Divine Aleru, Microbiome Signatures Research Coordinator

This study explores the relationship between co-exposure to phenols and phthalates and infertility risk in women of reproductive age, highlighting significant associations with BPA and DEHP metabolites.

This study identified 27 follicular fluid metabolites differentiating infertile from fertile women, developed a predictive Biomarker Score, and demonstrated strong correlations with IVF outcomes, providing a basis for personalized infertility management.

This original research article investigated the association between blood levels of lead and cadmium (two common environmental heavy metals) and self-reported infertility among women in the United States. The study leveraged data from the 2013–2014 and 2015–2016 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on reproductive-aged women. The […]

Environmental pollution—including heavy metals, air pollutants, and endocrine disruptors—negatively impacts female fertility through hormonal disruption, oxidative stress, and epigenetic changes. The review emphasizes the clinical need for exposure assessment and mitigation strategies to protect reproductive health.

Infertile women in Taiwan showed higher blood lead and arsenic levels than pregnant women, mainly linked to frequent Chinese herbal medicine use. Physical activity may help lower lead accumulation, highlighting the need to evaluate traditional medicine risks in women planning pregnancy.

This review synthesizes evidence linking lead, cadmium, and copper exposure to male and female infertility, detailing mechanisms of reproductive toxicity, epidemiological patterns, and the potential role of microbiome alterations as mediators and biomarkers of reproductive risk.

This cross-sectional study in American women found that higher urinary arsenic—and, to a lesser extent, cadmium—were associated with increased infertility risk, with lead exposure linked to infertility in older or overweight women, supporting the need for environmental exposure monitoring in reproductive health.

This review explores how metabolic risk factors—obesity, the female athlete triad, and oxidative stress—contribute to female infertility, highlighting associations with PCOS, endometriosis, and idiopathic infertility, and calling for improved metabolic assessment and molecular diagnostics in clinical practice.

This review synthesizes evidence on the multifactorial mechanisms underlying endometriosis-associated infertility, emphasizing inflammatory, hormonal, anatomical, and molecular drivers. It highlights advances in non-invasive diagnostics, individualized treatment, and the clinical promise of integrating molecular and microbiome signatures into care protocols for improved fertility outcomes.

This review details the multifactorial pathogenesis of endometriosis-associated infertility, emphasizing molecular, genetic, and inflammatory mechanisms, and evaluates current and emerging treatments, including IVF and novel regenerative therapies.

This case report describes a young woman with premature ovarian insufficiency who, despite infertility and diagnostic confirmation of POI, experienced spontaneous conception. The case underscores the unpredictable nature of POI and the need for ongoing investigation into its etiologies, including possible microbiome links.

A large-scale Taiwanese study found that upper and lower genital tract infections, but not comorbidities or bacterial vaginosis, independently increased infertility risk. PID and lower genital tract inflammation showed the strongest associations, emphasizing the critical role of reproductive tract infections in female infertility.

A Nigerian study found only 10% of reproductive-age women recognized the link between PID and infertility, despite high education levels. The findings emphasize the need for improved public health campaigns and highlight the microbial etiology—chiefly Chlamydia trachomatis—behind PID-related infertility.

This review details the polymicrobial pathogenesis of PID, its major microbial culprits—including both classical STIs and vaginal anaerobes—and underscores the high risk of infertility. Early diagnosis, broad-spectrum treatment, and awareness of microbiome shifts are key to reducing reproductive morbidity.

A comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research trends in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and infertility reveals increasing publication rates, evolving research priorities, and key knowledge gaps, with growing emphasis on metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms relevant to microbiome research and clinical practice.

This review details the links between bacterial vaginosis, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility, highlighting the role of vaginal and endometrial microbiota disruptions and their impact on reproductive outcomes and management strategies.

This study shows women with secondary infertility have persistently altered, less diverse vaginal microbiomes unresponsive to IVF hormone stimulation. Increased Atopobium and decreased Lactobacillus may hinder IVF success, suggesting microbiome-targeted interventions could benefit infertility care.

Microbiome dysbiosis and elevated miR-21-5p and miR-155-5p levels are strongly linked to unexplained infertility, suggesting their role as biomarkers. Correcting these microbiome imbalances could enhance fertility treatment success rates.

This study shows gut microbiota differences between fertile and infertile women, highlighting improved fertility outcomes with dietary fiber (PHGG) supplementation that enhances beneficial gut bacteria, suggesting microbiome modulation as a viable strategy for improving reproductive success.

This study identified vaginal microbiota dysbiosis, marked by Lactobacillus iners dominance, in infertile women infected with Chlamydia trachomatis. Post-antibiotic recovery suggested microbiome restoration could enhance fertility outcomes, highlighting microbiota profiling as a diagnostic tool.

This review underscores the importance of genital tract microbiome composition in fertility, particularly Lactobacillus crispatus dominance, which is linked to better fertility outcomes. Dysbiosis and pathogens like Gardnerella are associated with infertility, suggesting microbiome profiling could be key in improving ART success.

This review connects genital microbiota dysbiosis to infertility, highlighting the role of Lactobacillus dominance in female fertility and microbial imbalances in seminal fluid affecting male fertility. It suggests personalized treatments targeting microbiome restoration could improve reproductive outcomes, especially in ART settings.

This study links the vaginal microbiome, particularly Lactobacillus crispatus dominance, to successful IUI outcomes in idiopathic infertility. Dysbiosis, with an increase in Bifidobacterium, was associated with IUI failure, suggesting the importance of vaginal microbiome evaluation in fertility treatments.

This study links endometrial microbiota composition to reproductive success in ART, showing that Lactobacillus dominance is associated with better outcomes, while dysbiosis with pathogens like Gardnerella and Klebsiella correlates with infertility. It suggests microbiota analysis as a tool for improving ART success.