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 13 articles
Characterization of Vaginal Microbiota Across Female Reproductive Phases
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- 2Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
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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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