Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Despite the public health implications of changes in the vaginal environment, existing data on this topic remain sparse. Following the PRISMA statement guidelines, we consulted five bibliographic databases, focusing on five main daily habits and behaviors. We included only studies published up to October , investigating the influence of personal hygiene, sexual behaviors, hormonal contraception, smoking, alcohol consumption, and psychosocial stress on the vaginal microbiota using next-generation sequencing.
Based on our inclusion criteria, we incorporated 37 studies into this review. Hormonal contraception and personal hygiene were found to promote eubiosis of the vaginal microbiota. In contrast, sexual behaviors, smoking, alcohol consumption, and psychosocial stress were associated with an increased susceptibility to bacterial vaginosis, STIs, and severe pelvic inflammatory diseases due to a modified vaginal microbiota.
Black ethnicity emerged as a confounding factor, with this population showing unstable vaginal microbiota. Oral contraception and a stable male sexual partner were found to favor Lactobacillus colonization, acting as a protective factor. Daily habits and lifestyle can influence the composition of the vaginal microbiota, thereby affecting vaginal health.
Disturbances in the vaginal microbiota could be associated factors for STIs and vaginosis. Therefore, prioritizing more appropriate management of the vaginal microbiota is crucial. Keywords: Alcohol consumption, Hormonal contraception, Personal hygiene, Psychosocial stress, Smoking, Vaginal microbiota. The microbiota is a rich and complex ecosystem that has been extensively investigated in recent years due to advances in molecular tools [ 1 , 2 ].
These microbiotas exhibit variation in their composition based on their localization. The formation and evolution of the vaginal microbiome begin at birth, with its composition being influenced by several factors, including genetic, dietary, and environmental factors [ 3 ]. In healthy women of reproductive age, the cervicovaginal microbiota is predominantly colonized by Lactobacillus spp.
