Medroxyprogesterone acetate alters the vaginal microbiota and microenvironment in a Kenyan sex worker cohort and is also associated with increased susceptibility to HIV-1 in humanized mice

The hormonal contraceptive Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (MPA) is associated with increased risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), via incompletely understood mechanisms. Increased diversity in the vaginal microbiota modulates genital inflammation and is associated with increased HIV-1 acquisition. However, the effect of MPA on diversity of the vaginal microbiota is relatively unknown. In a cohort of female Kenyan sex workers, negative for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with Nugent Scores