Divine Aleru, Microbiome Signatures Research Coordinator

Primary dysmenorrhea is a common, underdiagnosed condition that causes significant pain and affects women’s daily lives. The study highlights its pathophysiology, diagnostic approach, treatment options, and the need for greater awareness and research into its management.

Primary dysmenorrhea (D) is painful menstrual cramps without underlying pelvic pathology, predominantly caused by elevated prostaglandins inducing uterine contractions and ischemia. Managing primary dysmenorrhea (D) requires understanding its complex mechanisms involving prostaglandins, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Treatments include SAIDs, hormonal therapies, and promising complementary options like probiotics, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, exercise, yoga, acupuncture, and massage, significantly improving women’s quality of life.

What was studied?This study examined the interaction between the vaginal microbiota and mycobiota in patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VC). The research focused on understanding the role of different Candida species, specifically Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, in the pathology of VC, and how they influence the vaginal bacteriome. The study aimed to identify the microbial […]

This study investigates the link between gut microbiota and postpartum depressive disorder (PD), identifying specific microbiota changes that correlate with depressive symptoms and hormonal levels. These findings could provide biomarkers for diagnosing and treating PD.

This study explores the differences in microbiomes across breast tissue, oral, and urinary sites in women with and without breast cancer. Key findings suggest distinct microbiomic patterns in cancerous tissue and the urinary microbiome, providing new insights into the role of microbiota in cancer development.

This study examined the impact of estrogen on oral health and microbiome composition in OVID-19 patients, showing that postmenopausal women and men experience poorer oral health, which correlates with elevated proinflammatory cytokines and lower CE2 expression, potentially influencing OVID-19 outcomes.

This study explores the impact of vaginal microbiota on VF outcomes in women with infertility. It highlights how specific bacteria like Lactobacillus iners and Pseudomonas spp. can predict VF success or failure, offering potential insights for personalized RT treatments.

This pilot study links gut microbiome diversity with breast cancer risk factors and tumor characteristics, particularly in ER2+ tumors and those with early menarche. It suggests microbial alterations in these groups that may influence cancer development and risk.

This study explores the vaginal microbiome and metabolome in women with common genital infections, revealing key microbial shifts and metabolic markers associated with infections like VC, T, and V, highlighting potential diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets.

This study suggests that birth mode may influence the vaginal microbiota, with C-section delivery potentially linked to a less protective microbiome and higher odds of V in adulthood.

This study examined how bacterial vaginosis and R-PV infection influence vaginal microbiota diversity and cervical dysplasia in Chinese women, identifying Lactobacillus iners as a key microbial player in PV-related IN progression.

This study characterized the fungal communities in the female genital tract of young South African women and identified how fungal composition relates to bacterial vaginosis and other clinical factors.

A longitudinal study in predominantly Black and Hispanic young women found that a molecular V subtype (ST-V-A) and a network of specific bacteria increase risk for Chlamydia trachomatis infection and reinfection, underscoring the clinical importance of cervicovaginal microbiome signatures.

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that Salvia officinalis significantly reduces the frequency of hot flashes in postmenopausal women, making it a promising non-hormonal alternative.

This meta-analysis reveals that SRIs are effective in reducing hot flashes in menopausal women, with escitalopram showing the highest efficacy. These results support SRIs as a non-hormonal alternative to hormone therapy.

This study demonstrates that LE4901, an K3R antagonist, significantly reduces hot flash frequency, severity, and interference in menopausal women, offering a non-hormonal treatment alternative.

The study assessed the effectiveness of the Evia app, a smartphone-based hypnotherapy intervention, in reducing hot flash frequency and severity in menopausal women.

This study suggests that a low-fat vegan diet, particularly one supplemented with soybeans, significantly reduces hot flashes in postmenopausal women, with improvements linked to higher plant-based diet scores.

This study shows that reducing dietary advanced glycation end-products (GEs) through a plant-based diet significantly reduces hot flashes in postmenopausal women, offering a non-hormonal alternative for managing menopausal symptoms.

This review discusses how food-derived nutrients modulate molecular mechanisms related to hot flashes in menopause, identifying dietary compounds that may offer effective, natural alternatives to hormonal treatments.

This study demonstrates that herbal tea capsules significantly reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women, offering a promising natural alternative to hormone therapy for managing menopausal symptoms.

