ReviewCureus2026
Role of the Reproductive Tract Microbiome in Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies: A Comprehensive Review.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The female reproductive tract microbiome has emerged as a potential factor associated with reproductive health, infertility, and outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). Growing interest in host-microbiome interactions has highlighted the potential roles of microbial communities in implantation, immune regulation, and endometrial receptivity. This comprehensive narrative review summarizes current evidence on the reproductive tract microbiome and its relationship with infertility and ART outcomes. Relevant literature was identified from MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science from database inception through March 2026, with emphasis on observational, interventional, and mechanistic studies involving human participants or human-derived samples. The review examines microbial communities of the vagina, cervix, endometrium, and fallopian tubes and their associations with infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, implantation failure, and ART outcomes. Proposed biological mechanisms, including alterations in epithelial barrier integrity, immune modulation, inflammatory signaling, and hormonal-microbial interactions, are also discussed. In addition, the review evaluates emerging microbiome-based diagnostic approaches and potential therapeutic strategies, including antibiotics, probiotics, micronutrient supplementation, and vaginal microbiota transplantation. Current evidence suggests that the reproductive tract microbiome may be associated with reproductive health and fertility outcomes and represents a promising area of translational research. However, substantial methodological heterogeneity, limited high-quality interventional evidence, and the lack of standardized diagnostic criteria currently restrict clinical implementation. Well-designed prospective studies and randomized clinical trials are needed to clarify causal relationships, evaluate microbiome-targeted interventions, and determine whether microbiome-based approaches can improve infertility and ART care.
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What Socratic 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 Socratic graph.