Copper vs Levonorgestrel IUDs and vaginal health in young African women at risk for HIV
Official title: Effect of Copper versus Levonorgestrel Intrauterine Devices on Mucosal Microbiota and Barrier Function: A Randomized Trial among Young African Women living with and at Risk for HIV
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11420467 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A randomized study will compare copper and levonorgestrel IUDs to see how they affect vaginal microbiota and mucosal barriers in young African women living with HIV or at risk for HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 22, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,189,844 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD118913-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11420467 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young African women living with HIV or at high risk for HIV who seek long-acting contraception and consent to vaginal microbiome and mucosal assessments.
✕Less likely to help
Participants not interested in long-acting contraception or those with contraindications to IUDs may benefit less or not at all.
What this research studies
This study enrolls young African women who either have HIV or are at risk for HIV to compare two common long-acting birth control options. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive a copper IUD or a levonorgestrel-containing IUS, with follow-up to assess vaginal bacteria, inflammation, and barrier function over time. The goal is to understand how the different devices influence infection risk and reproductive health in this population. Researchers will collect samples and health data to track safety and microbiome changes, aiming to inform safer contraception choices for WLWH and at-risk individuals.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide selections of IUD types to minimize vaginal inflammation and infection risk while providing reliable contraception.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests copper IUDs can alter the vaginal microbiota and inflammation, indicating potential for clinically meaningful differences with other IUD types.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jaspan, Heather Beryl — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Jaspan, Heather Beryl
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Diet, gut microbiome, and immune health in adults with type 2 diabetes
A study at Stanford is exploring how fermented foods and their molecules, like lactate, influence gut bacteria and the body's immune and inflammatory responses in adults with adult-onset diabetes.
-
Gut microbiome and Parkinson's disease: how gut bugs relate to symptoms and progression
A multi-year study will look at gut bacteria and related markers in people with Parkinson’s disease to understand how the gut-brain connection may influence symptoms and progression.
-
Gut-Brain Axis in Parkinson’s Disease: biomarkers and procedures to track progression
A patient-focused program to study how gut health and the brain interact in Parkinson’s disease using biomarkers and clinical procedures.
-
Oral bacteria and brain metastasis: how the mouth may influence brain tumors
A study exploring how oral microbes may affect brain metastases and patient outcomes, with potential to guide new microbiome-based approaches.
-
How gut bacteria metabolites affect your immune system and allergies
This project looks at how substances made by the gut microbiome influence the body’s immune responses to allergic diseases and intestinal infections.
-
Vitamin D, gut bacteria and dementia risk in older adults with HIV
This work will look at whether low vitamin D and changes in gut bacteria are linked to higher dementia risk in older adults living with chronic HIV and similar community members.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.