[Quantitative study of vaginal flora during the menstrual cycle].

The aerobic and facultatively anaerobic vaginal flora of 242 healthy women were examined during menstrual cycles. The most frequently isolated microorganisms at the first premenstrual examination were coagulase-negative staphylococci (61%), followed by enterococci (25%), Gardnerella vaginalis (19%), diphtheroids (12%), group B streptococci (6.8%), Escherichia coli (5.4%) and Candida spp. (4%). The isolation rate of all species, except Candida and Gardnerella vaginalis increased during menstruation. The lowest isolation rate for Staphylococcus aureus was 0.9% prior to menstruation and it increased to 7.6% during menstruation. This may be of relevance with regard to the toxic shock syndrome. Gardnerella vaginalis was isolated in 37% of women at least once during the study, suggesting, that this species belongs to the normal vaginal flora.