Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41493605›Full record

ArticleArchives of gynecology and obstetrics2026

Exposure to maternal vaginal flora during labor and long-term infectious morbidity of the offspring.

Ofek Ben-Dahan, Gil Gutvirtz, Tamar Wainstock, Eyal Sheiner

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

4 authors.

Ofek Ben-DahanFaculty of Health Sciences, Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. bendaofe@post.bgu.ac.il.ORCID 0009-0004-3707-7500
Gil GutvirtzFaculty of Health Sciences, Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Tamar WainstockDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Eyal SheinerFaculty of Health Sciences, Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCesarean delivery (CD) has been linked to increased long-term infectious morbidity in offspring, potentially due to limited exposure to the maternal vaginal microbiome, which may influence immune development. We hypothesized that the degree of exposure to vaginal microbiota during labor would be associated with differences in long-term infectious morbidity.

methodsWe conducted a population-based cohort study including 348,332 singleton deliveries. Offspring were classified into four groups: vaginal delivery (VD, reference), CD for non-progressive labor in the first stage (NPL1), CD for non-progressive labor in the second stage (NPL2), and elective (pre-labor) CD. Infectious-related hospitalizations up to age 18 were assessed. Kaplan-Meier curves compared cumulative incidence between the groups and a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for various potential confounders.

resultsOf the cohort, 89.2% were VD, 1.4% NPL1, 0.6% NPL2, and 8.8% elective CD. Infectious-related hospitalization rates were higher for NPL1 and elective CD (26.2% each) compared to NPL2 (24.3%) and VD (23.8%) (p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a dose-response pattern, with the lowest cumulative incidence in VD, followed by NPL2, NPL1, and highest in elective CD (log-rank p < 0.001). In adjusted analysis, NPL1 (aHR 1.10) and elective CD (aHR 1.13) were associated with increased long-term infectious morbidity, whereas NPL2 was not significantly different from VD.

conclusionReduced exposure to vaginal microbiota, as in elective CD and NPL1, is associated with increased long-term infectious morbidity in offspring, while exposure during the second stage of labor (NPL2) may confer immunological benefits.

Indexed as

Cesarean SectionLabor, ObstetricMicrobiotaVaginaAdultCohort StudiesDelivery, ObstetricFemaleHospitalizationHumansIncidenceInfant, NewbornKaplan-Meier EstimatePregnancyProportional Hazards ModelsYoung AdultCesarean deliveryLong-term infectious morbidityMaternal vaginal floraVaginal delivery

Identifiers

PMID41493605
PMCPMC12774975

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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.