This study examines how dietary intake affects hot flash frequency in postmenopausal women. It finds that stable blood glucose levels, achieved through regular meals, reduce hot flash occurrences, suggesting dietary modifications as a potential treatment for menopausal symptoms.

This study explores how exposure to environmental contaminants like FAS, PA, and phthalates accelerates reproductive aging and leads to early menopause, with significant health risks.

The study links urinary phthalate metabolite levels with increased risk and frequency of hot flashes in midlife women, suggesting environmental exposure as a contributing factor. Associations varied by menopause status, MI, race/ethnicity, and depressive symptoms.

This study links higher levels of phthalate metabolites, particularly from personal care products, to an increased risk and severity of hot flashes in midlife women, suggesting that phthalate exposure could influence menopausal symptoms.

This study links severe hot flashes to chronic insomnia in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, suggesting that managing hot flashes could improve sleep quality and reduce the health risks associated with insomnia.

This study shows that the severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women correlates with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly L-8 and NF-α. These findings suggest a connection between hot flashes and systemic inflammation, which may contribute to chronic diseases in this population.

This systematic review explores the global prevalence of hot flashes and night sweats, revealing significant cultural and regional variations. It emphasizes the need for personalized, region-specific healthcare strategies to address these common menopausal symptoms.

The article redefines menopausal hot flashes as signs of underlying neurovascular dysregulation, linking them to chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. It advocates for more targeted, personalized treatments and further research into the physiological mechanisms behind these symptoms.

The review explores the physiological mechanisms behind menopausal hot flashes, including thermoregulatory changes, sympathetic nervous activation, and estrogen depletion. It also examines treatments such as clonidine and behavioral therapies.

What was reviewed?The article presents a detailed review of menopausal hot flashes, examining both the physiological and biosociocultural factors that contribute to this common menopausal symptom. It highlights the lack of clarity regarding the exact causes and mechanisms of hot flashes, despite decades of research. The paper discusses how the understanding of hot flashes has […]

This review synthesizes current evidence on menopausal hot flashes, focusing on neuroendocrine mechanisms, genetic factors, and a stepwise, personalized treatment approach, emphasizing new targets such as the NDy neuronal system and GRP for future therapies.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis shows potent antifertility effects through antiovulatory, antiimplantation, and antispermatogenic mechanisms in animal studies, supporting its development as a safe, natural contraceptive pending further research.

This review highlights Hibiscus rosa-sinensis as a potent medicinal plant with diverse pharmacological activities linked to its rich phytochemical profile, underscoring its therapeutic potential and the need for further clinical research.

The ethanolic root extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis shows potent, reversible post-coital antifertility effects in rats via estrogenic mechanisms, supporting its potential as a safe herbal contraceptive.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis exhibits significant antifertility effects in animal models through antiovulatory, antiimplantation, and spermatogenic disruption mechanisms, highlighting its potential as a safe, reversible herbal contraceptive pending further research.

Routine consumption of hibiscus tea or juice may affect female fertility by disrupting ovulation, implantation, and hormonal balance. Women trying to conceive or undergoing fertility treatments should be cautious and discuss herbal intake with their healthcare provider to avoid unintended reproductive consequences.

A case report highlights hibiscus tea’s phytoestrogens potentially lowering VT risk while interfering with VF hormone therapy, emphasizing a need for cautious use and further research.

This systematic review links sex hormone levels with gut microbiota composition and diversity, revealing associations that may underpin sex-specific disease risks and suggesting microbiota modulation as a therapeutic strategy.

This review examines estrogen’s interplay with the gut microbiome and brain, revealing their collective influence on fear extinction and anxiety disorders, highlighting critical sex differences and the potential for microbiome-targeted therapies.

Vaginal microbiota composition in young women varies daily with hormonal cycles, contraceptive use, diet, and exercise, affecting Lactobacillus dominance and community stability linked to reproductive health.

Intermittent fasting (F) may positively influence gut microbiota by improving richness and diversity. However, findings are inconsistent across studies, requiring more research for clearer clinical recommendations.

Intermittent fasting improves weight, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women, offering a promising non-pharmacological strategy for managing metabolic disorders.

Dietary intake of (poly)phenol-rich foods modestly improves cardiometabolic risk factors and reduces oxidative stress in postmenopausal women, with gut microbiome variability influencing outcomes.

