Divine Aleru, Microbiome Signatures Research Coordinator

Menopause is linked to reduced gut microbiome diversity, loss of beneficial Firmicutes and Roseburia, and increased risk-associated taxa and metabolic pathways. These changes may contribute to higher metabolic and immune disease risk, highlighting the microbiome’s potential as a therapeutic and biomarker target.

Essential oils are powerful natural substances that can modulate the gut microbiome, offering therapeutic benefits such as enhanced digestion, reduced inflammation, and improved immune function. With antimicrobial properties that selectively target harmful bacteria while promoting beneficial gut microbes, EOs like oregano, tea tree, and peppermint are emerging as effective interventions for optimizing health. However, safe application is crucial to avoid potential risks, including skin irritation and interactions with medications. Understanding the proper use of EOs ensures their effectiveness in supporting a balanced microbiome and overall well-being.

Menopause in Hispanic/Latina women is linked to distinctive gut microbiome and estrobolome alterations, resembling those in men, and these microbial changes are associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. The study identifies specific microbiome signatures potentially mediating menopause-related metabolic effects.

Greater fecal microbiome diversity in postmenopausal women correlates with urinary estrogen metabolite profiles linked to lower breast cancer risk. Specific taxa, notably Clostridiales, are associated with beneficial estrogen metabolism signatures.

This study found that menopausal syndrome is linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis, with reduced Bifidobacterium animalis and altered metabolic pathways, suggesting microbiome-targeted interventions may benefit menopausal women.

This study reveals how FSH-driven changes in perimenopausal women associate with distinct gut microbiota and metabolomic profiles, linking specific bacteria and metabolic pathways to symptoms like bone pain and mental disturbances, with implications for personalized management strategies.

This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized data from 46 community-based studies across 24 countries, assessing the influence of socioeconomic position (SEP) and lifestyle factors on age at natural menopause (ANM). The review sought to determine overall mean ANM globally, compare regional differences, and quantify the impact of SEP (education, occupation, income) and […]

Menopause reduces gut microbiome diversity and shifts composition toward a male-like profile, likely due to declining estrogen and progesterone. These changes may impact postmenopausal health and disease risk, highlighting the gut microbiome as a promising therapeutic target.

Menopause drives profound shifts in the oral, gut, and vaginal microbiome, decreasing protective species and increasing disease risk. Understanding these hormone-microbe interactions is crucial for developing personalized interventions to improve women’s health during and after the menopausal transition.

This review details how menopause-driven hormonal changes alter the vaginal and gut microbiome, emphasizing the clinical implications for symptoms and therapies, and advocating for more inclusive, microbiome-informed interventions to support healthy aging in women.

This prospective study of 17,070 African American women found smoking most strongly predicts earlier menopause, while higher BMI and oral contraceptive use are protective. Perceived racism showed suggestive but inconsistent associations with menopause timing, underscoring the need for further research on psychosocial stressors and reproductive aging.

Menopause alters the gut, vaginal, and urinary microbiomes, decreasing Lactobacillus and increasing microbial diversity. These changes contribute to GSM, rUTI, and urinary symptoms. Hormone therapy and probiotics partially restore healthy microbiota, offering new avenues for genitourinary symptom management in postmenopausal women.

A narrative review examining how dietary patterns, nutrients, and gut microbiota impact female fertility, highlighting the Mediterranean diet’s benefits, the risks of Western diets, key micronutrients, and the clinical importance of individualized nutritional care for women planning pregnancy or experiencing infertility.

This original research investigated the long-term effects of dietary quercetin supplementation on female fertility and ovarian physiology in mice, with a specific focus on the role of the enzyme transglutaminase 2 (TG2). Quercetin, a widely consumed flavonoid supplement, is known for its antioxidant properties, but its effects on female reproductive health remain […]

This review article examines current evidence on the use of medical-grade honey (MGH) as a novel therapy for bacterial vaginosis (BV), a prevalent condition among women of reproductive age characterized by a dysbiosis of the vaginal microbiome. BV is associated with a reduction in protective, lactic acid-producing lactobacilli and an overgrowth of […]

Honey exerts protective effects in reproductive health by modulating oxidative stress, supporting hormonal balance, and selectively inhibiting pathogens while preserving beneficial microbiota, making it a promising adjunct in fertility support, menopause symptom relief, and vulvovaginal candidiasis management.

This review summarizes evidence linking Mediterranean Diet adherence to improved ART outcomes, highlighting modest benefits for clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. Methodological heterogeneity and lack of RCTs limit conclusions, underscoring the need for standardized research and mechanistic exploration.

This editorial reviews evidence on metformin for PCOS-related infertility, highlighting its benefits for ovulation induction, especially in women with longer fertility timelines, and advocating for individualized therapy over restrictive guidelines.

A randomized clinical trial found Nigella sativa plus black pepper significantly improved pregnancy rates and reproductive parameters versus letrozole plus tamoxifen in infertile women with PCOS, with comparable safety.

This review highlights how dietary patterns, micronutrients, genetics, and the microbiome interact to influence female infertility and ART outcomes, supporting the role of personalized nutrition and microbiome-targeted interventions in reproductive medicine.

This review details how probiotics modulate the human microbiome to support fertility, addressing mechanisms, clinical evidence, and implications for male and female reproductive health, with particular focus on Lactobacillus species and their role in infertility treatment and prevention.

This review details how the reproductive tract microbiome impacts infertility and reproductive outcomes, highlighting the roles of specific microbial taxa, dysbiosis in disease, and potential microbiome-targeted therapies to improve ART success and pregnancy outcomes.

This review reveals how vaginal microbiota dysbiosis underpins diverse gynecological diseases, highlights characteristic microbial signatures, and evaluates interventions—especially probiotics and vaginal microbiota transplantation—as emerging strategies to restore health and reduce recurrence.

This review summarizes clinical and mechanistic evidence for complementary and alternative medicine in PCOS infertility, highlighting TCM, acupuncture, nutrient supplementation, and lifestyle interventions as effective, safe adjunct therapies with potential microbiome-mediated benefits.