ReviewEuropean journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X2021
Investigating the efficacy and safety of metronidazole during pregnancy; A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Non-genetic risk factors of miscarriage: a comprehensive umbrella review of systematic review and meta-analysis.Reproductive health · 2025Pooled it
- Hidradenitis Suppurativa from Preconception to Lactation: Clinical Treatment Decision-Making Review.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Review
- Silicone breast implants may contribute to early-onset fetal growth restriction.Clinical rheumatology · 2023Article
- Article
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 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWe aimed to review and analyze studies focusing on the efficacy of metronidazole in reducing the risk of preterm birth and the safety of metronidazole taking into account the different doses, duration of treatment and routes of administration. STUDY DESIGNS: Embase, Cochrane Library and PubMed were searched up to 29 July 2019 to identify studies assessing metronidazole exposure during pregnancy. Additional studies were identified from reference lists of retrieved papers. Measured outcomes were preterm births (<37 weeks of gestation) and associated delivery outcomes such as spontaneous abortions (≤ 20 weeks of gestation), stillbirths (≥20 weeks of gestation) and low birth weight (<2500 g) irrespective of the period of exposure and major malformations after first-trimester exposure. Overall effect estimates for RCTs and observational studies were calculated using the random-effects model and pooled using Risk Ratios (RR) and Odds Ratios (OR) respectively. ROB-2 and ROBINS-I tool were used to assess Risk of Bias for RCTs and observational studies, respectively.
resultsTwenty-four studies (17 observational studies and 7 RCTs) were selected. Pooled RR was 1.10 (95 % CI 0.78-1.55; n = 7; I
conclusionsData do not confirm the efficacy of metronidazole in reducing the risk of preterm birth and associated delivery outcomes. Further research is required to confirm the effect of high dose and short duration of metronidazole treatment on preterm birth among the high-risk group. Regarding the increased odds of spontaneous abortion, RCTs are required to assess the role of the underlying infection. The need for further studies to confirm the risk of congenital hydrocephaly is paramount.
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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.