The role of the vaginal microbiome in distinguishing female chronic pelvic pain caused by endometriosis/adenomyosis

Abstract

Compared to that of CPPS patients without EM/AM and women without CPPS, the vaginal microbiome of patients with EM/AM-associated CPP shows significantly higher alpha (phylogenetic) diversity, as well as higher counts of <i>Clostridium butyricum</i>, <i>Clostridium disporicum</i>, <i>Alloscardovia omnicolens</i>, and <i>Veillonella montpellierensis</i>. These differences in the vaginal microbiome may interfere with local functional pathways, which could provide a direction for innovative metabolite-specific targeted treatment. The combination of vaginal biomarkers and serum CA125 may provide an original method to differentiate EM/AM-associated CPP.