SynthesisScientific reports2022
The vaginal microbiome and the risk of preterm birth: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06329596 (Periodontal Disease and Alterations in the Oral and Vaginal Microbiome Communities Among Gravidae Chewing Xylitol-gum in Malawi), which is not on this map. Cited by 102 papers, 2 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.
Periodontal Disease and Alterations in the Oral and Vaginal Microbiome Communities Among Gravidae Chewing Xylitol-gum in Malawi: Microbiome Alterations With Xylitol (MAX) in Pregnancy Trial.
Who cites it
102 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 150 citations in OpenAlex.
- Microbiota composition of the female reproductive tract and miscarriage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Pooled it
- Meta-analysis reveals the vaginal microbiome is a better predictor of earlier than later preterm birth.BMC biology · 2023Pooled it
- Vaginal Microbiota and Cytokines Among Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women in Clinical Trials of the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring and Oral Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Trial
- The Human Vaginal Virome: Composition, Microbiome Interactions, and Implications for Bacterial Vaginosis, HPV Persistence, and Preterm Birth.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Timing of menstrual cups to prevent transition from optimal to not optimal vaginal microbiome community state type: Results from a 6.5-year prospective observational cohort.Research square · 2026Article
- VaginalJournal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring the Association Between Gut Microbiota and Infertility in Women with Multiple Implantation Failures: An Exploratory Study.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Vaginal microbiome and inflammation cytokines among Chinese women.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- Unleashing the potential of mRNA-seq to uncover the microbiome structure and their crosstalk with host cells: the vulvar ecosystem.Microbiome · 2026Article
- The Pathophysiology of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: Emerging Mechanisms Reviewed by the Preterm Birth International Collaborative.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2026Review
- Innate Immunity and Microbial Recognition in Reproduction: From Barrier Defense to Maternal-Fetal Tolerance.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Review
- Complement and neutrophils are actively involved at the cervicovaginal interface in cases of adverse microbial composition, cervical shortening and spontaneous preterm birth.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- Bacterial microbiome analysis of vaginal, cervical, and endometrial samples in patients with adenomyosis during the window of implantation.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- The microbiome research in obstetrics and gynecology is getting attention-Some reasons why.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- The vaginal microbiome in pregnancy and preterm birth: mechanisms, disparities, and therapeutic opportunities.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Review
- Underexplored maternal microbiomes: immune, metabolic, and microbial pathways shaping pregnancy outcomes.Infection and immunity · 2026Review
- Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications of Microbiome-Mediated Immune Dysregulation in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Implantation Failure.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Leveraging health records to identify diagnoses associated with recurrent pregnancy loss across two medical centers.iScience · 2026Article
- The Vaginal Microbiome and Host Health: Implications for Cervical Cancer Progression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Association of culture-detected vaginal microbiota and body composition parameters with gestational diabetes outcomes.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Observational
42 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
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Increasing evidence links the vaginal microbiome to the risk of spontaneous preterm labour that leads to preterm birth. The aim of this systematic review and network meta-analysis was to investigate the association between the vaginal microbiome, defined as community state types (CSTs, i.e. dominance of specific lactobacilli spp, or not (low-lactobacilli)), and the risk of preterm birth. Systematic review using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane library was performed. Longitudinal studies using culture-independent methods categorizing the vaginal microbiome in at least three different CSTs to assess the risk of preterm birth were included. A (network) meta-analysis was conducted, presenting pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI); and weighted proportions and 95% CI. All 17 studies were published between 2014 and 2021 and included 38-539 pregnancies and 8-107 preterm births. Women presenting with "low-lactobacilli" vaginal microbiome were at increased risk (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.15-2.49) for delivering preterm compared to Lactobacillus crispatus dominant women. Our network meta-analysis supports the microbiome being predictive of preterm birth, where low abundance of lactobacilli is associated with the highest risk, and L. crispatus dominance the lowest.
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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.