Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41137960›Full record

ArticleLasers in medical science2025

Effect of vaginal laser therapy for gynecologic patients on vaginal microbiota: a prospective cohort study.

Pei-Chen Li, Chun-Yao Chen, Dah-Ching Ding

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Article in Lasers in medical science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Fractional COInternational urogynecology journal · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

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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

3 authors.

Pei-Chen LiDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Tzu Chi University, Hualien City, Taiwan.
Chun-Yao ChenDepartment of Life Science, Tzu Chi University, Hualien City, Taiwan.
Dah-Ching DingDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Tzu Chi University, Hualien City, Taiwan. dah1003@yahoo.com.tw.

Funding

Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital TCRD 113-029
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWe aimed to evaluate vaginal microbiota distribution before and after laser therapy for gynecologic patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).

methodsFifty patients undergoing CO₂ vaginal laser treatment were enrolled. The primary outcomes included UDI-6, IIQ-7, OABSS, and VSQ-21 scores before and at 1, 2, and 3 months after laser treatment, as well as vaginal microbiota diversity before and 1 month after laser treatment.

resultsUDI-6, IIQ-7, OABSS, and VSQ-21 scores for patients who received CO₂ laser therapy all showed significant improvement at 1, 2, and 3 months post-treatment. Vaginal pH showed no significant change after laser treatment. Overall, 91 samples were successfully sequenced. Alpha diversity showed significant differences in the menopause (p = 0.034) and GSM (p = 0.004) groups, but not between pre- and post-laser treatment samples. PERMANOVA revealed differences in microbiota composition associated with menopause (p = 0.009) and SUI (p = 0.026). Beta diversity analysis showed no significant treatment effect due to high inter-individual variability. The six most abundant vaginal bacterial genera included Lactobacillus (40.4%), Gardnerella (8.4%), Prevotella (7.4%), Escherichia-Shigella (6.0%), Streptococcus (5.6%), and Bifidobacterium (3.2%), with changes in Lactobacillus dominance observed in some patients post-treatment. Network analysis revealed that Gardnerella disappeared post-laser treatment, as Lactobacillus increased in abundance.

conclusionCO₂ laser treatment may improve SUI and GSM, and be associated with shifts in microbiota.

Indexed as

Lasers, GasMicrobiotaUrinary Incontinence, StressVaginaAdultAgedFemaleHumansMenopauseMiddle AgedProspective StudiesDiversityGenitourinary syndrome of menopauseLactobacillusMicrobiotaStress urinary incontinence

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Registered trials

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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.