The Aging Vaginal Microenvironment: A Communication Toolkit
Laneshia Conner1, Lirisha Tuladhar1
1College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, 631 Patterson Office Tower, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.
Background:
The vagina undergoes important changes across the life course that are shaped not only by hormonal transitions but also by shifts in the vaginal microbial environment. Despite growing interest in the vaginal microbiome, research has disproportionately centered reproductive-aged populations, leaving the aging vagina comparatively understudied.
Objective:
This article examines the aging vagina through a life-course lens, with emphasis on microbial and clinical transitions associated with midlife and older adulthood.
Key Content:
The article highlights menopause-related changes and approaches for reducing stigma and missed clinical opportunities. Particular attention is given to menopause-related declines in estrogen, reduced glycogen availability, increased vaginal pH, and accompanying changes in microbial balance, as well as their relationship to dryness, irritation, genitourinary symptoms, and susceptibility to adverse outcomes. The article also provides health professionals with a practical educational framework for symptom recognition, patient communication, vaginal health assessment, menopause-related education, stigma reduction, and prevention of missed clinical opportunities.
Conclusions:
Positioning the aging vagina within life-course and microbial-health frameworks can strengthen prevention, improve symptom recognition, and support more ageinclusive, informed, and responsive care for older women.
Related Concept Videos
Microbiota of the Urogenital Tract
Surface Membrane Barriers
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Vagina
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Development of Human Microbiota
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
