Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese
  • Polish

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. My microbiota as a woman
  3. Postmenopause: treating symptoms while preserving the vaginal microbiota
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • Thematics folders
    • News
    • Press room
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo
The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. My microbiota as a woman
  3. Postmenopause: treating symptoms while preserving the vaginal microbiota
My microbiota as a woman

Postmenopause: treating symptoms while preserving the vaginal microbiota

Menopause
The vaginal microbiota

Estradiol vaginal tablets or intimate moisturizer?
Although both appear equally effective in relieving symptoms of the menopause, their impact on the vaginal microbiota varies considerably.

The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • Thematics folders
    • News
    • Press room
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your friends might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
Postmenopause: treating symptoms while preserving the vaginal microbiota

About this article

Created 01 June 2022
Updated 09 June 2022

Vaginal dryness, itching, frequent urination, pain during intercourse... The period following menopause (postmenopause) is not always easy.
Genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)1 is a condition whose symptoms can mostly be attributed to the estrogen deficiency typical of menopause. Displaying various degrees of severity, the condition can be treated via hormonal treatments such as estradiol vaginal tablets, or non-hormonal treatments such as vaginal moisturizers.
The question is, what impact do these treatments have on vaginal pH, the vaginal microbiota, and metabolites produced by the microorganisms contained in it?

Menopause and postmenopause

Menopause is the cessation of ovulation and menstruation due to the interruption of estrogen and progesterone secretion.4 It generally occurs around the age of 50. The period that follows is known as the postmenopause5, which is characterized by the onset of various symptoms (hot flushes, sleep disturbance, fatigue, irritability, vaginal dryness, etc.) and an increased risk of certain diseases (osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease6).

Importance of vaginal microbiota for health

We know that the bacteria in the vaginal microbiota contribute to maintaining a healthy vaginal environment. Unlike the gut microbiota, the vaginal microbiota is balanced when it is not very diverse and is composed mainly of lactobacilli. Some of these bacteria produce lactic acid, which maintains the vagina’s acidic pH (pH ≤ 4.5), thus preventing the growth of pathogens. At menopause, estrogen levels decrease significantly. As a result, vaginal pH increases and the vaginal flora undergoes a change (fewer lactobacilli and greater bacterial diversity).2

The vaginal microbiota

Find out more

Treatments have different impact on vaginal microbiota

This new clinical study3 involved 144 postmenopausal women (mean age 64) experiencing moderate to severe vulvovaginal discomfort. The researchers compared the impact on the microbiota of an estradiol vaginal tablet, a moisturizing gel, and a double placebo (tablet and gel with no active compound).

At 12 weeks, 80% of women in the estradiol group had vaginal bacterial communities dominated by Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, compared to only 36% in the moisturizer group and 26% in the placebo group. Moreover, in the women treated with estradiol, more than half of the metabolites in the vaginal fluid changed, with an increase in lactate production almost certainly contributing to the marked decrease in pH in this group.

Estradiol for a healthy intimate area 

The effect of estradiol was more pronounced in women who initially had a very diverse vaginal microbiota (considered less healthy) and a high vaginal pH. According to the researchers, this hormone may stimulate the metabolic activity of beneficial lactic acid-producing bacteria, such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which in turn lowers vaginal pH. They thus suggest that estradiol tablets should be prioritized, since they may offer additional benefits for genitourinary health in postmenopausal women.

Sources

1 Angelou K, Grigoriadis T, Diakosavvas M, et al. The Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause: An Overview of the Recent Data. Cureus. 2020 Apr 8;12(4):e7586.

2 Greenbaum S, Greenbaum G, Moran-Gilad J, et al. Ecological dynamics of the vaginal microbiome in relation to health and disease. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2019 Apr;220(4):324-335.

3 Srinivasan S, Hua X, Wu MC, et al. Impact of Topical Interventions on the Vaginal Microbiota and Metabolome in Postmenopausal Women: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Mar 1;5(3):e225032. 

4 O’Neill S., Eden J. The pathophysiology of menopausal symptoms. Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Reproductive Medicine 2017 Oct;27(10):303-310

5 Koothirezhi R, Ranganathan S. Postmenopausal Syndrome. [Updated 2022 Apr 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.

6 Rossi R, Grimaldi T, Origliani G, et al. Menopause and cardiovascular risk. Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb. 2002 Sep-Dec;32(5-6):325-8.

Tags
Menopause Vagina Vaginal flora Women health Estrogen

en_view en_sources

    See also

    Oral and intestinal microbiota: towards a different management of menopause
    Natural remedies against osteoporosis?
    Created 01 June 2022
    Updated 09 June 2022

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Menopause

    Related microbiotas

    The vaginal microbiota
    My microbiota as a woman

    Prebiotics: what you need to know

    With just one different letter separating prebiotics and probiotics, no wonder they get confused! To muddy ...

    Find out more

    Probiotics

    Probiotics: essential information for understanding and choosing them correctly. What exactly are probiotic...

    Find out more

    Urinary disorders

    Find out more

    Women disorders

    Find out more

    The vaginal microbiota

    The vaginal microbiota: how to take care of it? Hundreds of bacteria populate the vagina.1 Let’s see how t...

    Find out more

    The gut microbiota

    Gut microbiota: why is it that important for your health? We have trillions1 of bacteria that populate our ...

    Find out more

    Fecal transplant

    Fecal transplant involves introducing a healthy person’s stool into a patient’s digestive tract in order to...

    Find out more

    Microbiota and breast cancer

    Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in the world. In addition to genetic factors and already ide...

    Find out more

    Latest news

    News
    11.03.2022

    Endometriosis and microbiota: is there a link?

    Read the article
    14.03.2023

    Does microbiota play a role in infertility?

    Read the article
    Periods & vaginal microbiota: Science in progress…
    11.01.2023

    Periods & vaginal microbiota: Science in progress…

    Read the article
    Menopause: new insights coming from microbiota?
    27.09.2022

    Menopause: new insights coming from microbiota?

    Read the article
    16.05.2022

    What could prevent my child’s respiratory allergies?

    Read the article
    Periods and endometriosis: what is the role of the microbiota?
    24.01.2023

    Periods and endometriosis: what is the role of the microbiota?

    Read the article
    Actu GP : Contre l’asthme, bienvenue à la poussière de la ferme !
    08.10.2019

    A little farm dust for your asthma?

    Read the article
    Papillomavirus (HPV) : quand son élimination tient à des bactéries vaginales
    14.02.2023

    How vaginal bacteria help to get rid of papillomavirus (HPV)

    Read the article
    My health, my microbiota
    Follow our Facebook page
    The power of your gut
    Get to know more about the gut microbiota and its importance for your health
    Find your dedicated section
    Healthcare professionals
    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo
    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish

    Browse the site

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the microbiota community and receive "The Essentials" once a month to stay up to date with the latest news on the microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    La discrimination difficile à digérer
    20.03.2023

    How discrimination turns our stomach

    Read the article
    14.03.2023

    Does microbiota play a role in infertility?

    Read the article
    How to keep a healthy microbiota?
    02.03.2023

    How to keep a healthy microbiota?

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community and receive once a month “The Essential” to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    © 2022 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Cookies Policy
    • Data protection policy
    • GTU
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    Biocodex logo