ArticleNature communications2017
The microbiota continuum along the female reproductive tract and its relation to uterine-related diseases.
Article in Nature communications, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 530 papers, 9 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
530 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 981 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
- Endometrial microbiota-targeted therapies for chronic endometritis-associated recurrent implantation failure and their impact on IVF outcomes: A systematic review and methodological quality assessment.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Pooled it
- Microbiota composition of the female reproductive tract and miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Pooled it
- Vaginal and endometrial microbiota dysbiosis in patients with chronic endometritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Distinctive reproductive tract microbial characteristics associated with infertility in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Impact of hormonal treatments for endometriosis on the reproductive microbiome: a systematic review.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- The Female Reproductive Tract Microbiota and Endometrial Cancer: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Pooled it
- The Microbiome Landscape of Adenomyosis: A Systematic Review.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2025Pooled it
- Association between endometriosis and gut microbiota: systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- Article
- Chronic Endometritis and Endometrial Polyps in Female Infertility: Etiological Mechanisms, Diagnostic Insights, and Prognostic Implications.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Myometrial Microbiome in Uterine Fibroids: Functional Dysbiosis Versus Limited Taxonomic Change.Biology · 2026Article
- Implantation Outcome-Specific Associations Between Stromal Senescence and the Endometrial Microbiota.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Exploring the Possible Role of Endometriosis-Associated Dysbiosis in Endometrial Carcinogenesis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- VaginalMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- The Female Reproductive Microbiome: Mechanistic Insights and Bioengineering Perspectives.Biology · 2026Review
- Review
- Microbiota-metabolite axis in endometriosis: Pathogenic mechanisms and clinical implications.Journal of biomedical research · 2026Article
- Comparison of pregnancy outcomes and vaginal microbiota in women with endometriosis undergoing frozen embryo transfer using letrozole combined with HMG versus hormone replacement therapy with GnRH-a pretreatment.Journal of biomedical research · 2026Article
- Assessing the female urogenital-rectal axis microbiome: focus on endometriosis and recurrent implantation failure.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2026Article
470 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
30 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Reports on bacteria detected in maternal fluids during pregnancy are typically associated with adverse consequences, and whether the female reproductive tract harbours distinct microbial communities beyond the vagina has been a matter of debate. Here we systematically sample the microbiota within the female reproductive tract in 110 women of reproductive age, and examine the nature of colonisation by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and cultivation. We find distinct microbial communities in cervical canal, uterus, fallopian tubes and peritoneal fluid, differing from that of the vagina. The results reflect a microbiota continuum along the female reproductive tract, indicative of a non-sterile environment. We also identify microbial taxa and potential functions that correlate with the menstrual cycle or are over-represented in subjects with adenomyosis or infertility due to endometriosis. The study provides insight into the nature of the vagino-uterine microbiome, and suggests that surveying the vaginal or cervical microbiota might be useful for detection of common diseases in the upper reproductive tract.Whether the female reproductive tract harbours distinct microbiomes beyond the vagina has been a matter of debate. Here, the authors show a subject-specific continuity in microbial communities at six sites along the female reproductive tract, indicative of a non-sterile environment.
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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.