Investigation of Microbiomes of Postmenopausal Women Looking for Outcomes and Response to Estrogen Therapy

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.

Timeline

Start

2019-08-01

Primary completion

2021-01-14

Completion

2021-01-14

Drugs

Indications