Blog

As interest in women’s health research grows, pressing gender data and health equity gaps remain and demand innovative solutions. Enter citizen science—a groundbreaking approach that invites the public to participate actively in scientific studies, thereby aligning research with the needs of society. This collaborative effort not only gathers vast amounts of data but also amplifies the voices of those often underrepresented in (medical) research. And this is exactly what I think various fields of research can benefit from!

The Pap smear used for cervical cancer screening was invented by a man, who knew? Cervical cancer is a deadly cancer around the world and over 90% of cases are caused by infection with certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Thankfully we have an effective and safe vaccine against HPV available which can help curb infection rates. Even though we have this vaccine, HPV is still being transmitted and cervical cancer is unfortunately still developing, as described in Leila’s Isala blog. For over 100 years, the Pap smear has been used to detect abnormal cervical cells but there’s a new method for detection available. Continue reading to learn more! 🙂

Have you ever wondered if a mother’s vaginal bacteria are important for her daughter’s vaginal health? At Isala, we were very eager to dive deeper into this question! For my master’s thesis, I explored the valuable treasure of Isala data. We selected mothers and daughters who participated together in the first research phase. We hope that these mother-daughter pairs will lead to many new insights into the vaginal microbiome—very exciting! Discover quickly what this has yielded so far! 🙂

A burning sensation, itching, redness, swelling of the vagina or vulva… It sounds very unpleasant. And it certainly is! These are all uncomfortable symptoms that can accompany a vaginal infection. Most of the time, this type of infection is caused by an overgrowth of a specific yeast: Candida. This condition is commonly known as a vaginal yeast infection, or more scientifically, as “vulvovaginal candidiasis.” In the DeVEnIR study, we aim to further investigate this type of infection. How will we do this? Read on quickly!

Does the Isala team have an interesting route in mind to assist female victims of sexual violence? Absolutely! And are we starting by studying bacteria on bras!   
Even iconic characters from famous detective and police series couldn’t come up with this. However, we at Isala are convinced that bras can be a valuable source of information in the courtroom. And yes, bras are often collected as evidence during the physical examination after a rape, but unfortunately, they are not always fully utilized in the subsequent legal process. The Isala team hopes to change that. Keep reading! 🙂

The morning of the Isala launch, 24 March 2020… I remember it vividly, as if it were yesterday. After a year and lots of preparations, it was almost unbelievable that the big day had finally arrived.  Were we really about to launch? After many people doubted that we could find 200 women willing to donate a vaginal sample? Right in the middle of the pandemic? They called us ‘crazy’ and ‘very ambitious’ and wished us good luck. Fast forward 10 days… We had over 6000 registrations and even had to close off the recruitment call. Now, here we are, more than 4 years later…