Characteristics of the vaginal microbiome in women with premature ovarian insufficiency

Study information

Needs review

study design

case-control

Citation

PMID PubMed identifier for scientific articles.

34879874

DOI Digital object identifier for electronic documents.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13048-021-00923-9

URI Uniform resource identifier for web resources.

Authors

Wu J, Ning Y, Tan L, Chen Y, Huang X, Zhuo Y

Journal

Journal of ovarian research

Year

2021

Keywords:

16S rRNA sequencing, Gonadal steroid hormones, Premature ovarian insufficiency, Vaginal microbiota

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between vaginal microbial community structure and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). METHODS: Twenty-eight women with POI and 12 healthy women were recruited at Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital between August and September 2020. Blood samples were collected for glucose tests and detection of sex hormone levels and vaginal secretions were collected for microbial group determination. Vaginal microbial community profiles were analysed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq system (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). RESULTS: Compared to the controls, the serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, and the follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone ratio, significantly increased, and oestradiol and anti-Müllerian hormone levels significantly decreased in women with POI. Higher weighted UniFrac values were observed in women with POI than in healthy women. Bacteria in the genera Lactobacillus, Brevundimonas, and Odoribacter were more abundant in the microbiomes of healthy women, while the quantity of bacteria in the genus Streptococcus was significantly increased in the microbiomes of women with POI. Moreover, these differences in microbes in women with POI were closely related to follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, oestradiol, and anti-Müllerian hormone levels and to the follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Women with POI had altered vaginal microbial profiles compared to healthy controls. The alterations in their microbiomes were associated with serum hormone levels. These results will improve our understanding of the vaginal microbial community structure in women with POI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CHICTR, ChiCTR2000029576 . Registered 3 August 2020 - Retrospectively registered, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=48844 .

Experiment 1

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Curated date: 2025/07/29

Curator: Aleru Divine

Revision editor(s): Aleru Divine

Subjects

Location of subjects: China

Host species Species from which microbiome was sampled. Contact us to have more species added.: Homo sapiens

Body site Anatomical site where microbial samples were extracted from according to the Uber Anatomy Ontology: Vagina Distal oviductal region,Distal portion of oviduct,Vaginae,Vagina,vagina

Condition The experimental condition / phenotype studied according to the Experimental Factor Ontology: Primary ovarian insufficiency female hypergonadotropic hypogonadism,hypergonadotrophic ovarian failure,hypergonadotropic hypogonadism,hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (female),premature menopause,premature ovarian failure,premature ovarian insufficiency,primary female hypogonadism,primary ovarian failure,primary ovarian insufficiency,resistant ovary syndrome,Primary ovarian insufficiency

Group 0 name Corresponds to the control (unexposed) group for case-control studies: Healthy subjects

Group 1 name Corresponds to the case (exposed) group for case-control studies: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)

Group 1 definition Diagnostic criteria applied to define the specific condition / phenotype represented in the case (exposed) group: Twenty-eight women with spontaneous Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI).

Group 0 sample size Number of subjects in the control (unexposed) group: 12

Group 1 sample size Number of subjects in the case (exposed) group: 28

Antibiotics exclusion Number of days without antibiotics usage (if applicable) and other antibiotics-related criteria used to exclude participants (if any): Three months

Lab analysis

Sequencing type: 16S

16S variable region One or more hypervariable region(s) of the bacterial 16S gene: V3-V4

Sequencing platform Manufacturer and experimental platform used for quantifying microbial abundance: Illumina

Statistical Analysis

Data transformation Data transformation applied to microbial abundance measurements prior to differential abundance testing (if any).: relative abundances

Statistical test: LEfSe

Significance threshold p-value or FDR threshold used for differential abundance testing (if any): 0.05

MHT correction Have statistical tests be corrected for multiple hypothesis testing (MHT)?: No

LDA Score above Threshold for the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) score for studies using the popular LEfSe tool: 2.0

Alpha Diversity

Shannon Estimator of species richness and species evenness: more weight on species richness: unchanged

Signature 1

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Curated date: 2025/07/29

Curator: Aleru Divine

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Source: Figure 2C

Description: Microbes that significantly differed between the POI and control groups.

Abundance in Group 1: increased abundance in Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)

NCBI	Quality Control	Links
Streptococcus

Revision editor(s): Aleru Divine

Signature 2

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Source: Figure 2C

Description: Microbes that significantly differed between the POI and control groups.

Abundance in Group 1: decreased abundance in Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)

NCBI	Quality Control	Links
Lactobacillus
Brevundimonas
Odoribacter

Revision editor(s): Aleru Divine