Which menstrual product is good for your vaginal health?

Did you know that menstrual products can affect your microbiome? In a new Isala daughter project, you get to wear different menstrual products yourself and learn about your vaginal and vulvar microbiome! A unique opportunity to contribute to new insights into the role of menstrual products on the intimate microbiome. Would you like to help? Read more about the study and how to register here!

Logo Luna-studie

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
  • are using the contraceptive pill with a stop week (so they have bleeding) or are willing to have stop weeks during the study
  • OR do not take hormonal birth control and have a natural menstrual bleeding

The last two points are important because we already know that contraception affects the vaginal microbiome as well as the composition of menstrual blood. Similarly, bleeding during the stop week and menstruation may also have an impact on the microbiome.

What do we expect from you? 

The study will start in September 2024. You will wear different menstrual products for five consecutive menstrual cycles:

  1. Menstrual cup
  2. Tampon
  3. Menstrual pad
  4. Menstrual underwear with cotton crotch
  5. Menstrual underwear with bamboo crotch

During each menstrual period, each participant wears cotton underpants because our previous research shows that the type of underwear influences the vaginal microbiome. Our Isala team provides all menstrual products in the correct size for maximum comfort. During each menstrual cycle, you will take three types of samples at three different time points: right before your period, during your period, and right after (see figure). Two types of samples are vaginal swabs and vulva swabs. For each menstrual cycle, you will also return one worn menstrual product to us in a sealed bag that we provide. Taking your samples each menstrual cycle will take about 30 minutes, and this can easily be done in the privacy of your bathroom. Finally, at each sampling point, you will complete a short questionnaire to evaluate your general health and your personal experiences with the menstrual products used.

Overview of the study with five consecutive months of joy!

Your samples under the magnifying glass

As soon as we receive your samples in the Isala lab, our enthusiastic team of researchers will start processing them right away! In this study, we will map your vaginal and vulvar microbiome based on your samples. We will also study compounds in your menstrual blood to determine if they are derived from the menstrual product you have worn. By combining all the data with the information from the questionnaires, we hope to better understand the impact of menstrual products on the intimate microbiome. Of course, as a participant, you will also receive your personal results!

An enthusiastic team of researchers!

Behind every study is an enthusiastic team of researchers! Leonore Vander Donck is the PhD student leading this Isala daughter project, with the help of PhD student Caroline Dricot. Of course, they can count on experienced Isala researchers such as Professor Sarah Lebeer (the one and only!), Professor Veronique Verhoeven (Isala’s physician) and Dr. Sarah Ahannach (present from the start of Isala). As usual at Isala: teamwork makes the dream work. 🙂 We would like to thank Drylock Technologies for sponsoring this study.