Do live birth rate and obstetric outcomes vary between immediate and delayed embryo transfers following freeze-all cycles?

Research question: Do live birth rates (LBR), obstetric and perinatal outcomes vary between women who underwent frozen embryo transfer (ET) in the immediately subsequent menstrual cycle, and with those who underwent delayed frozen ET

Do probiotic interventions improve female unexplained infertility? A critical commentary

Disruption of the women's gut and cervicovaginal microbiota has been associated with multiple gynaecologic diseases such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), noncyclic pelvic pain, and infertility. Female infertility affects 12.6% of women worldwide; its aetiology is complex and multifactorial and can be underpinned by uterine pathologies, systemic diseases, and age. In addition, a new perspective has emerged on the role of the gut and vaginal microbiomes in reproductive health. Research shows that the administration of precisely selected probiotics, often in combination with prior antibiotic treatment, may facilitate the restoration of symbiotic microbiota to increase successful conception and assisted reproductive technology outcomes. However, full research clarity is currently hampered by a lack of consistency and harmonisation in clinical studies: various lactobacilli and bifidobacteria species have been delivered through both the oral and vaginal routes, in different dosages, for different treatments’ durations. This commentary explores the intricate relationship between the microbiota in the cervicovaginal and gut of women, exploring their potential contribution to infertility. It highlights ongoing research on the use of probiotic formulation in improving pregnancy outcomes, critically examining the divergent findings in these studies, which complicate a conclusive assessment of the efficacy of these interventions

The Endobiota Study: Comparison of Vaginal, Cervical and Gut Microbiota Between Women with Stage 3/4 Endometriosis and Healthy Controls

Abstract Dysbiosis in the genital tract or gut microbiome can be associated with endometriosis. We sampled vaginal, cervical and gut microbiota from 14 women with histology proven stage 3/4 endometriosis and 14 healthy controls. The V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified following the 16S Metagenomic Sequencing Library Preparation. Despite overall similar vaginal, cervical and intestinal microbiota composition between stage 3/4 endometriosis group and controls, we observed differences at genus level. The complete absence of Atopobium in the vaginal and cervical microbiota of the stage 3/4 endometriosis group was noteworthy. In the cervical microbiota, Gardnerella, Streptococcus, Escherichia, Shigella, and Ureoplasma, all of which contain potentially pathogenic species, were increased in stage 3/4 endometriosis. More women in the stage 3/4 endometriosis group had Shigella/Escherichia dominant stool microbiome. Further studies can clarify whether the association is causal, and whether dysbiosis leads to endometriosis or endometriosis leads to dysbiosis