# Socioeconomic and Microenvironmental Factors Associated with the Vaginal Microbiota in Peri- and Post- Menopausal Women

> **NIH NIH R36** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2022 · $71,614

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The dissertation project described in this re-submission proposes original research questions and utilizes
innovative methods in molecular epidemiology to investigate the vaginal microenvironment of older women.
Menopausal women are a growing population in the U.S. A major morbidity that affect post-menopausal
women is genitourinary symptoms, including vaginal dryness and vulvovaginal pain. This dissertation
investigates how vaginal bacteria and immunologic markers are associated with genitourinary symptoms in
peri- and postmenopausal women. This dissertation also seeks to reveal how disparities in the vaginal
microenvironment for older women vary by socioeconomic statuses (SES). This proposal to the Aging
Research Dissertation Awards to Increase Diversity Program Announcement (R36) focuses on key aging-
related health concerns and facilitates training in epidemiology of aging and molecular epidemiology.
Vaginal microbiota, dominated by Lactobacillus spp., play an important role in preventing colonization by
pathogenic organisms, including urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and
maintain a woman’s gynecologic and reproductive health. The vaginal immunologic microenvironment is
profoundly influenced by sex hormones, including estrogens, and has co-evolved with microbes to maintain a
homeostatic host-microbial relationship. In reproductive-aged women, depletion of vaginal lactobacilli, such as
in the clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV), can cause undesirable symptoms including vaginal
discharge and malodor. However, less is known about the molecular cues of vulvovaginal symptoms in the
genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). Further, few studies have carefully evaluated the underlying
socioeconomic mechanisms, including education, income, and neighborhood characteristics, that, in
combination, may help to explain known racial/ethnic disparities in BV, STIs, and GSM. This project will fill
critical knowledge gaps related to the role of menopause and SES in shaping the vaginal microbiota.
The specific aims of this dissertation are to determine: 1) the time-varying associations between GSM
symptoms and the composition of the vaginal microbiota of peri- and postmenopausal women in a 10-week
observational study; 2) the association between GSM and vaginal cytokine/chemokine levels in an age- and
vaginal microbiota-matched case-control study of peri- and postmenopausal women; and 3) how vaginal
microbiota of peri- and postmenopausal women differ by SES using a composite index of SES factors in a
large cross-sectional study. The R36 will leverage existing microbiota and immune data for efficient research,
and the novel aims and analyses do not overlap with the parent studies. In keeping with a research objective of
the National Institute on Aging, to define the factors that influence microbiome composition and functional
characteristics during aging, this work will evaluate compositional differ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10451982
- **Project number:** 1R36AG072264-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Christina Stennett
- **Activity code:** R36 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $71,614
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-15 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10451982

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10451982, Socioeconomic and Microenvironmental Factors Associated with the Vaginal Microbiota in Peri- and Post- Menopausal Women (1R36AG072264-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10451982. Licensed CC0.

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