Investigation of Microbiomes of Postmenopausal Women Looking for Outcomes and Response to Estrogen Therapy
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2021-01-14
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
In this proposed pilot study, 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing will be used in the
analysis of bacterial communities (microbiomes) in postmenopausal women with vulvovaginal
atrophy (VVA) before and after eight weeks of vaginal estrogen use. The investigators plan to
characterize the composition and dynamics of the microbiomes of the vagina, bladder, and
rectum for quantitative and qualitative changes in the distribution of operational taxonomic
units (OTUs) before and after eight weeks of local vaginal estrogen therapy. Although the
vagina, bladder, and gut microbiomes have been increasingly independently studied, less is
known about the interactions of the bacterial communities among the three environments as
well as the dynamic relationship with menopausal status and vaginal estrogen therapy and the
investigators seek to elucidate these relationships further.