Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40566568›Full record

ReviewLife (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Behind-the-Scenes Actors in Fertility: A Comprehensive Review of the Female Reproductive Tract Microbiome and Its Clinical Relevance.

Anthi Papakonstantinou, Efthalia Moustakli, Anastasios Potiris, Athanasios Zikopoulos, Ermioni Tsarna, Chrysi Christodoulaki, Ioannis Tsakiridis, Themistoklis Dagklis, Periklis Panagopoulos, Peter Drakakis and 1 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
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  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Anthi PapakonstantinouThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0009-0003-2759-3168
Efthalia MoustakliLaboratory of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.ORCID 0009-0005-3333-2620
Anastasios PotirisThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0001-7716-1521
Athanasios ZikopoulosThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0009-0002-9553-6803
Ermioni TsarnaSecond Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieion University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-4854-734X
Chrysi ChristodoulakiThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-2990-640X
Ioannis TsakiridisThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Hospital Ippokratio, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-4337-7871
Themistoklis DagklisThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Hospital Ippokratio, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54642 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-2863-5839
Periklis PanagopoulosThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Peter DrakakisThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Sofoklis StavrosThird Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The study of the microbiome has rapidly progressed over the past few decades, capturing the interest of both scientists and the general public. Nevertheless, there is still no widely agreed-upon definition for the term "microbiome" despite tremendous advances in our knowledge. The international scientific literature consistently underscores the difference between the human microbiome and human microbiota. Recent research has emphasized the importance of the female reproductive tract microbiome in fertility, impacting natural conception and assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). This review explores the relationship between infertility and the microbiota of the female reproductive tract through a thorough evaluation of research papers and large-scale studies published up to 2024. The objective of this review is to critically assess current evidence on the role of the reproductive tract microbiome in female infertility and ART outcomes. Relevant papers were identified and analyzed through the electronic medical databases PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. A comprehensive synthesis of data from 36 original studies was performed, including observational, case-control, cohort, and randomized trials. By focusing on the vagina, cervix, and endometrium, this study offers a comprehensive overview of the microbiome throughout the female reproductive tract. RIF and poor reproductive outcomes are strongly linked to dysbiosis, which is characterized by a reduction in

Indexed as

female infertilityfemale reproductive systemLactobacillusmicrobiomemicrobiota

Identifiers

PMID40566568
PMCPMC12193755

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.