Women’s reproductive health is closely related to a healthy vaginal microbiota. This is provided by the dominance of certain Lactobacillus types. The state of the vaginal microbiome is not fully understood. This is attributable to its evolutionary uniqueness. Animal models have a neutral pH, their microbiomes are not dominated by lactobacilli, and the concentration of vaginal glycogen and lactic acid is significantly reduced. In this regard, the experimental data are contradictory and difficult to interpret in vivo. Determining the underlying mechanisms responsible for the stability of the vaginal econiche is of great importance. It is interesting to look at bacterial vaginosis through the lens of current knowledge of the vaginal microbiome. There are gaps in our knowledge in understanding the variability and relationships of the vaginal microbiota.

Keywords: vaginal microbiome, Gardnerella vaginalis, Lactobacillus spp., biofilms, bacterial vaginosis