Did you know that vaginal yeast infections can affect your vaginal microbiome? In a new Isala daughter project, you can learn about your vaginal microbiome in case you have a vaginal yeast infection. A unique opportunity to contribute to new insights into the role of the vaginal microbiome in vaginal yeast infections. Would you like to help? Learn more about the study and how to register here!
For this study, we are looking for participants that:
- are native Dutch speakers OR can read and understand Dutch (since the informed consent form and questionnaires are all in Dutch)
- aged 18 years or older
- are not pregnant
- have a spontaneous (or acute) vaginal yeast infection
- OR have recurrent vaginal yeast infections
For this study, we are looking for three groups (see figure):
- The first group consists of women with a spontaneous vaginal yeast infection, either occurring for the first time or again after a long period of time (1-2 years). Of course, it is not so easy to reach women just at the time of such an infection. Therefore, we also work together with general practitioners and gynecologists. Do you currently have symptoms but are you not sure whether you can participate? Feel free to contact us at isala@uantwerpen.be for more information!
- A second group consists of women who unfortunately suffer from vaginal yeast infections regularly, about four or more times a year. Since we want to better understand the underlying cause of those recurrent infections, we are looking for women who suffer from such recurrent vaginal yeast infections, but at the time they do not have an active infection. Do you recognize yourself in this situation? Then we are looking for you for our study.
- We are again looking for women who suffer from vaginal yeast infections regularly, but who currently also have an active infection. Do you recognize the symptoms of recurrent vaginal yeast infections like no other? And are you currently suffering from these? Then you can also participate in our study!
What do we expect from you?
You will take at least three vaginal swabs at a well-defined times. Taking your swabs takes about 10 minutes and can easily be done in the privacy of your bathroom or at a doctor’s or gynecologist’s office. At this sampling time, you will also complete a questionnaire to evaluate your general health.
Your samples under the magnifying glass
As soon as we receive your samples in our Isala lab, our enthusiastic team of researchers will start processing them right away! In this study, we will map your vaginal microbiome based on your swabs and study vaginal fungi and lactobacilli by growing them in the lab. By combining all the data with the information from the questionnaires, we hope to better understand the role of the vaginal microbiome in vaginal yeast infections. Of course, as a participant, you will also be kept up to date with your personal results!
Vaginal yeast infections behind a curtain of taboo
Did you know that about 70% of all women worldwide suffer from a vaginal yeast infection at least once in their lives? And even 5% to 10% of all women have such an infection four or more times a year! Such a vaginal yeast infection (also called vulvovaginal candidiasis) is typically accompanied by symptoms, such as itching, burning sensation, and abnormal vaginal discharge. And those symptoms can be really uncomfortable or even embarrassing. This is precisely why women do not often talk about it, and thus the problem remains under the radar far too often. Our Isala team is happy to change that with a new study!
DeVEnIR, a nice name for this Isala daughter project!
Nope, this is not a lesson in French! The name of our study, DeVEnIR, is a contraction for a long study name that reads as follows: Defining Vulvovaginal candidiasis – Elements of Infection and Remedy. With such an abbreviation, everyone knows in the blink of an eye which study it is about. And that is important since our Isala team is launching several studies simultaneously, each with a unique goal! To summarize: With the DeVEnIR study, we aim to investigate vaginal yeast infections in more detail. We hope this will help in better detection of vaginal yeast infections and boost the development of new medicines!
An enthusiastic team of researchers!
Behind every study is an enthusiastic team of researchers! Maline Victor is the PhD student leading this Isala daughter project. Of course, she can count on experienced Isala researchers such as Professor Sarah Lebeer (the one and only!), Professor Gilbert Donders (Isala’s gynecologist), Professor Veronique Verhoeven (Isala’s physician), Dr. Sarah Ahannach (present from the start of Isala), and Dr. Camille Allonsius (our amazing project coordinator). For this study, our Isala team is also collaborating with the research group of Professor Patrick Van Dijck, including Dr. Paul Vandecruys, Dr. Liesbeth Demuyser, and PhD students Mart Sillen and Silke Baldewijns at KU Leuven and the research group of Dr. Mark Gresnigt, with PhD student Karen Cheng at the Hans-Knöll Institute (Germany). Both groups have considerable expertise in the field of vaginal fungi! Teamwork makes the dream work! We would like to thank FWO for sponsoring this study.