Methods for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of vaginal microflora during menstruation (original) (raw)

Abstract

The quantitative and qualitative changes in the bacterial flora of the vagina during menstruation have received inadequate study. Similarly, the effect of vaginal tampons on the microbial flora as well as the relationship between the microbial flora of the vagina and that of the tampon has not been adequately evaluated. The purposes of the present study were (i) to develop quantitative methods for studying the vaginal flora and the flora of tampons obtained during menstruation and (ii) to determine whether there were differences between the microflora of the tampon and that of the vaginal vault. Tampon and swab samples were obtained at various times from eight young healthy volunteers for 8 to 10 menstrual cycles. Samples consisted of swabs from women wearing menstrual pads compared with swab and tampon samples taken at various times during the menstrual cycle. Samples were analyzed for total facultative and anaerobic bacterial counts, and the six dominant bacterial species in each culture were identified. Statistical evaluation of the results indicates that total bacterial counts decreased during menstruation and that swab and tampon samples yielded similar total counts per unit weight of sample. The numbers of bacteria in tampons tended to be lower than in swabs taken at the same time. Overall, during menstruation, the concentrations of lactobacilli declined, but otherwise there was little difference among the species found during menstruation compared with those found in intermenstrual samples. Cotton tampons had little discernible effect on the microbial flora.

333

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bartlett J. G., Moon N. E., Goldstein P. R., Goren B., Onderdonk A. B., Polk B. F. Cervical and vaginal bacterial flora: ecologic niches in the female lower genital tract. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1978 Mar 15;130(6):658–661. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(78)90323-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bartlett J. G., Onderdonk A. B., Drude E., Goldstein C., Anderka M., Alpert S., McCormack W. M. Quantitative bacteriology of the vaginal flora. J Infect Dis. 1977 Aug;136(2):271–277. doi: 10.1093/infdis/136.2.271. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Gorbach S. L., Menda K. B., Thadepalli H., Keith L. Anaerobic microflora of the cervix in healthy women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1973 Dec 15;117(8):1053–1055. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(73)90753-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Grossman J. H., 3rd, Adams R. L. Vaginal flora in women undergoing hysterectomy with antibiotic prophylaxis. Obstet Gynecol. 1979 Jan;53(1):23–26. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HUNTER C. A., Jr, LONG K. R. A study of the microbiological flora of the vagina. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1958 Apr;75(4):865–871. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(58)90668-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lindner J. G., Plantema F. H., Hoogkamp-Korstanje J. A. Quantitative studies of the vaginal flora of healthy women and of obstetric and gynaecological patients. J Med Microbiol. 1978 Aug;11(3):233–241. doi: 10.1099/00222615-11-3-233. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Morris C. A., Morris D. F. Normal vaginal microbiology of women of childbearing age in relation to the use of oral contraceptives and vaginal tampons. J Clin Pathol. 1967 Jul;20(4):636–640. doi: 10.1136/jcp.20.4.636. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ohm M. J., Galask R. P. Bacterial flora of the cervix from 100 prehysterectomy patients. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1975 Jul 15;122(6):683–687. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(75)90571-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Onderdonk A. B., Polk B. F., Moon N. E., Goren B., Bartlett J. G. Methods for quantitative vaginal flora studies. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1977 Aug 1;128(7):777–781. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(77)90720-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Sautter R. L., Brown W. J. Sequential vaginal cultures from normal young women. J Clin Microbiol. 1980 May;11(5):479–484. doi: 10.1128/jcm.11.5.479-484.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Smith C. B., Noble V., Bensch R., Ahlin P. A., Jacobson J. A., Latham R. H. Bacterial flora of the vagina during the menstrual cycle: findings in users of tampons, napkins, and sea sponges. Ann Intern Med. 1982 Jun;96(6 Pt 2):948–951. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-96-6-948. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Tashjian J. H., Coulam C. B., Washington J. A., 2nd Vaginal flora in asymptomatic women. Mayo Clin Proc. 1976 Sep;51(9):557–561. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]