ArticleNature communications2023
Abrupt perturbation and delayed recovery of the vaginal ecosystem following childbirth.
Article in Nature communications, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 25 papers.
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
25 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- 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
- Effect of intrapartum azithromycin on early childhood gut mycobiota development: post hoc analysis of a double-blind randomized trial.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- Vaginal Ecosystem During Gestation and Puerperium: Microbiota, Dysbiosis, Infection and Fetal-Maternal Implications.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Vaginal Microbiota and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Implications.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026Review
- Bidirectional Interactions Between Cervicovaginal Microbiota and Human Papillomavirus Drive Persistence and Disease Progression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Effectiveness, safety, and pharmacoeconomic profile of Sophora flavescens film in the treatment of postpartum vaginal dysbiosis: a non-randomized controlled trial.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2026Article
- Lactic Acid-Loaded Hydrogels for Post-Episiotomy Wound Healing: Microenvironment Engineering and Regenerative Strategies-A Narrative Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Underexplored maternal microbiomes: immune, metabolic, and microbial pathways shaping pregnancy outcomes.Infection and immunity · 2026Review
- Postpartum Pain and Vaginal-Gut Microbiota Interactions: An Integrative Narrative Review with Implications for Maternal Recovery and Pain Modulation.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Differential expression of vaginal microenvironment cytokines in relation to delivery modes and their impact on postpartum pelvic floor recovery.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Review
- Interpregnancy Interval as a Determinant of Outcome in Women with Prophylactic Cerclage Following Preterm Birth or Late Miscarriage.Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde · 2025Article
- Increased vaginalmSystems · 2025Article
- Exploring the vaginal ecosystem: insights into host-microbe interactions and microbial community dynamics.Infection and immunity · 2025Review
- Vaginal microbiome and recurrent pregnancy loss.Infection and immunity · 2025Review
- A nomogram prediction model for embryo implantation outcomes based on the cervical microbiota of the infertile patients during IVF-FET.Microbiology spectrum · 2025Article
- Genome-wide mutagenesis identifies factors involved in MRSA vaginal colonization.Cell reports · 2025Article
- Influences of gestational diabetes mellitus on the changes in the vaginal microbiota from antepartum to postpartum.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Non-linear association between interpregnancy interval after vaginal delivery and singleton preterm birth: a retrospective cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Population-level analyses identify host and environmental variables influencing the vaginal microbiome.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2025Article
- Effects of postpartum hormonal changes on the immune system and their role in recovery.Acta biochimica Polonica · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The vaginal ecosystem is closely tied to human health and reproductive outcomes, yet its dynamics in the wake of childbirth remain poorly characterized. Here, we profile the vaginal microbiota and cytokine milieu of participants sampled longitudinally throughout pregnancy and for at least one year postpartum. We show that delivery, regardless of mode, is associated with a vaginal pro-inflammatory cytokine response and the loss of Lactobacillus dominance. By contrast, neither the progression of gestation nor the approach of labor strongly altered the vaginal ecosystem. At 9.5-months postpartum-the latest timepoint at which cytokines were assessed-elevated inflammation coincided with vaginal bacterial communities that had remained perturbed (highly diverse) from the time of delivery. Time-to-event analysis indicated a one-year postpartum probability of transitioning to Lactobacillus dominance of 49.4%. As diversity and inflammation declined during the postpartum period, dominance by L. crispatus, the quintessential health-associated commensal, failed to return: its prevalence before, immediately after, and one year after delivery was 41%, 4%, and 9%, respectively. Revisiting our pre-delivery data, we found that a prior live birth was associated with a lower odds of L. crispatus dominance in pregnant participants-an outcome modestly tempered by a longer ( > 18-month) interpregnancy interval. Our results suggest that reproductive history and childbirth in particular remodel the vaginal ecosystem and that the timing and degree of recovery from delivery may help determine the subsequent health of the woman and of future pregnancies.
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.