Microbiome on guard of women's reproductive health

 

Today, human symbiotic microflora is considered as an additional organ, without which life is impossible. Its functions are to maintain and regulate the optimal level of metabolic processes occurring in the body, as well as to create a high colonization resistance of the mucous membranes to opportunistic microorganisms. These mechanisms have a significant role in maintaining women's health, since the microbiome of the female genital organs determines the resistance to resisting infectious lesions.

Find out at estet-portal.com how the microbiome affects women's reproductive health.

• Female Genital Microbiome
• Causes of violations of the composition of the microbiome of the female genital organs
• cytolytic vaginosis, as a manifestation of a microbiome disorder of the female genital organs

Microbiome of the female genital organs

The vaginal microbiome will undergo significant changes as it depends on the hormonal status of the woman.

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In the reproductive period of life, the main part of the vaginal microbiome is represented by lactobacilli. With age-related decline in postmenopausal estrogen levels, the number of lactobacilli decreases, as a result of which the risk of diseases of the genital tract increases.

Scientists have discovered that lubricants can harm women's health There are 4 types of vaginal biocenosis

:

normocenosis

─ dominance of lactobacilli and absence of gram-negative microflora, presence of single leukocytes and epithelial cells;
1. intermediate type
─ reduced number of lactobacilli, presence of gram-positive cocci and gram-negative rods;
2. Vaginal dysbiosis
─ slight or complete absence of lactobacilli, abundant polymorphic microflora;
3. vaginitis (inflammatory smear type)
─ polymicrobial smear with a large number of leukocytes, macrophages,
4. epithelial cells. Causes of violation of the composition of the microbiome of the female genital organs

According to the latest scientific data,

not all lactobacilli are equally beneficial for women's reproductive health

. Thus, the presence of Lactobacillus iners in the vaginal microflora is considered as a factor and marker of vaginal dysbiosis, since its presence detects bacteria associated with the development of bacterial vaginosis, in particular Megasphaera, Leptotrichia, Eggerthella.

 

It is also known that competition between different bacterial strains that co-replicate can promote the development of cross-resistance to antibiotics.

This fact prevents effective treatment of bacterial infections.

Probiotics for the normalization of microflora: truth or fiction

Violation of the vaginal microbiome is associated with the following factors

: hormonal imbalance; features of sexual life; chronic somatic pathology; uncontrolled use of immunomodulators; pregnancy, lactation, inappropriate use of hormonal contraceptives; prescribing corticosteroids, cytostatics, non-compliance with the rules of intimate hygiene, wearing tight synthetic underwear, psycho-emotional

overstrain, stress. Cytolytic vaginosis, as a manifestation of a violation of the microbiome of the female genital organs

Along with this, today too little attention is paid by gynecologists to such a

pathological condition of the vaginal microbiome as cytolytic vaginosis

. The incidence of this pathology is on the rise due to

the widespread and uncontrolled use by women of gels for intimate hygiene and local medical products containing lactobacilli.  

However, this disease must be considered in the context of the differential diagnosis of nonspecific symptoms of vaginosis. This is due to the fact that

candidiasis and cytolytic vulvovaginitis without laboratory confirmation have an almost absolute clinical picture

. Moreover, the latter, in most cases, is regarded as candidal, with the appointment of antifungal agents, which leads to ineffective treatment.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis: causes and treatment tactics

Cytolytic vaginosis is a disease of non-inflammatory origin, which is characterized by an overgrowth of lactobacilli, which leads to chemical damage to the vaginal epithelial cells

, causing their lysis and mucosal defragmentation. Other names found in the literature are lactobacillus overgrowth syndrome, Doderlein cytolysis.

In the context of women's health, the state of the microflora of the vagina is extremely important. In this case, the effectiveness of the treatment of vaginal infections depends on the correctness of the diagnosis. The use of antifungal agents in patients of this category without establishing the etiology not only leads to ineffective treatment, but also increases the resistance of candida to etiotropic therapy

in the future, which leads to an increase in the number of chronic and recurrent forms of vulvovaginitis.

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