Vaginal microbiota as a reflection of a woman’s health

The article presents a modern view of the vaginal microbiome from the perspective of assessing its condition and impact on a woman’s health. The microbiome of a healthy European woman is dominated by lactobacilli with powerful antibacterial properties, while black and Latin American women have non-lactobacillar biocenosis with minimal protective properties, which creates a special predisposition to inflammatory and even neoplastic processes. The article reflects the available data on the association of vaginal dysbiosis with a number of gynecological diseases — endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, infertility, gynecological cancer (of cervix, endometrium, ovaries, and mammary glands), pregnancy complications (ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, premature birth, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus). In these cases, vaginal dysbiosis not only reflects problems in the reproductive tract, but also exacerbates the pathology. The focus is on new data on the relationship of vaginal biocinosis and its disorders with other organs: gastrointestinal tract, urinary system, joints, and brain. Full-fledged restoration of biocenosis is promising for the prevention and treatment of many women’s diseases.