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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.

Sec. Systems Microbiology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1599965

This article is part of the Research TopicInvestigating the Role of Microorganisms in Ecosystems and Their Interactions with the Humans, Animals, Plants, and Environment InterfaceView all 12 articles

Characterization of Vaginal Microbiota Across Female Reproductive Phases

Provisionally accepted
Qingzhi  ZhaiQingzhi Zhai1*Yuan  GaoYuan Gao1Mingyang  WangMingyang Wang1Lian  LiLian Li1Jianghua  LiJianghua Li1Ying  MaYing Ma1Ke  NiuKe Niu2Mingxia  YeMingxia Ye1
  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
  • 2Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The vaginal microbiota plays a crucial role in women's reproductive health, but its composition and function throughout different female reproductive phases remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic variations in vaginal microbial communities corresponding to different hormonal states throughout the female reproductive phase.Methods: Vaginal samples were collected from 150 healthy women across five reproductive phases: follicular phase, luteal phase, early pregnancy, lactation, and menopause (30 samples per group). 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the microbial composition. Alpha and beta diversity analyses were performed, and random forest models were constructed to identify key microbial taxa associated with each phase. Functional profiling was conducted using Clusters of Orthologous Groups of Proteins (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases.Results: Microbial communities show significant variations across the different reproductive phases. Firmicutes dominate in the early reproductive phases but decrease notably during lactation and menopause. Conversely, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria increase in later phases. At the genus level, Lactobacillus maintains a higher abundance during reproductive phases but declines during lactation and menopause. Peak microbial diversity occurs during lactation. Functional predictions reveal distinct phase-specific microbial functions. The follicular phase is enriched in pathways associated with nitrotoluene degradation and flavonoid biosynthesis, potentially reflecting estrogen-mediated regulation. Lactation shows enrichment in pathways related to protein digestion and fatty acid metabolism, consistent with increased nutritional demands. Menopause is characterized by enrichment in steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways. In early pregnancy, enrichment of functions related to the adenine nucleotide translocator and phosphate carrier reversible complex suggests functional adaptation of the microbiota to early gestational physiology.

Keywords: vaginal microbiota, Reproductive phase, 16S rRNA sequencing, Hormonal variations, Microbial Diversity

Received: 25 Mar 2025; Accepted: 03 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Zhai, Gao, Wang, Li, Li, Ma, Niu and Ye. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Qingzhi Zhai, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

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