University of Antwerp (Belgium)
The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, research-driven institution ranked among the top young universities worldwide. Established in 2003 through the merger of three Antwerp-based institutions, it is a founding member of the Young Universities for the Future of Europe alliance and holds the European Commission’s “HR Excellence in Research” quality label. With a strong track record in EU research programmes and a commitment to diversity and inclusion, the University of Antwerp combines cutting-edge science with societal engagement to address global challenges.
In 2025-2026, the Eurofins Foundation is supporting the project “The Luna Study: Empowering Menstrual Choices through Vaginal Microbiome Research.” This pioneering initiative seeks to generate scientific evidence on how menstrual products influence vaginal health, an area that remains critically under-researched.
Every month, millions of women make decisions about menstrual products without reliable information on their impact on health. Despite growing interest in sustainable alternatives such as menstrual cups and underwear, there are no international safety standards, and recent findings of heavy metals in tampons have raised serious concerns. Furthermore, early research suggests that menstrual products may alter the vaginal microbiome, an essential gatekeeper of women’s health, yet the biological mechanisms remain unclear. The Luna Study was launched to fill this knowledge gap and provide evidence-based guidance for safer, healthier menstrual choices.
The project will analyse thousands of samples collected during an innovative cross-over trial in which 100 participants used five different menstrual products over five cycles. The Eurofins Foundation will primarily support critical advanced metagenomic sequencing of vaginal samples, enabling precise organism identification at the species level and functional insights into microbiome changes. The full research findings will be disseminated widely through open-access platforms, targeted stakeholder reports, and public outreach, to inform product safety standards, empower women with knowledge, and influence global health policy.
This project contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