Ketogenic diets effectively improve metabolic, hormonal, and inflammatory profiles in female endocrine disorders, aiding COS, menopause, and hormone-related cancers by promoting weight loss and reducing insulin resistance.

A plant-based diet with soy reduces hot flashes in postmenopausal women, potentially by modulating gut bacteria linked to inflammation and estrogen metabolism.

Menopausal hot flashes are one of the most common and disruptive symptoms that women experience during the transition to menopause. Characterized by sudden sensations of heat, sweating, and flushing, hot flashes can significantly affect a woman’s quality of life, causing sleep disturbances, mood swings, and even long-term health consequences. Understanding the complex mechanisms behind hot flashes, as well as the role of microbiome-targeted therapies, offers new avenues for improving menopausal health.

Menopause disrupts multiple microbiomes, elevating risks for infections, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, and osteoporosis. Targeted interventions including probiotics, diet, and hormone therapy improve health outcomes.

Menopause alters gut microbiota composition and estrogen metabolism, contributing to symptoms and disease risks. Prebiotic and probiotic interventions show promise for symptom relief and metabolic health improvement.

Mind-body therapies like hypnosis effectively reduce menopausal hot flashes; natural products and whole-system AM approaches show mixed evidence. More high-quality research is needed.

Estrogen therapy remains the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms, with transdermal delivery preferred for safety. Non-hormonal options offer moderate relief; emerging therapies like ERMs and androgens show promise but require cautious use.

This review finds insufficient evidence that black cohosh effectively reduces menopausal symptoms. Hormone therapy outperforms black cohosh, which appears safe but needs further study for efficacy and impact on quality of life.

Combining Rhodiola rosea and Actaea racemosa extracts significantly improves menopausal symptoms and quality of life, outperforming black cohosh alone with good safety.

Rhodiola rosea shows promise as a natural selective estrogen receptor modulator, offering neuroprotective, cardiovascular, and bone health benefits for menopausal women with fewer risks than conventional therapies.

This review details the estrogenic activity, neuroprotective effects, and clinical relevance of medicinal plants for menopausal women, highlighting their potential to prevent cognitive decline and neurodegeneration via microbiome-associated mechanisms.

What was studied?The study examined the metabolic changes that occur during menopause, focusing on how menopause modulates circulating metabolites in midlife women. Researchers specifically analyzed 94 charged metabolites, including amino acids, fatty acids, and other small molecules, to assess how these metabolic changes correlate with the increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease […]

This review synthesizes evidence on menopause-related lipid metabolic disorders, emphasizing estrogen deficiency, dietary interventions, and the role of probiotics and microbiome modulation in improving metabolic health among postmenopausal women.

Menopause is linked to significant metabolic shifts, including a proatherogenic lipid profile and altered amino acid levels, which may increase cardiovascular and metabolic disease risks in women. The study highlights the importance of monitoring metabolic health during menopause.

This study reveals significant metabolic changes in postmenopausal women, including a pro-atherogenic lipid profile and increased amino acids linked to cardiovascular and metabolic risk, emphasizing menopause as a key factor in long-term health risks.

This study links urinary heavy metal exposure (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead) to altered sex hormone levels in midlife women, with stronger effects during the perimenopausal transition. It suggests that metal exposure may accelerate ovarian aging and impact long-term health outcomes.

The study links higher urinary arsenic and lead concentrations to earlier menopause, suggesting that exposure to these metals accelerates ovarian aging. Women with higher environmental risk scores (RS) experienced menopause earlier, emphasizing the role of metal mixtures in reproductive health.

This review details how environmental metal exposures influence menopause onset, symptoms, and OVID-19 outcomes, emphasizing the potential for trace mineral supplementation and the need for monitoring heavy metal and micronutrient status in menopausal women.

This review outlines the evaluation and management of osteoporosis in premenopausal women, emphasizing secondary causes, appropriate MD interpretation, and tailored treatment—highlighting the importance of individualized care and cautious pharmacotherapy in this population.

This review challenges the labeling of hot flashes as mere menopausal symptoms, proposing they signal underlying neurovascular dysregulation linked to chronic disease risk, and calls for new clinical and research approaches.

