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. 2014 Mar;122(3):A70-5.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.122-A70.

A question for women's health: chemicals in feminine hygiene products and personal lubricants

Wendee Nicole

A question for women's health: chemicals in feminine hygiene products and personal lubricants

Wendee Nicole. Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Mar.
No abstract available

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Figures

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Mucous membranes in the vagina and vulva rapidly absorb chemicals without metabolizing them. But until recently scant research existed on how chemicals in feminine hygiene products and personal lubricants may affect women’s health. © Roy Scott
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Surveys conducted in the 1990s–2000s gave a sense not only of how commonly some products are used but also how widely use can vary across racial/ethnic groups. Adapted from Scranton (2013)
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A study of the vaginal microbiomes of nearly 400 healthy women identified five major groups of microbial communities (groups I–V) that appeared in different proportions by ethnicity. Groups I, II, III, and V were dominated by Lactobacillus species, which are thought to play important protective roles in vaginal health. Group IV included a diversity of anaerobic species such as Prevotella and Gardnerella. Compared with white and Asian women, Hispanic and black women tended to have more group IV communities and higher vaginal pH values. The authors suggest that genetics and hygiene behaviors are just two factors that could account for the differences in microbiomes between ethnic groups. Reproduced with permission from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Changing trends in phthalate exposures.
    Lioy PJ, Gennings C, Hauser R, Koch HM, Kortenkamp A. Lioy PJ, et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Oct;122(10):A264. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1408629. Environ Health Perspect. 2014. PMID: 25272327 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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