Papakonstantinou Anthi, Moustakli Efthalia, Potiris Anastasios, Zikopoulos Athanasios, Tsarna Ermioni, Christodoulaki Chrysi, Tsakiridis Ioannis, Dagklis Themistoklis, Panagopoulos Periklis, Drakakis Peter, Stavros Sofoklis
Third Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
Life (Basel). 2025 Jun 5;15(6):916. doi: 10.3390/life15060916.
The study of the microbiome has rapidly progressed over the past few decades, capturing the interest of both scientists and the general public. Nevertheless, there is still no widely agreed-upon definition for the term "microbiome" despite tremendous advances in our knowledge. The international scientific literature consistently underscores the difference between the human microbiome and human microbiota. Recent research has emphasized the importance of the female reproductive tract microbiome in fertility, impacting natural conception and assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). This review explores the relationship between infertility and the microbiota of the female reproductive tract through a thorough evaluation of research papers and large-scale studies published up to 2024. The objective of this review is to critically assess current evidence on the role of the reproductive tract microbiome in female infertility and ART outcomes. Relevant papers were identified and analyzed through the electronic medical databases PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. A comprehensive synthesis of data from 36 original studies was performed, including observational, case-control, cohort, and randomized trials. By focusing on the vagina, cervix, and endometrium, this study offers a comprehensive overview of the microbiome throughout the female reproductive tract. RIF and poor reproductive outcomes are strongly linked to dysbiosis, which is characterized by a reduction in species. , in particular, plays a significant role in protecting against bacterial vaginosis and infertility. A thorough understanding of how the microbiome impacts fertility and the development of clinical strategies to improve reproductive outcomes requires standardized microbiome investigation techniques and larger, randomized trials that account for diverse patient characteristics.
在过去几十年里，微生物组研究进展迅速，引起了科学家和公众的关注。然而，尽管我们在这方面的知识有了巨大进步，但对于“微生物组”这个术语仍没有广泛认可的定义。国际科学文献一直强调人类微生物组和人类微生物群之间的区别。最近的研究强调了女性生殖道微生物组在生育方面的重要性，对自然受孕和辅助生殖技术（ART）都有影响。本综述通过全面评估截至2024年发表的研究论文和大规模研究，探讨了不孕症与女性生殖道微生物群之间的关系。本综述的目的是批判性地评估目前关于生殖道微生物组在女性不孕症和ART结局中作用的证据。通过电子医学数据库PubMed/MEDLINE和Scopus识别并分析了相关论文。对36项原始研究的数据进行了全面综合，包括观察性研究、病例对照研究、队列研究和随机试验。通过关注阴道、宫颈和子宫内膜，本研究全面概述了整个女性生殖道的微生物组。反复种植失败（RIF）和不良生殖结局与生态失调密切相关，生态失调的特征是物种减少。特别是，在预防细菌性阴道病和不孕症方面发挥着重要作用。要全面了解微生物组如何影响生育以及制定改善生殖结局的临床策略，需要标准化的微生物组调查技术以及考虑不同患者特征的更大规模随机试验。
