American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ELSEVIER) has published in its latest issue the article The first glimpse of the endometrial microbiota in early pregnancy, a research that is the result of the collaboration between the Universitat de València, Igenomix Foundation and Incliva. The article describes a historical milestone in women's reproductive health as being the first-time access to the endometrial microbiota. The latter is associated with a lower pregnancy rate and a higher abortion rate," explains Inmaculada Moreno. "However, we did not know the relevance of this endometrial flora during pregnancy, since this type of study had always been carried out in pre-pregnancy periods," says the researcher, the evolution of which resulted in the birth of a healthy baby.

"This could be the starting point for understanding the interaction between microbes and the beginning of human life," agree the director of the project, Carlos Simón– Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Universitat de València–, and Inmaculada Moreno, researcher at the Igenomix Foundation and first signatory of the article.

Although microbes have always been associated with infectious diseases, humans also live surrounded by beneficial bacteria, called commensals, which are part of their bodies and help to perform their vital functions. In a person’s body, the number of microorganisms is ten times higher than its own cells. Until recently it was thought that the uterus was a sterile cavity to which bacteria had no access, as it had to house the fetus during pregnancy.

The microbiota profile of the endometrium (the mucous layer that lines the uterine cavity) has recently been described. "We know that the endometrium has two types of microbiota profiles: the 'Lactobacillus-dominated (LD)’ one and the 'non-Lactobacillus-dominated (NLD)' because there are other pathogenic bacteria. The latter is associated to a lower pregnancy rate and a higher abortion rate," explains Inmaculada Moreno. "However, we did not know the relevance of this endometrial flora during pregnancy, since this kind of research had always been carried out in pre-pregnancy periods," says the researcher.

"A casual finding permitted us to access the research of the endometrial microbiome when the patient was four weeks pregnant. That's when we casually obtained the first microbiota profile of a pregnant woman whose gestation process finished," says Carlos Simón, also Head of the scientific advisory board of the Igenomix Foundation.

"This information allows us to know a bit more about the beginning of life, since that is the microbial environment in which the pregnancy was successfully developed. This result is now the starting point for future studies that will try to determine how we should prepare the endometrial flora to achieve reproductive success," concludes Inmaculada Moreno.

Article:

The first glimpse of the endometrial microbiota in early pregnancy. Inmaculada Moreno, Iolanda Garcia-Grau, Davide BAU, David Perez-Villaroya, Marta Gonzalez-Monfort, Felipe Vilella, Roberto Romero, Carlos Simon.