Vaginal Aging—What We Know and What We Do Not Know

Jacek K. Szymański, Aneta Słabuszewska-Jóźwiak and Grzegorz Jakiel
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Jacek K. Szymański: First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Żelazna 90 Str., 01-004 Warsaw, Poland
Aneta Słabuszewska-Jóźwiak: First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Żelazna 90 Str., 01-004 Warsaw, Poland
Grzegorz Jakiel: First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Żelazna 90 Str., 01-004 Warsaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: The aging of the organism is a complex and multifactorial process. It can be viewed in the context of the whole organism, but also of individual tissues and organs. The problem of vaginal aging and the related genitourinary syndrome of menopause significantly reduces the quality of women’s lives. The aging process of the vagina includes estrogen deficiencies, changes in the microbiome, and changes at the genetic level associated with DNA methylation. During the menopause, the number of Lactobacillus colonies decreases, and the number of pathological bacteria colonies increases. The decrease in estrogen levels results in a decrease in vaginal epithelial permeability, perfusion, and elastin levels, resulting in vaginal dryness and atrophy. Changes at the molecular level are the least clear. It can also be assumed that, similarly to the tissues studied so far, there are changes in cytosine methylation and TET (ten-eleven translocation) expression. The interrelationships between DNA methylation, hormonal changes, and the vaginal microbiome have not yet been fully elucidated.

Keywords: menopause; vaginal microbiota; estrogens; DNA methylation; TET protein (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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