Gut and genital tract microbiomes: Dysbiosis and link to gynecological disorders

Every year, millions of women are affected by genital tract disorders, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), endometrial cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and uterine fibroids (UFs). These disorders pose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems and have serious implicat...

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Published inFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology Vol. 12; p. 1059825
Main Authors Elkafas, Hoda, Walls, Melinique, Al-Hendy, Ayman, Ismail, Nahed
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 16.12.2022
Subjects
Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Dysbiosis - microbiology
Endometrial Neoplasms
Endometriosis
endometrium
Estrogens
Female
fibroid
gut microbiome
Humans
Microbiota
PCOS
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - metabolism
Vagina - microbiology
vaginal microbiome
endometrium
PCOS
gut microbiome
fibroid
vaginal microbiome
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Summary:Every year, millions of women are affected by genital tract disorders, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), endometrial cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and uterine fibroids (UFs). These disorders pose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems and have serious implications for health and fertility outcomes. This review explores the relationships between gut, vaginal, and uterine dysbiosis and the pathogenesis of various diseases of the female genital tract. In recent years, reproductive health clinicians and scientists have focused on the microbiome to investigate its role in the pathogenesis and prevention of such diseases. Recent studies of the gut, vaginal, and uterine microbiomes have identified patterns in bacterial composition and changes across individuals' lives associated with specific healthy and diseased states, particularly regarding the effects of the estrogen-gut microbiome axis on estrogen-driven disorders (such as endometrial cancer, endometriosis, and UFs) and disorders associated with estrogen deficiency (such as PCOS). Furthermore, this review discusses the contribution of vitamin D deficiency to gut dysbiosis and altered estrogen metabolism as well as how these changes play key roles in the pathogenesis of UFs. More research on the microbiome influences on reproductive health and fertility is vital.
Bibliography:Edited by: Pallavi Singh, Northern Illinois University, United States
This article was submitted to Microbiome in Health and Disease, a section of the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
Reviewed by: Sandeep Kondakala, National Center for Toxicological Research (FDA), United States; Verima Pereira, University of California, San Francisco, United States; Chandni Talwar, Baylor College of Medicine, United States; Kathiresh Kumar, Texas A&M Health Science Center, United States
ISSN:2235-2988
2235-2988
DOI:10.3389/fcimb.2022.1059825