This study demonstrates significant alterations in gut bacteria, fungi, and metabolites in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, revealing microbial and metabolic signatures closely linked to bone mineral density and providing a basis for early diagnosis and targeted interventions.

This review elucidates the neuroendocrine and thermoregulatory mechanisms of menopausal hot flashes, evaluating objective measurement and treatment strategies, with a focus on central sympathetic activation and the limited role of the microbiome or estrogen alone in F etiology.

This study identifies distinct gut microbiome and functional gene signatures associated with osteoporosis and osteopenia in postmenopausal women, highlighting key microbial taxa and metabolic pathways that may influence bone health and serve as potential targets for clinical intervention.

Menopause is linked to reduced gut microbiome diversity, loss of beneficial Firmicutes and Roseburia, and increased risk-associated taxa and metabolic pathways. These changes may contribute to higher metabolic and immune disease risk, highlighting the microbiome’s potential as a therapeutic and biomarker target.

Menopause in Latina women is linked to distinctive gut microbiome and estrobolome alterations, resembling those in men, and these microbial changes are associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. The study identifies specific microbiome signatures potentially mediating menopause-related metabolic effects.

Greater fecal microbiome diversity in postmenopausal women correlates with urinary estrogen metabolite profiles linked to lower breast cancer risk. Specific taxa, notably Clostridiales, are associated with beneficial estrogen metabolism signatures.

This study found that menopausal syndrome is linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis, with reduced Bifidobacterium animalis and altered metabolic pathways, suggesting microbiome-targeted interventions may benefit menopausal women.

This study reveals how SH-driven changes in perimenopausal women associate with distinct gut microbiota and metabolomic profiles, linking specific bacteria and metabolic pathways to symptoms like bone pain and mental disturbances, with implications for personalized management strategies.

What was reviewed?This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized data from 46 community-based studies across 24 countries, assessing the influence of socioeconomic position (EP) and lifestyle factors on age at natural menopause (NM). The review sought to determine overall mean NM globally, compare regional differences, and quantify the impact of EP (education, occupation, income) and modifiable […]

Menopause reduces gut microbiome diversity and shifts composition toward a male-like profile, likely due to declining estrogen and progesterone. These changes may impact postmenopausal health and disease risk, highlighting the gut microbiome as a promising therapeutic target.

Menopause drives profound shifts in the oral, gut, and vaginal microbiome, decreasing protective species and increasing disease risk. Understanding these hormone-microbe interactions is crucial for developing personalized interventions to improve women’s health during and after the menopausal transition.

This review details how menopause-driven hormonal changes alter the vaginal and gut microbiome, emphasizing the clinical implications for symptoms and therapies, and advocating for more inclusive, microbiome-informed interventions to support healthy aging in women.

This prospective study of 17,070 African American women found smoking most strongly predicts earlier menopause, while higher MI and oral contraceptive use are protective. Perceived racism showed suggestive but inconsistent associations with menopause timing, underscoring the need for further research on psychosocial stressors and reproductive aging.

Menopause alters the gut, vaginal, and urinary microbiomes, decreasing Lactobacillus and increasing microbial diversity. These changes contribute to SM, rUTI, and urinary symptoms. Hormone therapy and probiotics partially restore healthy microbiota, offering new avenues for genitourinary symptom management in postmenopausal women.

ICE guidance recommends diagnosing menopause in women over 45 clinically, not with lab tests, while SH measurement is reserved for suspected OI in women under 40, streamlining care and reducing unnecessary testing in clinical biochemistry laboratories.

Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (OI) is a medical condition in which a woman’s ovaries stop functioning normally before the age of 40. This leads to reduced estrogen production and irregular menstrual cycles, which may eventually result in infertility and early menopause-like symptoms. OI can occur due to various reasons, including genetic factors, autoimmune disorders, chemotherapy, or unknown causes. Though often misunderstood and misdiagnosed, OI can significantly impact a woman’s physical and emotional well-being. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, including hormone replacement therapy (RT) and fertility interventions, can help manage symptoms, improve quality of life, and in some cases, restore fertility.

Menopause impacts many aspects of health, including the gut microbiome, weight management, and hormone balance. Diet, probiotics, intermittent fasting, and RT offer effective management strategies.

