Assessment of the Microbiome Collected from the Reproductive Tracts of Women from Saudi Arabia and Its Potential Influence on Infertility

Abstract

Background and Objective: Female infertility may be attributed to several causes that are fundamentally related to the health status of women. The main objective of this project was to correlate the abundance of the microbiota in cervicovaginal fluid to infertility. Materials & Methods: A total of 36 married women who voluntarily came to the hospital in Riyadh for a routine visit participated in the study. To collect the cervicovaginal liquid, a SoftcupTM menstrual device was used by the participant; the cup was then transported in a liquid nitrogen box to the laboratory for analysis. Results: The mean vaginal pH in normal women and infertile women was 3.96 and 5.06, respectively, and the difference between the two cohorts was significant (p < 0.0001). The results showed a clear correlation between the pH value and the floral species detected in the cervicovaginal liquid. In fact, normal flora is primarily composed of a heterogeneous group of Lactobacillus species that have been detected at pH range 3.0 - 4.5, whereas a second group of bacteria mainly composed of Gard-nerella vaginalis, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius and L. iners has been detected in a pH range between 4.5 and 5.5. The third group, with a pH range >5.5, is primarily composed of G. vaginalis, P. anaerobius, Mycoplasma hominis, Mobiluncus species and Atopobium vaginae. The protein content and viscosity of the cervicovaginal liquid were significantly lower in infertile women compared to normal women (p < 0.05).