Longitudinal Analysis of Vulvovaginal Bacteriome Following Use of Water- and Silicone-Based Personal Lubricants: Stability, Spatial Specificity, and Clinical Implications

TL;DR

This study found that using water- or silicone-based lubricants does not significantly alter the vaginal and vulvar microbiome over time.

Contribution

The study provides new empirical evidence on the stability of the vulvovaginal bacteriome after repeated lubricant use.

Findings

The vaginal bacteriome remained dominated by Lactobacillus and Firmicutes after lubricant use.

Vulvar communities showed higher diversity with minor, non-significant changes in composition.

A moderate correlation was found between the vaginal and vulvar bacteriome.

Abstract

The vulvovaginal microbiome is a complex and dynamic ecosystem of microorganisms. The potential effects of common personal lubricants on its balance, which have implications for reproductive health, are still unknown. This study longitudinally assessed the impact of two commercially available lubricants on the composition and stability of the vaginal and vulvar bacteriome. Paired vaginal and vulvar swabs were collected at baseline and after repeated lubricant use, and the bacteriome was assessed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Alpha and beta diversity were assessed using Shannon entropy and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity, respectively. The results showed that the vaginal bacteriome was dominated by Lactobacillus and Firmicutes, while vulvar communities were more diverse and had higher abundances of Prevotella, Finegoldia, and Peptoniphilus. Both alpha and beta diversity measures indicated that the vaginal and vulvar bacteriome remained largely stable even after repeated lubricant use. Minor and non-significant changes in genus-level composition were observed, particularly in the vulvar samples. A moderate but significant correlation (Mantel r = 0.274, p = 0.001) was also observed between the vaginal and vulvar bacteriome. Overall, this study shows that short-term, repeated use of the water-based lubricant and the silicone-based lubricant tested in this study does not significantly disrupt the vaginal or vulvar bacteriome.

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