Medical News Lack of protective vaginal bacteria linked to high ovarian cancer risk

Medical News
Some types of bacteria help keep you healthyGetty Images/iStockphoto
By Chelsea WhyteWomen who have a mutation in their BRCA1 gene – and are therefore at high risk for ovarian cancer – have been found to have lower levels of a type of vaginal bacteria, similar to the levels seen in women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Within both groups, reductions in these bacteria were most apparent in younger women.
“It’s the first time that we have been able to demonstrate that women with gene mutations have a change in their vaginal microbiome,” said Martin Widschwendter at University College …