Trial reportPloS one2018
Pilot assessment of probiotics for pregnant women in Rwanda.
Trial report in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02150655 (Pilot Study Investigating Bacteria), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Pilot Study Investigating Bacteria (Microbiota), Their By-products (Metabolome) and Environmental Toxins in Relation to Reproductive Health in Rwandan Women.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Probiotic supplementation during pregnancy for vaginal microbiota improvement and pathogen clearance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Pooled it
- Reporting of Perinatal Outcomes in Probiotic Randomized Controlled Trials. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- The Association Between Vaginal Microbiota Dysbiosis, Bacterial Vaginosis, and Aerobic Vaginitis, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes of Women Living in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in public health · 2020Pooled it
- Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus species: considerations for female reproduction and offspring health.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2024Review
- Article
- The Vaginal Microbiota Composition and Genital Infections during and after Pregnancy among Women in Pemba Island, Tanzania.Microorganisms · 2022Article
- Composition of the vaginal microbiota during pregnancy in women living in sub-Saharan Africa: a PRISMA-compliant review.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Review
- Vaginal Probiotics for Reproductive Health and Related Dysbiosis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- The Application of Metabolomics to Probiotic and Prebiotic Interventions in Human Clinical Studies.Metabolites · 2020Review
- Probiotics Dietary Supplementation for Modulating Endocrine and Fertility Microbiota Dysbiosis.Nutrients · 2020Review
- The Role of the Cervicovaginal Microbiome on the Genesis and as a Biomarker of Premalignant Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia and Invasive Cervical Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2019Review
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 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWhile the global market for probiotics is soon to reach in excess of US$50 billion, the continent of Africa has been largely ignored, despite these products having the ability to reduce the burden of disease and death. TRIAL
designThe present randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was undertaken in Rwanda, a country devoid of well-documented probiotics. The primary outcome aim was to examine receptivity and compliance for orally administered probiotic capsules containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 in pregnant women and assess any initial side effects or changes to the vaginal microbiome.
methodsPregnant women between the ages of 18 and 55 were recruited from the Nyamata District Hospital in Rwanda and randomly assigned to receive probiotic or placebo capsules for one month. Clinicians were blinded to the treatments.
resultsThe drop-out rate was 21%, with 13 of 18 women in the placebo group and 17 of 20 in the probiotic group completing the study. Only 13 women returned for birthing and additional sample collection. No side effects of either treatment group were reported. Microbiota and metabolomics data showed similar findings to those reported in the literature, with low bacterial diversity and Lactobacillus dominance associated with a healthy vagina, and birthing associated with high diversity. Despite the small sample size and lack of changes in the microbiota, women in the placebo arm were significantly more likely to give birth pre-term.
conclusionOverall women were receptive to the probiotic concept, but the lack of information on such products and logistical and economical challenges pose problems for wider population engagement.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02150655.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.