A narrative review examining how dietary patterns, nutrients, and gut microbiota impact female fertility, highlighting the Mediterranean diet’s benefits, the risks of Western diets, key micronutrients, and the clinical importance of individualized nutritional care for women planning pregnancy or experiencing infertility.

What was studied?This original research investigated the long-term effects of dietary quercetin supplementation on female fertility and ovarian physiology in mice, with a specific focus on the role of the enzyme transglutaminase 2 (G2). Quercetin, a widely consumed flavonoid supplement, is known for its antioxidant properties, but its effects on female reproductive health remain poorly […]

What was reviewed?This review article examines current evidence on the use of medical-grade honey (GH) as a novel therapy for bacterial vaginosis (V), a prevalent condition among women of reproductive age characterized by a dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome. V is associated with a reduction in protective, lactic acid-producing lactobacilli and an overgrowth of pathogenic […]

Honey exerts protective effects in reproductive health by modulating oxidative stress, supporting hormonal balance, and selectively inhibiting pathogens while preserving beneficial microbiota, making it a promising adjunct in fertility support, menopause symptom relief, and vulvovaginal candidiasis management.

This review summarizes evidence linking Mediterranean Diet adherence to improved RT outcomes, highlighting modest benefits for clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. Methodological heterogeneity and lack of CTs limit conclusions, underscoring the need for standardized research and mechanistic exploration.

This editorial reviews evidence on metformin for COS-related infertility, highlighting its benefits for ovulation induction, especially in women with longer fertility timelines, and advocating for individualized therapy over restrictive guidelines.

A randomized clinical trial found Nigella sativa plus black pepper significantly improved pregnancy rates and reproductive parameters versus letrozole plus tamoxifen in infertile women with COS, with comparable safety.

This review highlights how dietary patterns, micronutrients, genetics, and the microbiome interact to influence female infertility and RT outcomes, supporting the role of personalized nutrition and microbiome-targeted interventions in reproductive medicine.

This review details how probiotics modulate the human microbiome to support fertility, addressing mechanisms, clinical evidence, and implications for male and female reproductive health, with particular focus on Lactobacillus species and their role in infertility treatment and prevention.

This review details how the reproductive tract microbiome impacts infertility and reproductive outcomes, highlighting the roles of specific microbial taxa, dysbiosis in disease, and potential microbiome-targeted therapies to improve RT success and pregnancy outcomes.

This review reveals how vaginal microbiota dysbiosis underpins diverse gynecological diseases, highlights characteristic microbial signatures, and evaluates interventions—especially probiotics and vaginal microbiota transplantation—as emerging strategies to restore health and reduce recurrence.

This review summarizes clinical and mechanistic evidence for complementary and alternative medicine in COS infertility, highlighting CM, acupuncture, nutrient supplementation, and lifestyle interventions as effective, safe adjunct therapies with potential microbiome-mediated benefits.

This study explores the relationship between co-exposure to phenols and phthalates and infertility risk in women of reproductive age, highlighting significant associations with PA and EHP metabolites.

This study identified 27 follicular fluid metabolites differentiating infertile from fertile women, developed a predictive Biomarker Score, and demonstrated strong correlations with VF outcomes, providing a basis for personalized infertility management.

What was studied?This original research article investigated the association between blood levels of lead and cadmium (two common environmental heavy metals) and self-reported infertility among women in the United States. The study leveraged data from the 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES), focusing on reproductive-aged women. The researchers […]

Environmental pollution—including heavy metals, air pollutants, and endocrine disruptors—negatively impacts female fertility through hormonal disruption, oxidative stress, and epigenetic changes. The review emphasizes the clinical need for exposure assessment and mitigation strategies to protect reproductive health.

Infertile women in Taiwan showed higher blood lead and arsenic levels than pregnant women, mainly linked to frequent Chinese herbal medicine use. Physical activity may help lower lead accumulation, highlighting the need to evaluate traditional medicine risks in women planning pregnancy.

This review synthesizes evidence linking lead, cadmium, and copper exposure to male and female infertility, detailing mechanisms of reproductive toxicity, epidemiological patterns, and the potential role of microbiome alterations as mediators and biomarkers of reproductive risk.

This cross-sectional study in American women found that higher urinary arsenic—and, to a lesser extent, cadmium—were associated with increased infertility risk, with lead exposure linked to infertility in older or overweight women, supporting the need for environmental exposure monitoring in reproductive health.