The vaginal microbiome of pregnant women is less rich and diverse, with lower prevalence of Mollicutes, compared to non-pregnant women

Freitas, Aline C.; Chaban, Bonnie; Bocking, Alan D.; Rocco, Maria Thereza Fraga; Yang, Siwen; Hill, Janet E.; Money, Deborah; Hemmingsen, Sean M.; Reid, Gregor; Dumonceaux, Tim J.; Gloor, Gregory B.; Links, Matthew G.; O’Doherty, Kieran C.; Tang, Patrick; Schalkwyk, Julianne van; Yudin, Mark H.

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07790-9

Cited by 168 publications

(170 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…Humans do not appear to have changes in vaginal microbiome diversity based on menstrual cycling (57), though small fluctuations have been reported (58). Interestingly, humans do have significant differences in microbiome diversity throughout the three trimesters of pregnancy and when comparing their pre and postpartum microbiome (59,60).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The rodent vaginal microbiome across the estrous cycle and the effect of genital nerve electrical stimulation

Levy

Bassis

Kennedy

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Treatment options are limited for the approximately 40% of postmenopausal women worldwide who suffer from female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Neural stimulation has shown potential as a treatment for genital arousal FSD, however the mechanisms for its improvement are unknown. One potential cause of some cases of genital arousal FSD are changes to the composition of the vaginal microbiome, which is associated with vulvovaginal atrophy. The primary hypothesis of this study was that neural stimulation may induce healthy changes in the vaginal microbiome, thereby improving genital arousal FSD symptoms. This study also sought to examine the composition of the rat vaginal microbiome, which is understudied. Nulliparous female rats were used. Treatment animals (n=5) received 30 minutes of cutaneous electrical stimulation targeting the genital branch of the pudendal nerve, and Control animals (n=4) had 30-minute sessions without stimulation. Vaginal lavage samples were taken during a 14-day baseline period including multiple estrous periods and after twice-weekly 30-minute sessions across a six-week trial period. Samples were sequenced at the University of Michigan Host Microbiome Initiative and analyzed for baseline bacterial trends and for changes due to stimulation. We found that the rat vaginal microbiome is dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria phyla bacteria, which changed in abundance during the estrous cycle and in relationship to each other. While the overall stimulation effects were unclear, some Treatment animals had lower variance in the microbiome diversity for sequential samples than Control animals, suggesting that stimulation may help normalize the vaginal microbiome. Future studies may consider additional physiological parameters, in addition to the microbiome composition, to further examine vaginal health and the effects of stimulation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The rodent vaginal microbiome across the estrous cycle and the effect of genital nerve electrical stimulation

Levy

Bassis

Kennedy

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They found a predominance of Lactobacillus species ( L. iners , L. crispatus , L. jensenii ) and other bacteria of the Lactobacillales family, as well as Clostridiales , Bacteroidales , and Actinomycetales . Freitas et al also reported that the vaginal microbiome of healthy pregnant women had reduced richness and diversity, less Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma sp., and a higher bacterial load when compared to non‐pregnant women. Other investigators assessed the vaginal microbiota of pregnant and non‐pregnant African‐American women and reported a change in the prevalence of predominant Lactobacillus species over the course of pregnancy .…”

Section: The Vaginal Microbiome During Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 98%

Microbiome in normal and pathological pregnancies: A literature overview

Taddei

Cortez

Mattar

et al. 2018

American J Rep Immunol

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This review summarizes recent findings on the changes that occur during pregnancy in the composition of the vaginal and gut microbiome and their association with metabolic, hormonal, and immunological factors. Despite many studies on the topic, the vaginal and gut microbial profiles and their influence on the course of pregnancy are still unclear. We present data suggesting that, contrary to traditional understanding, the placenta is not sterile but has a microbial community. We review and discuss new findings on changes in the richness and diversity of the microbiota of pregnant women with term or preterm births, obesity, and gestational diabetes mellitus. Several factors influence the bacterial profile of these women and may explain, at least in part, some of the discrepant findings between studies. The development of and access to new molecular biology methods and techniques has expanded the possibilities of research. This will contribute to a better understanding of the microbiome and its role in normal and pathological pregnancies.

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“…14 This community of microbes seems to be distinct from the community of non-pregnant women as the vaginal microbiome changes during pregnancy. 15 For example, healthy pregnant women, when compared to non-pregnant women, had lower vaginal bacterial diversity with higher levels of Lactobaccillus , Clostridiales , Bacteroidales , and Actinomycetales ; these levels were associated with gestational age. 16 Beyond the vaginal microbiome, there is also evidence that the community of the maternal gut also changes during the course of pregnancy.…”

Section: Environmental Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Early Life, Diet, and the Environment on the Microbiome

Dong

Gupta

2019

Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

157

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Advances in sequencing technology and bioinformatics have greatly enhanced our ability to understand the human microbiome. Over the last decade, a growing body of literature has linked nutrition and the environment to the microbiome and is now thought to be an important contributor to overall health. This paper reviews the literature from the past 10 years to highlight the influence of environmental factors such as diet, early life adversity and stress in shaping and modifying our microbiome towards health and disease. The review shows that many factors such as the mode of delivery, breast milk, stress, diet and medications can greatly influence the development of our gut microbiome and potentially make us more prone to certain diseases. By incorporating environmental factors into models that study the microbiome in the setting of health and disease, may provide a better understanding of disease and potentially new areas of treatment. To highlight this, we will additionally explore the role of the environment and the microbiome in the development of obesity and functional bowel disorders.

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The vaginal microbiome of pregnant women is less rich and diverse, with lower prevalence of Mollicutes, compared to non-pregnant women

Cited by 168 publications

References 87 publications

The rodent vaginal microbiome across the estrous cycle and the effect of genital nerve electrical stimulation

The rodent vaginal microbiome across the estrous cycle and the effect of genital nerve electrical stimulation

Microbiome in normal and pathological pregnancies: A literature overview

Influence of Early Life, Diet, and the Environment on the Microbiome

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