ArticlePloS one2012
Hormone-dependent bacterial growth, persistence and biofilm formation--a pilot study investigating human follicular fluid collected during IVF cycles.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reproductive tract and follicular fluid microbiota and probiotic interventions in IVF/ICSI outcomes: a systematic review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
- Associations between microbial presence in follicular fluid with IVF outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2023Pooled it
- Characteristics of the gut microbiome in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A systematic review.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Underexplored maternal microbiomes: immune, metabolic, and microbial pathways shaping pregnancy outcomes.Infection and immunity · 2026Review
- Exploration of the mechanism of PCOS induced by microenvironmental changes in follicular fluid based on 16 S rRNA and metabolomics.Journal of ovarian research · 2025Article
- Taxonomic Profile of Cultivable Microbiota from Adult Sheep Follicular Fluid and Its Effects on In Vitro Development of Prepubertal Lamb Oocytes.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Microbial Biofilm Detection and Differentiation by Dual Staining Using Maneval's Stain.Bio-protocol · 2025Article
- Pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic potential of the microbiome in premature ovarian insufficiency.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Clinical Use of Paraprobiotics for Pregnant Women with Periodontitis: Randomized Clinical Trial.Dentistry journal · 2024Article
- Influence of connatural factors in shaping vaginal microflora and ensuring its health.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Review
- The Diversity of Gut Microbiota at Weaning Is Altered in Prolactin Receptor-Null Mice.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Prevalence of Culturable Bacteria and Yeasts in the Nasopharynx Microbiota during the Physiological Course of Pregnancy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Oral microbiome changes associated with the menstrual cycle in healthy young adult females.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2023Article
- Antimicrobial Efficiency of Chitosan and Its Methylated Derivative againstMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The Gut Microbiome and Female Health.Biology · 2022Review
- Upper Respiratory Microbiome in Pregnant Women: Characterization and Influence of Parity.Microorganisms · 2022Article
- Microbiology of Human Follicular Fluid and the Vagina and Its Impact on in Vitro Fertilization Outcomes.Yonsei medical journal · 2022Article
- Increase in Bifidobacterium is a characteristic of the difference in the salivary microbiota of pregnant and non-pregnant women.BMC oral health · 2022Article
- Life History Recorded in the Vagino-cervical Microbiome Along with Multi-omes.Genomics, proteomics & bioinformatics · 2022Article
- Physiological Changes and Interactions Between Microbiome and the Host During Pregnancy.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Human follicular fluid, considered sterile, is aspirated as part of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. However, it is easily contaminated by the trans-vaginal collection route and little information exists in its potential to support the growth of microorganisms. The objectives of this study were to determine whether human follicular fluid can support bacterial growth over time, whether the steroid hormones estradiol and progesterone (present at high levels within follicular fluid) contribute to the in vitro growth of bacterial species, and whether species isolated from follicular fluid form biofilms. We found that bacteria in follicular fluid could persist for at least 28 weeks in vitro and that the steroid hormones stimulated the growth of some bacterial species, specifically Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp. Streptococcus spp. and E. coli. Several species, Lactobacillus spp., Propionibacterium spp., and Streptococcus spp., formed biofilms when incubated in native follicular fluids in vitro (18/24, 75%). We conclude that bacteria aspirated along with follicular fluid during IVF cycles demonstrate a persistent pattern of growth. This discovery is important since it can offer a new avenue for investigation in infertile couples.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.