Exploring Vaginal Microbiome Diversity in Early Pregnancy: Implications for Healthy Pregnancy and Miscarriage

Recent research has unveiled the critical role of the microbiome composition during pregnancy in regulating inflammatory responses and immune functions, potentially exerting a significant impact on pregnancy outcomes. This study focuses on investigating the vaginal microbiome in the early stages of pregnancy among three distinct groups of women: those with healthy pregnancies, individuals undergoing dydrogesterone treatment, and women who have experienced miscarriages. The study involved the collection and analysis of samples from the vaginal microbiomes of ۵۱ Eastern European women between the ۸th and ۱۱th week of pregnancy. Microbiome analysis utilized ۱۶S rRNA sequencing and Qiime۲ software for taxonomic analysis, as well as PICRUSt۲ for functional assessments. The findings from this investigation reveal significant differences in the composition of the vaginal microbiome among the different groups during the initial stages of pregnancy. Although no significant variations were noted in within-group alpha diversity, beta diversity analysis (between groups) demonstrated substantial species diversity among the cohorts, with an adjusted p-value of ۰.۰۴. Women who had experienced miscarriages exhibited the highest richness and evenness in their vaginal microbiome compared to the other groups. The study's results highlight the crucial roles of Gardnerella vaginalis and Mycoplasma girerdii in miscarriage pathology, while Lactobacillus iners and Bifidobacterium longum were identified as protective factors in early pregnancy. Furthermore, the research indicates that progesterone treatment exerts significant effects on the composition of the microbiome.

کلیدواژه ها:

۱۶S rRNA sequencing ، early pregnancy ، miscarriage ، vaginal microbiome ، Qiime۲ ، PICRUSt۲