Divine Aleru, Microbiome Medicine Research Coordinator

A longitudinal study in predominantly Black and Hispanic young women found that a molecular BV subtype (CST-IV-A) and a network of specific bacteria increase risk for Chlamydia trachomatis infection and reinfection, underscoring the clinical importance of cervicovaginal microbiome signatures.

Menopausal hot flashes are one of the most common and disruptive symptoms that women experience during the transition to menopause. Characterized by sudden sensations of heat, sweating, and flushing, hot flashes can significantly affect a woman’s quality of life, causing sleep disturbances, mood swings, and even long-term health consequences. Understanding the complex mechanisms behind hot flashes, as well as the role of microbiome-targeted therapies, offers new avenues for improving menopausal health.

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that Salvia officinalis significantly reduces the frequency of hot flashes in postmenopausal women, making it a promising non-hormonal alternative.

This meta-analysis reveals that SSRIs are effective in reducing hot flashes in menopausal women, with escitalopram showing the highest efficacy. These results support SSRIs as a non-hormonal alternative to hormone therapy.

This study demonstrates that MLE4901, an NK3R antagonist, significantly reduces hot flash frequency, severity, and interference in menopausal women, offering a non-hormonal treatment alternative.

The study assessed the effectiveness of the Evia app, a smartphone-based hypnotherapy intervention, in reducing hot flash frequency and severity in menopausal women.

This study suggests that a low-fat vegan diet, particularly one supplemented with soybeans, significantly reduces hot flashes in postmenopausal women, with improvements linked to higher plant-based diet scores.

This study shows that reducing dietary advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) through a plant-based diet significantly reduces hot flashes in postmenopausal women, offering a non-hormonal alternative for managing menopausal symptoms.

This review discusses how food-derived nutrients modulate molecular mechanisms related to hot flashes in menopause, identifying dietary compounds that may offer effective, natural alternatives to hormonal treatments.

This study examines how dietary intake affects hot flash frequency in postmenopausal women. It finds that stable blood glucose levels, achieved through regular meals, reduce hot flash occurrences, suggesting dietary modifications as a potential treatment for menopausal symptoms.

This study demonstrates that herbal tea capsules significantly reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women, offering a promising natural alternative to hormone therapy for managing menopausal symptoms.

This study explores how exposure to environmental contaminants like PFAS, BPA, and phthalates accelerates reproductive aging and leads to early menopause, with significant health risks.

The study links urinary phthalate metabolite levels with increased risk and frequency of hot flashes in midlife women, suggesting environmental exposure as a contributing factor. Associations varied by menopause status, BMI, race/ethnicity, and depressive symptoms.

This study links higher levels of phthalate metabolites, particularly from personal care products, to an increased risk and severity of hot flashes in midlife women, suggesting that phthalate exposure could influence menopausal symptoms.

This study links severe hot flashes to chronic insomnia in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, suggesting that managing hot flashes could improve sleep quality and reduce the health risks associated with insomnia.

This study shows that the severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women correlates with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-8 and TNF-α. These findings suggest a connection between hot flashes and systemic inflammation, which may contribute to chronic diseases in this population.

This systematic review explores the global prevalence of hot flashes and night sweats, revealing significant cultural and regional variations. It emphasizes the need for personalized, region-specific healthcare strategies to address these common menopausal symptoms.

The article redefines menopausal hot flashes as signs of underlying neurovascular dysregulation, linking them to chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. It advocates for more targeted, personalized treatments and further research into the physiological mechanisms behind these symptoms.

The review explores the physiological mechanisms behind menopausal hot flashes, including thermoregulatory changes, sympathetic nervous activation, and estrogen depletion. It also examines treatments such as clonidine and behavioral therapies.

The article presents a detailed review of menopausal hot flashes, examining both the physiological and biosociocultural factors that contribute to this common menopausal symptom. It highlights the lack of clarity regarding the exact causes and mechanisms of hot flashes, despite decades of research. The paper discusses how the understanding of hot flashes […]

This review synthesizes current evidence on menopausal hot flashes, focusing on neuroendocrine mechanisms, genetic factors, and a stepwise, personalized treatment approach, emphasizing new targets such as the KNDy neuronal system and CGRP for future therapies.

Female infertility is a multifactorial condition affecting 10-15% of women of reproductive age, often caused by underlying conditions like Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), PCOS, Endometriosis, and Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). Microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs) offer a promising approach to restoring balance, improving fertility outcomes, and addressing root causes.

This review highlights Hibiscus rosa-sinensis as a potent medicinal plant with diverse pharmacological activities linked to its rich phytochemical profile, underscoring its therapeutic potential and the need for further clinical research.

The ethanolic root extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis shows potent, reversible post-coital antifertility effects in rats via estrogenic mechanisms, supporting its potential as a safe herbal contraceptive.