The Maggie Project: Exploring the Origin and Heredity of the Vaginal Microbiome

Inclusion Criteria of Central Participants:

• Adults aged 18 and over at the time of enrollment;

• Sex: Female;

• Pre-menopausal;

• Self-reported good health (including the absence of general infection) at the beginning of the study;

• Living in Belgium;

• Sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language;

• Consent form signed;

• Participating alongside her mother and at least one additional co-participant in the study.

Exclusion Criteria of Central Participants:

• Current pregnancy or planned pregnancy at the beginning of the study;

• Current diagnosis of cancer and/or immunosuppressive therapy in the 6 months before the study;

• Clinically significant abnormalities of the reproductive organs or any other medical condition at the discretion of the principal investigator;

• Use of oral/vaginal antibiotics/antifungals in the 2 months before the beginning of the study;

• Use of oral/vaginal pre-, pro-, post- and/or synbiotics in the 2 weeks before the beginning of the study;

• Vaginal showering during the study;

• Participation in an intervention study.

Inclusion Criteria of Co-participants:

• Closely related to or interacting with the central participant of the network at least during the last six months or more before the study, e.g. her mother, aunts, female cousins, sisters, daughters, housemates, partners or close friends;

• Aged 18 or over at the time of enrollment; OR 10 or over if the co-participant's mother is also participating in the study;

• Sex: Female; OR male aged 18 and over who is the partner or one of the partners (in case of polygamous relationships) of the central participant;

• Self-reported good health (including the absence of general infection);

• Sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language;

• Consent form signed.

Exclusion Criteria of Co-participants:

• Use of oral/vaginal antibiotics/antifungals in the 2 months before the study;

• Parallel participation in an intervention study;

• Vaginal showering during the study;

• Clinically significant abnormalities of the reproductive organs or any other medical condition that, in the opinion of the principal investigator, warrants exclusion from the study.